Mayoral contenders Cathy Hoheisel and Duane Lossing addressed a full house in the city council chambers on Monday evening at the second of two Babbitt Weekly News candidate forums.
Both candidates are Babbitt graduates and decades-long residents.
Hoheisel retired in 2023 after 30 years serving the City of Babbitt, most recently as the clerk-treasurer. She handled budgeting,projectmanagement and more. This career allowed Hoheisel to build relationships with attorneys, the IRRRB and more, she added.
“I have the experience, the knowledge and the understanding of how city government works. I have a genuine desire to continue serving the community,” Hoheisel said.
Lossing is a current council member and former mayor of Babbitt.Hehasmanagedpower sports businesses, worked for Rural Living Environments and served as a mechanic at Hoover Construction.
Lossing said he is not afraid to vote differently from other council members if he believes it benefits the public.
“My object is to make sure the money of the people is spent wisely,” Lossing said.
Ideas for economic development and population growth again took center stage in the candidates’ responses.
“It’s this whole big picture of jobs, housing and making people want to live here, building an image where people will want to come here and raise their families,” Lossing said.
Lossing said maintaining the school is Babbitt’s greatest challenge. Without the school, he said, the community would find it increasingly difficult to attract new residents and businesses.
Hoheisel said building the tax base and attracting businesses would be among her top priorities as mayor.
“We have to market our city and make people see what we see,” Hoheisel said.
Hoheisel expressed optimism in the West Babbitt Development’s ability to boost school enrollment numbers by freeing up homes in town for young families.
Lossing proposed the city could work in cohort with the West Babbitt developer’s marketing efforts, and especially advertise to families.
“It’s a quiet, safe, clean, affordable place to raise children and retire,” Lossing said. “We need to do a marketing scheme on that. We need to brand our community for what it is.”
“Babbitt shouldn’t just wait for businesses to come to town. We should actively go after them,” Hoheisel said.
Hoheisel’s number one priority for Babbitt’s Economic Development Authority (EDA) would be the establishment of the industrial park.
Hoheisel said this would prepare the city to capitalize on future helium and copper-nickel operations by supporting spin-off businesses, suppliers and contractors.
“We need to find the land, determine what it takes to develop the land, find the funding, create an incentive package, make Babbitt easy to work with, identify target industries, recruit businesses, and sell Babbitt,” Hoheisel said.
Lossing said the city should take a look at gaps in local services.
“We see 100 snowmobiles sitting in town or 70 side-by-sides sitting at a local business here, and we don’t have anywhere for them to have breakfast,” Lossing said.
Lossing suggested the EDA develop a program to provide the information businesses need when considering a local launch. The council could also expand the EDA to include members of the public, who could contribute ideas for growth.
“We’re all hoping good-paying jobs can come in the form of precious
metals mining, but I think it’s time for us to start looking at other ways to stabilize our economy,” Lossing said.
Babbitt’s trails, lakes, forests, school and other amenities create an opportunity for the city to grow into a hub that attracts events and visitors, Lossing added.
Building the local economy and growing the tax base would benefit Babbitt by increasing the city’s budget, Hoheisel said.
“A 20% (levy) increase deserves a hard look,” Hoheisel said.
“My goal is to make sure every dollar the city spends is necessary and justified,” Hoheisel said.
Hoheisel said the city should maintain a healthy fund balance to account for unexpected expenses. Lossing said administrators should becomemoreprecisewhentracking and naming expenses otherwise labelled as “miscellaneous,” which could help the city make more informed decisions at budget time.
“My goal as mayor is to strengthen the communication and rebuild the trust between the city and the residents,” Hoheisel said.
Hoheisel advocated for a balanced approach to short-term rentals based on planning commission research.
“My goal is not to eliminate shortterm rentals,” Hoheisel said. “It’s to find a balance between supporting tourism and local property owners while making sure Babbitt continues to have adequate housing for residents.”
Lossing also emphasized the role short-term rentals play in Babbitt’s tourism economy, especially when events draw visitors in. He agrees that housing must also be accessible to first-time homebuyers.
“We’re a hidden treasure up here,” Lossing said.
“Ten years from now, I want us to look at Babbitt and see a community that has grown without losing our identity,” Hoheisel said.
The general election will take place Tuesday, Nov. 3. Absentee voting commenced on Sept. 18 in Minnesota, and residents can also cast their ballots early in person beginning on Oct. 16.
