By RUSSELL HUFFMAN
TheFlashToday.com NEWS & SPORTS – FREE & LOCAL
STEPHENVILLE (March 13, 2015) — The reasons for Andrew Hansen Jr.’s run for a place on the Stephenville City Council are pretty simple – he lives here and he wants to see the city set long-term goals, grow and not waste any money doing it.
“We need growth in Stephenville,” Hansen said. “If we want to improve the quality of life we need to start with the basics, and that’s job development and retention.”
As a 2004 graduate of Stephenville High School, Hansen has had the opportunity to see the city develop first hand. After playing football and graduating from Howard Payne University, Hansen returned home to work with his father in the development of real estate, new homes and townhouses in Stephenville and the surrounding area.
Now serving as an asset manager in the family owned company, Hansen feels the uniqueness of his job has given him many opportunities to work with young and old alike and to learn from that.
“You get lots of chances to meet people, and to hear their ideas and ambitions,” Hansen said. “When I sit down with people I give them my attention because I am detail oriented, and I want to be effective at what I do.”
Dealing with financial analysis is a daily part of Hansen’s job, and he knows how to crunch numbers so that the money keeps coming in, not going out. While he admits, he wants to do more research on a Type B Sales Tax before rendering an opinion, but he admits he is all about seeing Stephenville develop economically.
“That’s almost $500,000, if that’s route we take, and we need to ensure that money is dedicated toward bringing jobs to town, ” Hansen said.
Hansen very much believes in giving back and admits he has been thinking about seeking office as a way of doing it.
“The last couple of years I have been giving it serious thought, and recently I have been encouraged by others to run,” Hansen said. “I’m getting married in June and, hopefully, Stephenville is going to be my home for the rest of my life. I want to help seek out those long-term development goals and move our fine city forward.”
From seeking the aid of grant writers to taking advantage of assets in place, Hansen hopes to be able to explore all avenues of keeping costs low while achieving many of the goals the city already has in place.
“Throwing money at something doesn’t always solve your problems,” Hansen said. “There are other ways to solve problems, and they don’t include spending lots of money.”
Andrew Hansen Jr. Where have you heard that name before? Perhaps on radio at KSTV and KTRL in Stephenville, who takes advantage of Hansen’s considerable football knowledge as part of their sports broadcasts for high school and college sports. He also teaches Sunday school at Cottonwood Church.
“I’m not running for personal profit or special preferences. Obviously, I would recuse myself from any dealings with our company and any other meetings that might affect our business directly,” Hansen said “I love being a part of my church and a part of this community, and I have a passion for public service and I feel it’s time for me to give back.”
NOTE: This candidate interview and introduction is the first of several being written by The Flash Today staffers. If you are a candidate for office, please contact Russell at russell@theflash.today or he will also contact you.
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