Thaddeus Laugisch

As a husband, father of two daughters, a 16-yr Designer/Safety Director for a commercial ag general contractor, and as an established local artist, I've learned that a stable foundation is required to ensure needs are met. I’ve worked to meet the needs of business owners through my work, and understand the importance of listening, and getting it right. I've also learned that patience matters over anger, and that the changes our futures hold are inevitable.

My top priorities include improving access to affordable childcare for working families, working to support and improve public school education, working to improve eldercare for seniors, including finding ways to increase funding for emergency services for our urban and rural communities. Finally, I intend to work to increase support for small businesses in order to expand job employment opportunities.

I believe that rural population decline will be greater than we see today. We could see a dramatic population decrease throughout the rural areas of our state as we continually remove access and services for those living in rural communities. I would address this by working to ensure H4B communities have access to affordable healthcare services, reliable childcare and quality senior care for elders, and increased job employment opportunities in rural communities by improving programs to support small businesses.

Taxes are higher than the average person cares for. As we do provide assistance and services more than our neighboring states, many agree with our current level of taxation. I personally feel that property has become the default of tax increases for our services, and I feel amendments should be considered to relieve some of the burden if we restructure existing programs for more efficient growth.

Regulations are meant to maintain the land for a long duration without severe effects to it, people, and prevent humans that could hinder future sustainability. To balance between regions, we need regulation that is more micro than macro. Regulatory needs for one part of the state may differ from another in our efforts such as maintaining safe levels of product use on fields, for example. MN is a regional leader for sustainable farming, and this is a draw for younger people wanting to start a business.

I do support state funding and feel we need to assist our local businesses even more to counter the current trends in our rural communities. This would include funding for workers and towards the financial requirements to maintain and upkeep an existing
retail space and to work with our counties to create better ways for businesses to reach their clients. Hawley's Whistle Stop closure comes to mind when answering as another business in Hawley approached me for help with the advert limitations along Highway 10.

As childcare is in high demand, I feel we can revisit existing legislation to create a path for more home-based providers who could also qualify for current state assistance. We can work to incentivize early education with education assistance and student loan forgiveness for students seeking a career in child-care. I'd also like to create legislation that would provide a path for willing retirement homes and group homes to apply for state assistance to create a child care program within their facilities that would enrich both the residents and the children under their care.

As our community continues to grow, I am personally proud of how diverse our community really is. Programs mentioned are intended to help the community with natural disasters as well as the disasters xenophobia can cause. Moorhead currently has the opportunity to welcome and share our traditions with other cultures around the world while also providing comfort for our new community members. I fully support the state funding of projects mentioned that enrich our communities and invest in programs such as New Roots that provide education for inspiring farmers as well.

Renewable energy will eventually save in the long run. As EV technology is becoming more acceptable, the price tag and the high replacement cost of the battery pack still deters the average worker. I feel we do need to transition to more self-sustainable energy and
we can do so by utilizing the Inflation Reduction Act and creating the connections between suppliers, service providers, and residents, so that our communities can receive rebates to help both the environment and the consumer pocket book. I also feel an investment to create smaller and more thermally protected batteries will help us greatly for the future.