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Managing editor

Four candidates are competing in the primary election Tuesday, Aug. 10 for the Anoka County Board District 1 seat.

The position is open because incumbent Anoka County Board Chairman Dennis Berg is not seeking a new four-year term.

The four candidates are (in alphabetical order):

• Terry Hendriksen, Ramsey.

• Andy Hillebregt, Ramsey.

• Matt Look, Ramsey.

• Natalie Steffen, Ramsey.

The top two vote-getters in the primary election will advance to the Nov. 2 general election.

District 1 include precincts 1, 2 and 4 in Andover; precincts 2 and 3 in Anoka; precinct 2 in Oak Grove; and all of Bethel, Nowthen, Ramsey and St. Francis.

Questions were sent by ABC Newspapers to all four candidates. Following are the responses (alphabetically) of the candidates.


1. Biography

Hendriksen: I earned my degree in computers, working in the computer industry for 25 years before founding Enterprise Communications in 1993. ECI provides computer technical services, network design, installation and maintenance for businesses of all sizes. ECI helped businesses grow by keeping costs in line with revenue.

I moved to Ramsey in 1978 because it was affordable and offered room to keep my horses and to build a shop to work on my classic 1970 muscle-car. I don’t want the shortsighted to take the money and run planning to end this possibility for others. My home is two miles from the Ramsey Town Center “dream community” a Met Council vision of Natalie Steffen that has become a “nightmare” for Ramsey taxpayers. The current Ramsey council appears to be spending their way to prosperity. Councilmember Look supported a no bid $15,000 per month marketing contract and attended two city-financed junkets to Las Vegas.  

I’ve developed listening, reasoning, cost control and consensus-building skills that will transfer to meeting public goals and the needs in Anoka County District 1. All within a lean, no-nonsense budget that prioritize current needs such as road maintenance, creating living wage jobs that don’t require long commutes on rail or roads. I’m ideally qualified to understand the implantation of broadband for all areas of Anoka County. We need to maintain what we have first; you wouldn’t junk a car because it needs a battery and oil change we shouldn’t be ignoring current citizens for future citizens.

Hillebregt: I have been a resident of the city of Ramsey and Anoka County for 32 years. I have been married for 13 years to Jill and we have three sons.

My current work history involves managing a local tax preparation business (Everyday Tax and Accounting Service, Inc) in Anoka, driving school bus for Vision Transportation of Elk River, managing Liberty Tax in Monticello during the tax season, owner of a landscaping business and owner of a small, free-range chicken farm.

I graduated from Elk River High School and attend Anoka-Ramsey Community College and Hennepin Technical College.

Look: A 40-year resident of Anoka County District 1, Look is married, has two children and a small business (Look Signs, Inc.). He attends First Baptist Church of Anoka and has a political science degree from Bethel University (economics minor).  

Elected to Ramsey City Council in 2006, he serves the citizens as mayor pro tem, Finance Committee chairman, Housing and Redevelopment Authority commissioner, Economic Development Authority member and Lower Rum River Watershed Management Organization alternate.  

Look is an outdoor sportsman and loves watching his boys play sports with the Anoka Ramsey Athletic Association.

Steffen: Current member, Metropolitan Council. Past member, Ramsey City Council and Anoka County Board. Commissioner, Minnesota Department of Human Services. President, Achieve Services board of directors. Past president, Anoka-Ramsey Community College Foundation Board. Anoka American Legion Auxiliary. Life Leadership Award, Lord of Life Lutheran Church. Missionary work, Mongolia.

Twice widowed following marriages to Fred Haas (U.S. Navy, retired) and Bernie Steffen (U.S. Army). Two grown children, eight stepchildren and 22 grand and step-grandchildren. City of Ramsey resident since early 1970s.

Service is on the menu when she cooks gourmet “Dinners for Eight” in her home for local nonprofits. These meals provide, for example, scholarships for college students, shelter for women and children experiencing family violence, and preservation of local history through the Anoka County Historical Society.


What qualifies you to be a member of the Anoka County Board?

Hendriksen: My background is in a very competitive high-tech business. I have over 20 years of citizen activism, numerous commissions including city council. I want to support all of District 1, not a personal legacy or a stepping stone for state office.

I am noted for straight talk and honest answers. I have a history of supporting citizens and businesses. I wrote and lobbied for charter amendments that now protect citizens from assessment for unwanted public utilities needed to support the cost of someone else’s for-profit dream, protections my opponent not only opposed but chaired the opposition.  

I watched as Anoka County spent millions to hardscape roads contributing to business failure, but can’t manage to repair potholes. I am not aligned with any party, I don’t plan to hire my cronies, I’m not related to or friends of any big buck developers. My only connection is to the citizens who value their lifestyle. I respect that citizens who want to be able to live without government telling them I have a plan for you. District 1 will be experiencing many changes you can decide on Aug. 10 if you want a representative fighting for you or against you.

Hillebregt: I feel my extensive background in running small businesses qualifies me to be a great member of the Anoka County Board.

I feel that I know what Anoka County residents want and need from their county government. I know what it means to preserve the family farms while still letting others have the things they need like good paying jobs and access to necessary government services.

Look: Only two of the 854 Minnesota cities cut taxes. The city of Ramsey was one of the two. We did it by prioritizing needs versus wants to help families sustain themselves in a difficult economic time.  

Some people think you have to cut services to cut taxes. That’s not true. We did not cut public services. We cut spending and set priorities.

Additionally, I fought hard to protect residents against the abuse of governmental units like the Met Council who recently tried to rezone personal property in Ramsey, which would cause devaluation. Property belongs to people, not the city or the county. I have been a leader in reversing business fees, rental licenses and eminent domain proceedings so money and property remain with their rightful owners.  

I focused on attracting businesses, agencies and amenities to Ramsey Town Center including Bob FM, the Allina Clinic, the Midwest Medical Examiner’s office, a park, amphitheater and the new Veteran’s Administration (VA) Clinic. I also fought hard to protect local businesses from county roadway changes that remove access resulting in loss of businesses and jobs in the community. I see the needs. I have a plan. I have experience. And, I have a track record.

Steffen: I am uniquely qualified to foster cooperation between different private and public sector groups — gaining efficiencies and boosting effectiveness — because I bring experience in several leadership roles, including being appointed by Govs. Ventura and Pawlenty to serve on the Met Council (where I’ve helped hold the line on regional taxes), being elected to the Ramsey City Council and the Anoka County Board, being appointed by Gov. Arne Carlson to run the Minnesota Department of Human Services (where I worked to balance the state budget) and being appointed by Gov. Rudy Perpich to serve on the first Minnesota Board of Soil and Water Conservation.

Thanks to my fighting for fairness, the Met Council revised its funding distribution formula. During my time on the council, tens of millions of our tax dollars have been invested in Anoka County.

I also have championed local control for decision making that impacts the quality of life in our neighborhoods.



What would be your priorities if elected to the county board?

Hendriksen: Jobs, living-wage jobs that do not require subsidized housing now referred to as worker housing (Met Council term).

Countywide ordinances protecting citizens being forced to hook up to unwanted or needed city services, density transition protecting existing residents from high density right on the property line. As county commissioner I will meet and work with cities for solutions that represent their citizen’s needs, not what others think their needs should be.

District 1 will change, how these changes will affect each of us will be determined by those who create the policies. Will these policies represent you or the ideas of others?  

Will budgets reflect the conservative values and hard work of the citizens of Anoka County or make others rich by embracing ideas private investors would never support?

I will hire consultants only when needed and never awarded contracts to political cronies, particularly those who created the problems they are now consulting on how to fix.

My loyalty is to the citizens of Anoka County, my ambition is growth without destroying what attracted us in the first place. My legacy is citizens saying they might not agree with me but I was always honest with them.  

There is nothing smart about build now and solve problems later. Families are living in the now; children don’t wait until the schools catch up. Banks don’t wait until the jobs are created. Wildlife doesn’t wait until wetlands are recreated. Indeed, the only smart in Met Council’s smart growth is in the name.

Hillebregt: My priorities include making sure that we are not taxing people out of their homes who live on fixed incomes, as this costs the taxpayer more than keeping them in their homes (i.e. paying for their nursing home).

I would also like to focus on road construction projects as I think this is an important future investment for Anoka County and making sure we build better roads that will last longer (i.e. concrete versus asphalt) and save money in the future on resurfacing costs.

I want to work with all Anoka County departments to look for cost savings not already considered as I look at “government” from the viewpoint of a taxpaying citizen and not a politician.

Look: The unfortunate reality of today’s economy is that property values are falling while job loss, bankruptcies and foreclosures are on the rise. Additionally, gas, grocery, utility and other bills continue to increase. Citizens and cities will continue to face deficits.

The solution is how Anoka County prepares today to respond to what will be required tomorrow. Government and budgets must reduce or people will be taxed out. The people of Anoka County only have so much money to give. To lower property value and collect the same tax is a hardship.

Anoka County must look at needs (potholes on the roads) versus wants (a train to Duluth) to lower its citizens’ tax burden. Government must govern reasonably without exploiting people’s assets.

Current county policies ignore economic conditions by increasing taxes while citizens lose jobs and homes. Government must use limited resources on “needs” not “wants,” taking less from struggling taxpayers.

Steffen: We can provide economic growth, jobs and transportation improvements, while holding the line on property taxes. Working together, we can build on the best of what our communities have to offer.

The county can do more to assist with economic development in Anoka, Andover, Bethel, Nowthen, Oak Grove, Ramsey and St. Francis. For example, the successful Northstar Commuter Rail line offers opportunities for the cities of Ramsey and Anoka that should be aggressively pursued.

I pledge to maintain the county’s hard earned AAA bond rating. Residents and business people will have peace of mind knowing their county finances are secure.

Efficiencies must be accomplished, whether or not the state and federal requirements come with funding.

While I was commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Human Services, we overhauled the welfare system to emphasize work and time restricted financial assistance. Today, we need strong leaders who can cut through red tape and make sure people get needed services to help them become self sufficient.

I respectfully ask for voters’ support. Thank you.