Howe is first to throw hat in ring for mayor

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John Howe hopes to be Red Wing’s next mayor.

He is the first to file for candidacy in the Nov. 4 mayoral election, a wide-open race in the wake of Donna Dummer’s decision not to seek re-election.

Howe, who moved to Red Wing in 1994, said he already sees himself as an ambassador for the city.

Red Wing has a weak mayor system in which mayors act primarily as figurehead and ambassador.

“Red Wing helped me become financially independent and I want to give something back,” said Howe, who opened the Sears in Red Wing during the ‘90s. He added that Red Wing is also where he and his wife started their family.

Howe said his job experience has prepared him to be mayor. While representing regional store owners in talks with Sears’ senior management, he helped both sides work out their issues, he said.

“I just think I would be good at bringing people together,” he said, adding that if elected he would help residents participate in local government.

Howe also said he’s an experienced public speaker, having given talks to crowds of 1,000 or more people.

He now works for Wells Fargo in Hastings and is also seeking his master’s degree in criminal justice.

Howe has run for mayor once before, as well as the Red Wing City Council and the Goodhue County Board.

He was unsuccessful in those campaigns.

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