Hello! My name is Larry Haws.
Before being elected to the state legislature I served as a Stearns County Commissioner and Parks and Recreation Director for the City of Saint Cloud. Some may also know me as a teacher and as a coach. It is my sincere hope that my record of service speaks for itself, and shows that I will have the best interests of this community in mind at the State Capitol.
I first realized my passion for public service when I came to St. Cloud to teach and coach at Cathedral High School more than forty years ago. My teams enjoyed a great deal of success and won state titles during my tenure there.
I then took a position with the City of Saint Cloud, serving the good people of this city for 32 years in the Parks and Recreation department, acting as director for 17 of those years. Under my leadership, the Parks Department grew from 32 parks and 430 acres to over 80 parks and 1,000 acres. One of the larger campaigns of the department during my time there was Saint Cloud’s Adopt-a-Park program, which was one of only a few in the state. Through this program, the Parks and Rec. Department helped to organize over 2,000 volunteers to plant trees, clean city parks, and install playground equipment. As the director, I was responsible for more than $8,000,000 in donations to be utilized for improving Saint Cloud parks. In fact, our St. Cloud flower parks have become recognized internationally and are visited by nearly 250,000 people every summer.
Since being elected to the Stearns County Board, I have worked diligently to advance openness in government through live and archived County Board webcasts and public forums. Because of its website capabilities, Stearns County has a nationally recognized site that receives more than 7,000 hits a week!
As a Stearns County Commissioner, I was appointed to various councils, committees, and task forces. These appointments included:
AMC Delegates
Central MN Council on Aging
Central MN Mental Health Center Board
Central MN Mental Health Center Foundation
Delinquent Refuse Account Appeals Panel
Environmental Service Fee Panel
GRIP Task Force for Regional Human Rights Committee
Health Insurance Committee
Historical Society
Human Services Board
LEC Building Joint Powers
NorthStar Corridor Liaison
Personnel Variance Committee (PVC)
Saint Cloud/Benton/Sherburne/Stearns Joint Airport Zoning Board
SBETC Joint Powers Board
Stearns County Noxious Weeds Committee
Tri-CAP Board
Tri-County Solid Waste Management
In addition to my work as a Stearns County Commissioner, I have been recognized for community service work in many different areas. For example, some of my main volunteer activities focus on youth and homeless veterans. Also, my proven environmental track record has led to the reception of state awards for replanting our urban forest. I have also been working with the GRIP organization’s initiative for a livable wage and their efforts for a regional Human Rights Office. And, among other things, I have been recognized for supporting neighborhood preservation and am currently involved in the project to restore Bard Park—the oldest park in Saint Cloud.
As a community leader and activist, I continue to be an enthusiastic member of the following groups:
AARP
Central MN Crisis Chaplaincy
Chronic Inebriate Task Force
District 742 Citizen Advisory Committee (Finance)
GRIP Committee for Liveable Wage Initiative
Homeless Concerns Committee
Restorative Justice Committee
RSVP Board
St. Cloud Kiwanis
VA Housing Project
Whitney Senior Center Foundation
Lastly, over more than 40 years of service, I have been recognized for many awards. Some of these awards include:
Service To Mankind Award, Sertoma Club
JC Golden Rule Award
Andrus Award for Community Service, Minnesota AARP
Outstanding Service Award, Delta Kappa Gamma Society International
(for service to youth)
Children Empowerment Award, Kids Day America International
Certificate of Appreciation, for contributing to the Minnesota Workforce Development System.
Award of Recognition, for service to Vietnam Veterans/TREA; Presented by Disability Awareness Task Force.
Leadership award for inclusion efforts of persons with disabilities
Citation of Service, Saint Cloud Historical Preservation Association
“Eleven Who Care” award, KARE 11 News
I hope you determine that my credentials, dedicated work record, and continuing service to others qualify me as the right person to serve you at the State Capitol, in the Minnesota House of Representatives. Your support will leave me with a deep sense of gratitude, and only renew my drive to serve the citizens of this community.
I AM PROUD TO BE YOUR FRIEND, YOUR NEIGHBOR AND YOUR ADVOCATE
