HASTINGS, Neb. – Rodney Holling is the owner of Holling Plumbing and H2 Pipe Lining, and is one of five candidates running for Hastings Mayor.

This is a five part series where we will highlight each mayoral candidate before Primary Elections in May.

At 45-years old, Holling is a lifelong resident of Hastings and is making his first run at any elected office.

We asked Holling five big questions about his campaign, and here are his responses

Why did you want to run for Mayor?: "I wanted to run for Mayor, basically to help the citizens of Hastings. We have a lot of stuff we hear from the community, we do a lot of work in the residential community, and there's been a lot of issues that's been addressed. One day, I told my wife, 'I think I'm going to run for Mayor,' she was like 'really?' I said 'yeah' and started to tell her my ideas, and here we are."

What qualities do you have that make you fit as a mayoral candidate?: "We've grown two businesses from the ground up, and done a great job with that. Our business is 24/7, so we're out every day in the community helping customers and citizens of Hastings with their issues. I feel that running for Mayor, I can continue to do that."

If elected, what is your biggest issue about Hastings that you would address?: "We need a lot more for kids to do, that's one of our biggest things. There's just nothing to do for kids in Hastings. Our city parks are great, but there's an age range there that park is only good for. Our older kids don't spend enough time with their families, so we're looking to bring back more into the community for not only older kids and kids to do in general, but to do as a family."

Being transparent as an elected official is important? How would you accomplish that?: "We get involved in the community a lot, and I think being Mayor, you need to be out seeing how businesses are doing, see if they need help, or what the city can do to help them to stay in business. We need to hear from the community and the citizens on their opinion of what they would like to see change in Hastings."

Why do Hastings residents deserve your vote?: "We're just trying to make Hastings grow and thrive again. Everyone needs to have a say, we need to hear from the citizens on their opinion too. It shouldn't just be an elected board that makes all the decisions. I know they ran a lot of advertising out there when they do have the board meetings, and that's something we need to change in the future."