(energetic music) (energetic music continues) (energetic music continues) - Welcome to Almanac North.

I'm Maarja Hewitt.

Tonight on Almanac North, we continue our civics conversation with a look at county commissioners.

We'll speak with a current Minnesota Commissioner, a Douglas County Board Member, and candidates running for Carlton County's District 1 Commissioner seat.

That's coming up next, but first, Senator Grant Hauschild visited Northern Itasca County, Tuesday, to participate in an energy town hall with the Minnesota Rural Electric Association, Northern Itasca Electric Cooperative, other energy stakeholders and community members.

The town hall focused on energy issues, including the need for nuclear power as part of Minnesota's energy future.

In addition, they discussed the opportunities in new technologies like Small Modular Reactors or SMR and iron ore battery storage to help meet energy goals.

Senator Hauschild said, "The residents and communities of Northern Minnesota are independent and self-sufficient, but they face challenges that are different than many other parts of the state."

This is part of a continuing energy initiative, Northland Strong, started by Hauschild in 2023.

On Wednesday, Northland Housing Partners, NHP, a nonprofit that aims to spark housing development in northeast Minnesota, announced funding for its first project, River West Duluth.

Many regional employers have identified the lack of adequate housing as a significant barrier to attracting and retaining key talent.

Higher interest rates and stricter lending requirements for developer funding have resulted in a lending gap and created a need for private investment in housing solutions.

NHP's efforts are not targeted at a particular city, rather its original approach to developing and improving communities in northeast Minnesota and northwest Wisconsin.

With an initial goal of $25 million in total commitments, the money will be loaned to developers as part of their project financing plan and will allow NHP to contribute to multiple projects at once.

Well, time to dive into tonight's topic, county commissioners.

Our first guest is currently serving as the Board chair for Itasca County Commissioners, John Johnson.

John, thank you for joining us.

- Thank you, and thank you for having me.

- So tell us a little bit about your role as Board Chair and as a Commissioner.

- So as a County Commissioner, I represent 9,000, approximately 9,000 residents of Itasca County.

Itasca County has five commissioner districts, which is different from St. Louis County where they have seven due to population and landmass.

Currently serving as Board Chair, I, of course, administer the meetings, the weekly Board meetings, as well as taking any official action that the Board has decided on in terms of signatures or official duties that might relate to that.

- How do you work with state and local governments to address community needs?

- Itasca County has a fantastic group and team of local legislators and state legislators.

The Board tends to interact the most with them to try and develop any kind of legislation that we may want to pursue with their assistance.

- What does a typical day or week look like for you?

- For me, based on my current involvement, I am usually into the office by 8 or 8:30 in the morning.

And sometimes that can be as brief as one or two hours, and occasionally it'll turn into evening events or involvements like that with the communities.

So then it can get a little bit lengthy, but... - What type of topics come before the Board of Commissioners?

- That's the fun part of our role as county commissioners.

We can end up working with things ranging from economic development on a large scale for our entire county or potentially participate at the state level and as small and as unique things as local trail development and buildings.

So it's a very diverse involvement and it enables us to really participate in the operation of everything that is included in our citizens' daily lives in Itasca County.

- How do you make sure that you are balancing the needs of all the different municipalities and townships within Itasca County?

- That can be challenging.

The County Board only addresses issues that rise to the county level.

In the small municipalities and cities and towns, each of them have their own governing body and determine their own priorities and goals.

So occasionally we'll interact on that level, but for the most part, we just work at the county level on what might be most beneficial to the entire county.

- Can you look back, you know, you've been the county commissioner for two years now.

Are there any past initiatives that come to mind that you could share that you've been a part of?

- There is the Highway 169 Coalition.

You know, the Highway 169 is a very important artery and highway that comes right up the center of the state.

And there was a short section of that, that during the development of the highway, growth became problematic and expansion and updating became problematic just due to its location.

So I've had the privilege to get involved in an initiative to seek the funding and secure the funding to finish that nine miles of Highway 169.

And it was a lot of hard work went into it before me, but we most recently were able to secure funding and form the Coalition to get that little piece of road fixed so we can better enable our visitors to travel all the way to Ely, if they so choose.

- What challenges are the Itasca County Commissioners facing right now?

- Right now we're very focused on economic development and growth.

So that always being a priority.

It's a very important priority right now for us in Itasca County.

Additionally, we've recently and sadly had a tragedy within our Board of Commissioners and we lost one of our commissioners.

So that presents a whole new set of challenges in how that the actions, the administrative actions and the proper procedures to follow that we have to do between now and the election.

- You know, two years into your term, what has surprised you about the role of county commissioner?

- I think first and foremost, the gratitude of the citizens.

I never imagined how much appreciation would be extended to Board especially the Board Chair, but all of the Commissioners.

There's challenges as well.

So we'll face those in public, but most of my public interaction is very positive and very rewarding.

- How does the public stay involved in those county decisions?

- Well, for me, I solicit as much feedback as I can possibly get.

When I can, when I'm speaking engagements, I invite it.

And then I also very much welcome public interaction.

I have some... My wife teased me one day because I got stopped five times between the car and the grocery store door, but that's the job that I asked for, so I greatly appreciate it.

- What qualities do you think are needed to be an effective county commissioner?

- So we must be non-partisan.

We are the highest level of government that is non-partisan.

So we're not strapped or held back by any party affiliations, and we truly have the opportunity to engage in what's best for all of our residents.

So that's one important piece.

The other piece is you have to be comfortable speaking in groups because there are a lot of groups that would that like to interact with the County Board members.

- John, thank you so much for joining us tonight.

- Thank you for having me.

(bright music) - Our next guest is a commissioner candidate for Carlton County District 1, Caleb Dunlap.

Caleb, welcome to the show.

- Hi, bounjour, hello.

Thanks for having me.

- Well, let's just start with understanding what made you decide to run for commissioner?

- Yeah, absolutely.

So to kind of bring you up to speed, our current District 1 Commissioner, his name is Dick Brenner.

He's been in the role for 32 years and has decided to retire from public service.

And so once I heard that in early May, I saw a door that was open to provide new leadership to the county.

And again, I come from the Fond du Lac band of Lake Superior Chippewa, and we have never had a county commissioner in Carlton County that has been a Native individual.

And a part of District 1, a large part of it, I should say, is the Tribal Nation.

And so my slogan is "connecting our county," and so making sure that all voices are heard and represented.

So that was very important to me when I saw that door opened.

And then what I love is engaging a lot of people and I find that people, residents of the county, they need to be more involved in county politics.

It really does matter.

And so a lot of those things were the first things to kind of get me out of my seat and walk through that door, (chuckles) so.

- What are some challenges you see the people of District 1 facing?

- Yeah, so I have committed myself to door knocking.

I'm a big believer in that.

And because of that, you get to know what matters to people.

And so, you know, some of the largest things are taxation, really looking at how we are using our tax base, what we're using our spending on, and then also housing, the type of just, the available types of housing so that when our aging population wants to downsize, you know, are they able to do that, or are they having to move other places?

And also economic development.

You know, in many ways, people don't necessarily know what they most enjoy about Carlton County.

They have referred to it as a pass through place.

And I really want people to understand that there's robust, great things across the county.

And so increasing our economic development and ensuring people understand that they can spend their money within Carlton County (chuckles) is really important too.

- So if elected, how would you face some of these challenges?

- Yeah, especially, you know, I think with taxation, we can look at how we can be creative around taxation, you know, in everything from like sliding skiff, you know, sliding tax scales where, you know, you look to, you know, those that may be on a low income or, you know, based on age.

So it helps those people that are trying to start off and become homeowners or those that are aging that really are on a fixed income.

And so looking at how we can meet them where they're at when it comes to taxation.

And then with housing, we have to be able to provide our county or incentivize people to build differing types of housing across our county.

There's different ways of creating community land trusts, organizations here in Duluth are doing that and providing viable ways to build housing, to create housing out of, you know, spaces that are not being used.

And so really doubling down on ensuring that people have housing.

Again, you know, when people look to Carlton County, you know, they look to it as a place where they can raise their families, retire, and live their entire, their years, but now are having to make choices to leave.

And when people make choices to even move down the highway, a lot of the changes that, you know, you have to select a new provider, you have to select a new, maybe a faith community and a friend group.

And so those changes can really have an impact on your life.

And so, again, doubling down on those types of differing housing opportunities in the county and then economic development is huge.

again, enticing people to come to Carlton County and elevating what businesses we do have so that people understand that they can spend their money at home.

- Caleb, thank you for joining us tonight.

- Yeah, absolutely.

Thanks for having me.

- Next on Almanac North, I'm joined by Sarah Plante Buhs, the other candidate for the Carlton County Commissioner District 1 seat.

Sarah, thank you for joining us.

- Thank you for having me.

Excited to be here.

- Why did you decide to run for this position?

- So I decided to run for Carlton County Commissioner District 1 because the seat that was in that, the person that had that seat was in there for 32 years.

He decided not to run again.

So I thought this was a great opportunity for me to throw my name in the hat and continue to serve the community as I have done in years past.

I am passionate about the community and the work with the School Board, the Parks Commission, and me being on the Cloquet Education Foundation and the Fire Service in United Way, I wanted to run because I think some of my experience that I have can help Carlton County.

- What are some unique challenges you see the district facing?

- So I don't know if they would be considered unique.

They're common in the area and then through nationwide, but some of the issues that we see, or that I'm seeing in the area is a lot to do with economic development.

There hasn't been a lot of growth in Carlton County area and we really need to think about different ways that we can see some growth that can help with the tax base.

Right now a lot of people are feeling the pinch with taxes that are continuing to increase in the area, more especially people that are in a fixed income, our retired population.

And talking about economic development, looking at ideas for housing, which is another issue, but seeing some growth and helping with that tax base and helping get those taxes back down so it's a little bit easier for people.

- If elected, how would you face some of these challenges and make an impact?

- Sure.

So for me, I'm involved in the community with a lot of different boards and stuff that I sit on, and United Way, being one of 'em.

I have some experience, I have connections that can help tackle these issues.

So housing being the big one, if we talk about housing and bring more housing in the area, that can drive businesses and stuff in the area too.

And one thing that we can do and look at is, you know, what are other communities doing?

What's been successful, what hasn't been successful?

And then kind of not recreate the wheel, but look at different ideas and see what works best for Carlton County area.

- Can you tell me a little bit more about your background and what made you decide to run to serve the county?

- Sure.

So I'm a lifelong resident here in Carlton County.

I lived in Scanlon, Perch Lake and Cloquet.

After I graduated from high school in '98, I found my passion in the Fire Service where I spent 23 years in the Fire Service serving the community.

12 of those years was a public education officer where I developed a lot of proactive programs, not only being that fire department's respond to calls, but also trying to eliminate and keep people safer.

So a lot of those programs are still in place, but I had a lot of passion for helping the community.

When I stepped out of the Fire Service, I still wanted to find a different way to serve the community.

So I took a job as executive director for United Way, where I'm just helping the community, looking at the different gaps, helping support different programs and, you know, continue to make Carlton County thrive.

With my drive of helping the community, my knowledge and stuff, I thought I would be great to be on the Carlton County Commission with my public safety, my healthcare and community skills background.

- Anything else you'd like to add?

- I like to share with the viewers if they wanna learn a little bit more information about me, you can go to sarahplantebuhs.com where my website where you will learn a little bit more about who I am and why I'm running.

- Sarah, thank you so much for joining us tonight.

- Thank you.

(bright music) - Our final guest this evening is a member of the Douglas County Board of Supervisors, Lee Sandok Baker.

Lee, welcome to the show.

- Thank you.

- What does your role on the Board of Supervisors entail?

What does it look like?

- Well, I'm one of 21 Douglas County supervisors.

So my district is District 13.

I represent the Allouez, Itasca neighborhoods, and part of South Superior.

And each of us has around 2,100 constituents in our districts.

So mainly, I keep up on what is going on, you know, with the county through keeping up on committee minutes and those kinds of things, agendas, and then listening to...

I have constituents that will call or email me with concerns.

Oftentimes, it's just to find some information, "Who do I call about this?"

and just pointing them in the right direction.

And then attending meetings.

We have a monthly meeting.

I'm also on several committees.

Each of us are.

So you have committee meetings that you attend and report back to the County Board as a whole.

And I would say it's a lot of paying attention to what's going on in the community and looking out for opportunities, you know, to better your community.

- What sort of topics make up those committees?

- Well, I'm on the Land Conservation Committee, so you've got things involving, like, there's a Land and Development Committee, there's a Zoning Committee, there's Public Safety, and that covers a whole breadth of things from the Sheriff's Department and the Jail.

There's Emergency Management, there's the Courts, there's County Clerk and all of those things.

Health and Human Services, which really, they take care of administering benefits from the state and federal level and the social services, Public Health.

There's committees covering all of those.

And then there are also where you serve on like as an advisor on advisory committees out in the community.

You know, whether it's...

I'm an advisor, like a...

I'm a board member, committee member on the Douglas County Historical Society and other committees like that, or economic development organizations and things like that.

So the county covers within its organization covers so many different things, you know, as an arm of the state government at the local level.

And then of course you reach out into the community to understand what's really going on on those different committees where you serve as an advisory member.

- Yeah.

How does the public engage with the Board of Supervisors or the other way around too?

- Yeah, well, they can reach out.

You know, our information is all out on the website.

It is all public information, so they can reach out to us on the phone or email, but they can also come to the Board meetings and the Committee meetings, our public meetings so people can come and speak.

They can speak on anything that's on the agenda and they can reach out to us, you know, if they see things that they want on the agenda.

- What sort of issues or challenges is the Douglas County Board of Supervisors tackling right now?

- Well, I think we are facing a lot of the same types of challenges across the region from affordable, you know, housing and enough housing.

We are facing the same things with climate change and environmental concerns that a lot of places are.

There is a mental health crisis around the area.

And that's one of the things that we recently did was pass a resolution, you know, asking the state for more money to address mental health services as well as looking at a mental health, behavioral health facility up in one of our northern counties.

Because people have to move, they have to go so far to get help and our resources here are really limited.

- You've been on the Board of Supervisors now for a year and a half.

Looking back on that time, are there any projects or initiatives that stick out that you were a part of that had an impact on the community?

- I think that, you know, the work of the County Board, there are things that come up that are, you know, can be exciting or controversial at times.

I think in my time there though, what I've seen is that the real important work of the Board is really, you know, using the resources that we have responsibly, you know, keeping the roads in good shape, you know, keeping the public safe and keeping the jail running and just providing all of those community services and being responsible about it.

It's a big learning curve for anyone coming onto the County Board as a new member.

And so, yeah, I have to say that rather than just one big success or something, I have to say, it's seeing the County Board, you know, being responsible and keeping things functioning for the community.

- Do you have any advice for someone at home who maybe has interest in taking a seat at county government?

- I would say that, you know, if you're interested and the opportunity arises, whether there's an election and there's an open seat or someone steps down and there's an open seat, I think it's really sad that more people won't just step in and give it a try.

There's, I mean, Douglas County Board has 21 seats and the more diverse the views and the talents and the interests, the better.

And, you know, nobody is perfect.

Nobody's the perfect board member.

Nobody's the perfect candidate.

And if there's any inkling of that wish to serve your community, understand why things work the way they do, I would say, you know, head to a meeting, get on a committee if you can, and just that sort of thing.

Just start poking around and getting involved.

- And just to follow up to that, what do you think the qualities that that person should have as a member of the Board of Supervisors?

- Curiosity and the willingness to learn and listen to people and have an open mind.

The ability to really hear what people are saying is really important.

- Lee, thank you so much for joining us.

- Thank you.

- Well, before we go, let's take a look at what you might be up to this weekend.

Saturday from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. there will be something to eek about around every corner of The Depot.

Get ready for this not-so-scary afternoon of free family fun, and remember to wear your costumes.

The Duluth Superior Symphony Youth Orchestra will perform at 2:00 p.m. in The Depot Theater.

And in Alborn, Minnesota is the second annual Crafter's Market.

Hours are 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

There will be a variety of new and old crafters from around the area selling unique art pieces.

There will also be coffee, hot cider, hot cocoa, and cookies available as well.

More information can be found online.

And finally, in Ely, Minnesota, check out the final Howling Safari of the season at the International Wolf Center.

Learn how wolves use vocalizations, body language, and olfaction to communicate with one another.

Practice your own howl while venturing into the nearby Superior National Forest to try howling for a wild wolf pack.

You might even get a response from a wild wolf pack.

Well, that's it for this week's show.

Make sure you go out and enjoy your weekend.

For everyone here at Almanac North, I'm Maarja Hewitt.

Thanks for joining us.

Goodnight.

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