(bright music) (bright music continues) (bright music continues) - Welcome to "Almanac North."

I'm Maarja Hewitt.

Tonight we are going to recap the races we had focused on leading up to election night and speak with Dr. Cindy Rugeley, Head of UMD's Political Science Program about what is next for the candidate elects.

That's coming up, but first, the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources, or BWSR, has received $21 million in federal funding to enhance its water quality and storage program.

The funding comes from the USDA's Regional Conservation Partnership Program aiming to help Minnesota control runoff, protect infrastructure, and improve water quality amid changing climate impacts.

BWSR Executive Director John Jaschke highlighted that the funding will support projects to reduce flooding in agricultural areas and rural communities, addressing more frequent heavy rain events that impact the state's waterways.

This program focuses on key regions like the Minnesota River and lower Mississippi River basins where erosion and declining water quality have become critical issues.

With this new support, BWSR plans to expand edge of field practices that limit nitrogen and other pollutants from entering rivers and lakes.

It's part of a broader conservation effort involving both public and private partners.

In early 2025, BWSR will open a request for proposals inviting local governments, conservation districts, and tribal organizations to apply for funding to implement these vital projects.

Dr. Amy Starzecki, District Administrator for the School District of Superior has been named Wisconsin Superintendent of the Year by the Wisconsin Association of School District Administrators.

Dr. Starzecki is recognized for her dedication to increasing graduation rates and improving student achievement.

With over 20 years of experience in educational leadership, Dr. Starzecki has held roles as a school psychologist, special education coordinator, and principal.

Before joining Superior, she served as assistant superintendent for Duluth Public Schools.

Known for her collaborative approach, Dr. Starzecki has built strong partnerships with families, staff, and the community aiming to support all students.

Superior Board of Education President Steve Olson praised her commitment, calling her a strong relationship builder and advocate for public schools.

Dr. Starzecki will officially receive the award at a statewide convention in Milwaukee in January.

Expressing her gratitude, she credited superiors, educators, and students saying it's a privilege to serve such an incredible community.

The Superintendent of the Year Award is Wisconsin's most prestigious honor for school leaders, celebrating dedication to students and the community.

Now before we join our guest to look at the election outcomes, we join Dennis Anderson for a special report from Denny's Desk.

Denny.

- And thank you very much, Maarja.

Well, the dust has settled from another season of elections, and our region has spoken.

In polling places from the heart of Duluth to the quiet towns along the Canadian border, neighbors stood together to cast their ballots for a brighter future.

It's a powerful reminder of how democracy calls us to show up, to listen, and choose the leaders and the measures that shape our lives.

Now, whatever your political leanings, there's one thing I know we can all agree on.

Our collective work isn't finished when the votes are counted.

In fact, this is where it truly begins.

Now every election season, we witness our community's unique challenges and aspirations.

This year was no different.

Local races and referendums brought out spirited discussions on issues that matter deeply, our schools, our small businesses, our natural resources, and above all, the wellbeing of our families and neighbors.

Now these discussions are essential because they help us see the many perspectives that make Northern Minnesota such a vibrant place to call home.

And now as we transition out of campaign season, it's time to focus on what comes next.

Each of us has a role to play in building a stronger, more inclusive region.

Whether it's through volunteer work, supporting our local businesses, or simply lending a hand to a neighbor, our actions ripple outward, creating the kind of future we want to see.

And so it's clear that Northern Minnesota's strength lies in its resilience and in its people, the teachers, the small business owners, the nurses, the miners and parents, and of course, the students.

We all share a common goal to make this place a better home for ourselves and generations to come.

So let's embrace this season as an opportunity, one that unites us in purpose by coming together across divides and building on our shared values.

I believe we can make Northern Minnesota an even better place for all who call it home.

After all, democracy is not just about elections, it's about our commitment to one another.

Let's make that commitment count.

And this has been another edition of Denny's Desk, and thank you for joining me.

Back to you, Maarja.

- Thank you, Denny.

Now it's time for us to dive in and revisit the elections we've been highlighting leading up to the election.

I'm joined by Dr. Cindy Rugeley, Head of the Political Science Program at UMD to help explain what the future holds for those who were elected into office.

Dr. Rugeley, thank you for joining us.

- Thank you for having me.

- So we've done this multi-week series on local elections here on "Almanac North," so we're gonna roll through some of those open seats that we covered and we're gonna start with city council.

So we looked at three city council races across the region leading up to the election.

The first race was in Hibbing where incumbent Jennifer Hoffman Saccoman won over challenger John Packa, and Two Harbors' Todd Redmann won against Laura Goutermont in a race without an incumbent, and incumbent Rick Blake maintained his seat in Grand Rapids against challengers Dan Mertes and Joe Burns.

These results give us an option to be able to view what's next for the elected officials in both ways.

So Dr. Rugeley, what if anything changes for an incumbent winner on city council?

- Generally, very little changes.

They've already been trained, they kind of know what to do and everything.

They're familiar with the people within city hall and within the local government.

So for them, very little changes.

For a new council member, there's probably a little bit of a learning curve where they learn little things, like what is the routine in the city council meeting?

How do you do the agenda?

Are there agenda meetings beforehand where you have input?

What is the open meetings law?

Who can I talk to and where can I talk to them?

- [Maarja] Yeah, a lot of procedural things.

- Yeah, basically a lot of things are, people don't recognize a lot of times how the rules of the game, how the laws really influence who runs, how successful they are, and what they do once they're in office.

And so for a new council member or a new person to government agency, the first thing they're gonna really want to learn is what the rules are and what they can and cannot do.

- And how soon will those responsibilities kick in for new city councilors?

- It kind of depends on when they're sworn in.

They'll probably do a little bit of the legwork just 'cause they're curious before they go into office.

You know, getting some things out of the way.

In towns like that, local government is really unique because it is the government that is closest to the people.

I mean, somebody's having some kind of problem, it's a little more difficult to go to Washington, talk to your congressman than it is to ring up your city council member.

And so a lot of it is getting to know people, getting to know who's who.

A lot of times they already know, they wouldn't have run if they weren't.

A lot of times with city councils, the interesting thing about city governments is that they do, in a lot of people's mind, have the responsibility for a little bit of economic development, whether it be making sure or trying to find a replacement if a cafe owner retires or something like that.

And so again, they generally know people, but learning the responsibilities and just getting to know who to pick up the phone and call if something's going on is really important.

- Now, there were several judicial races on the ballot.

The 6th Judicial District was an open seat, which was won by Shawn Reed over Gunnar Johnson.

So how soon does a judge elect begin presiding over cases?

- Oh, that'll start pretty quickly.

They'll be assigned cases like any other judge, as soon as they're sworn in and get put on the schedule.

Again, there's some training that goes into it, some getting to know, getting to know around.

That was a really good race, I thought.

I thought both those candidates handled themselves very well.

It's amazing how big that district is.

I mean, people don't realize how long the district is and what these judges and what the attorneys that practice in those courts have to do just to stay up.

- What does the process look like to prepare a new judge for this type of role?

- Oh, again, a lot of 'em going in are pretty familiar.

I mean, probably have worked as city attorneys before or practice court, so they know a lot of the rules.

But again, it's things like hiring the personnel in the office or getting to know the personnel that's already there.

Having court personnel, understanding a little bit better how the docket is set and what their roles are.

And so, a lot of people think that a judge gets up in the morning, puts on the robe and go sits on the court.

Well, it's a little bit more than that.

They have little management responsibilities and there's certain things of interactions amongst each other.

- We featured three mayoral races in the region.

In Silver Bay, incumbent Wade LeBlanc retains his seat against challengers Dean Floen and Logan Fischer.

In Carlton, incumbent Mike Soderstrom defeated Ann Gustafson, and in Bovey, there was an open seat won by Tony Younk over Michael Bibich.

So what if anything changes for an incumbent mayoral winner?

- Oh, that's different.

And it kind of depends upon the city itself and what the responsibilities are of the mayor.

In some of your council systems, the mayor's just a member of the council, you know, that they decide among themselves.

And these where they run, they have a little bit more responsibility.

And so a lot of times you'll find that these mayors or commissioners, they've started on the council before.

they know what's going on.

A lot of times they're business leaders in the community or community leaders somehow.

And so again, it's learning who does what.

It's starting to build the communication and really starting to build the interaction with other members of the council or other members of city government.

- What does it look like going from elected last night to then serving as mayor?

- Oh gosh.

Again, it's one of those things where they probably know a little bit about it, but a lot of times it's a little quicker than what you see in statewide offices or the executive branch, the presidency where you're elected and you're sworn in pretty quickly.

And so again, there's some training, there's some getting to know, a lot of it in city councils is just getting updated on the issues, you know, going through the paperwork that other city council members may have, talking to the officials within the cities about what's going on, what some things are.

Generally you find some surprises.

I talked to one mayor in a small town who told me that they got in there and found out that they hadn't paid overtime to a particular- - Oh wow.

- Who was owed overtime.

And so sometimes there's just surprises when you go in there.

And so that's what kind of happens now, is just figuring out what might be left behind that you don't know about.

- Right, right.

We featured a county commissioner race in Carlton County where Sarah Plante Buhs won an open seat over Caleb Dunlap in District 1.

So for county commissioner, how soon will that winner pick up those responsibilities?

- Right away.

Again, because they're assigned a certain district that they represent, and so they have to take those responsibilities pretty quick.

You know, there's not a lot of wiggle room for these people when they take office.

I mean, they've run a campaign and sometimes it's been a long campaign and local races there's a lot of door knocking and things like that.

And so maybe when the campaign's over, you wanna take your family out for a long weekend or something like that, reintroduce yourself to your kids.

And so there's a break and then you start working.

And again, it's particularly in these commissioner's races because of there's responsibilities for certain areas, certain districts, you know, maybe it's a road project or something like that.

And so again, they get a break, they've just come off from a pretty long campaign or if they've had an opponent, it's been probably a little bit stressful.

And so maybe they take a little break just to get caught up.

They have to close out their campaign if there's any kind of money or anything like that or any kind of reports due.

And then after that, they start the next page where it's getting to know what's going on in the county government and getting ready for, again, a lot of it is a managerial responsibility.

People oftentimes don't recognize how much of that is involved, particularly in smaller governments, where they're hiring people or they're working with people, the personnel issues.

And it's getting to know, again, the rules of the game.

How does the meeting operate?

What's the procedures for if you have a question, something like that.

What are the procedures, what are the policies?

What can I do and what can I not do?

And so there's a lot of that goes on and it's things that people don't recognize.

Like if two or three commissioners are out having lunch, they can't talk about city business.

- [Maarja] Right, right.

- So it's little things like that that they're reminded of once they get elected.

- We also featured Minnesota House District 7B race.

There was an open seat which was won by Cal Warwas.

So when we're talking about a House seat in a district, what does this process look like for taking over new duties?

- Yeah, that was an interesting race.

It was another one where they had two really good candidates.

And it's interesting and garnered a lot of attention because of the fact that that whole area is governed by Republicans.

Oh boy.

At this point, he's doing a lot of, he hires a staff that works in his local office and works in his St. Paul office.

He has to set up constituency.

There's a lot of work that needs to be done right now.

He's probably being invited to dinner with a lot of the Republican GOP leadership about becoming part of the caucus.

I mean, it's even things like spouses or partners have to go get introduced and become part of the the caucus or the chamber family.

And so it's basically taking on a second life.

- When you are taking over that seat, is there like a transition from the elected official who held it prior or how does that work?

- It depends on the personalities.

In this one, if the two of them get along and I haven't heard that they don't, there's probably gonna be a transition period where the incumbent will talk to, you know, help 'em, just kind of show 'em the ropes, give them a few tips and things like that, show 'em office and things like that.

And so yeah, I mean, it works best when there is that interaction and when there is that comfortable relationship.

Generally there is and there's been some high profile incidents where there wasn't, but generally there is a smoother transition and both of them take the responsibility as the outgoing member to make sure the incoming member has as smooth a transition as possible.

(clears throat) Excuse me.

This is a bigger deal.

You essentially have your life in one city and your job at another.

- Right, right.

The 8th Congressional District saw Pete Stauber defend his seat from challenger Jennifer Schultz.

- [Dr. Rugeley] Right.

- Of course, this was a race a lot of people were watching.

What can we expect from the next term from Pete Stauber based on his track record?

- Well, it's undecided, I mean, he was in the majority in the House this time, but there was a Democratic president.

I wouldn't be surprised just because he's getting a little bit of seniority if he wouldn't have a more visible role.

He'll be working with the president that, you know, Donald Trump, who he's been close to, I think that he's probably closely aligned with the incoming president.

And so there's a lot of issues that are still out there.

I mean, there was always fights over funding government.

Well, now I wouldn't be surprised if some of those fights don't go away since all the chambers are the same.

It's an interesting thing.

Usually the president comes in with a 100 day agenda, what he or she wants to get done and I'm not sure what that is this time.

I think that most of President Trump's agenda are things like dealing with immigration and he's talked about arresting, moving a lot of immigrants.

And then immigration policy has been sitting out there.

I wouldn't be surprised, I don't know if that bipartisan agreement doesn't come up and maybe get dusted off and maybe small changes here or there and then comes back through.

But again, usually it's with the new president coming in, there's top lieutenants that they work with.

And so I'm wondering about things like you know, it seems like every time the administration changes in Washington, so does the policy dealing with mining, copper sulfide mining so I wouldn't be surprised to see that come up again.

- You alluded to this, but the House District 7B and now the 8th Congressional District both held by Republicans.

- Right.

- What do you think how that reflects on that area?

- Well, it's not unusual in the United States right now, there does seem to be a little bit of a division between urban and rural areas.

And in Minnesota, most of the votes are cast right around the Twin cities or the suburbs.

But again, it's not unusual.

It's been a little bit slower getting here, but that's just the way it is.

And when redistricting comes up, they've been talking about Minnesota losing one of the congressional districts forever in three days.

And so maybe they'll start talking about that again but we'll have to wait and see and Congressman Stauber has been in the office a while.

He's always been mentioned for higher office, like perhaps governor.

And so again, there'll be a lot of questions about whether or not he's gonna do that.

And if he does, if that seat still stays big Republican, or if it becomes a little more maybe Democrat or at least a little bit more evenly divided.

And when you've got an incumbent that's winning by those margins, I think he won by 16, 17 percentage points last night, it tends to deter future challenges.

Somebody that's sitting there, maybe they're a state senator or a state representative or a member of the city council or county commissioners or something thinking about, "Well, I wouldn't mind serving in Congress," but they're not gonna get out and go unless they've got some reason to believe that they can be competitive, they're not gonna give up the elected office they have now.

- Sure.

Minnesotans overwhelmingly supported the proposed amendment to our state constitution to continue funding our environmental preservation projects through a portion of the state lottery.

So what does it mean that this state constitutional amendment has passed?

- It's pretty much continuing what's been going on.

I've always found the lottery funding kind of interesting because so many people think there's this huge sum of money that comes in from the lottery and it's really not.

I mean, it's a very small part of it.

But for some reason, this one drew a little bit of attention.

There seemed to be some minor opposition but it didn't seem to really take much hold this time.

It passed pretty easily and so it kind of means not a whole lot's gonna change.

- What are some potential benefits of having this money guaranteed for the next 25 years?

- Well, it's a little bit of predictability, but lottery revenues go up and down and it's just saying one thing, it means they don't have to deal with it.

That's one big advantage of it, that the legislature doesn't have to come in every two years and figure it out.

And so one of the big advantages of that, and again, it's some money that you know is dedicated and is it enough to do everything?

No, but it's enough money that you don't have to pay taxes to do it.

And so that's one of the advantages of it.

And again, you get into it, a lot of people think, "Well, where can we cut money?

Well, let's cut it here because they get the lottery money."

And that's one of the downsides of it.

- And the final item we examined was the Superior School District's proposal to raise taxes to help fund the school district, which passed on Tuesday.

So what does this mean?

I know these referendums can be hard sometimes for school districts.

So what does it mean that they're being now supported more directly?

- Well, that's a good deal.

And as you pointed out, so many of these bond issues and so many of these funding issues have failed.

And it looks like that in Superior they decided that, yeah, we want to do it.

And it's interesting because school districts have primarily one source of money and it's local property taxes and that's how they pay their bills.

And that's pretty controversial too, but that's for a whole different issue.

But again, sometimes there's a fear that those things aren't gonna pass 'cause people don't wanna see their property taxes go up and in times of inflation it's even more so.

So I think it's interesting, I guess Superior's local officials and school board officials did a good job informing the city of what they needed and why they were doing it.

- So Superior's referendum passed but so often these school measures don't pass.

What is the key to a successful measure?

- Sometimes it deals with property taxes and whether people think they can afford it.

And so that's part of it.

And some of it is whether they're satisfied or dissatisfied with the local school district.

- Dr. Rugeley, thank you so much for joining us.

I'm sure it's been a marathon week.

Hopefully you can get some rest now.

- Thank you very much for having me.

- Thank you.

(bright music) (bright music continues) (bright music continues) (bright music continues) (bright music continues) - Before we go, let's take a look at what you might be up to this weekend.

On Saturday from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM at the Dr. Robert Powless Cultural Center in Duluth, the American Indian Community Housing Organization or AICHO is hosting its last chapter of the Indigenous Writer Series celebrating writers Dennis E. Staples and Jesse Switters.

The Indigenous Writer Series celebrates and uplifts local and regional Indigenous writers.

Jill Doerfler, PhD, UMD Department of American Indian Studies Director and writer will be moderating this session.

Also Saturday from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM at Lincoln Elementary in Hibbing, come get your shop on at the Anchors Away Craft & Vendor Show.

Vendors of all kinds, including clothing, baked goods, games, and more will be present.

Plus, snacks are available at the Lincoln PTO table.

More information is available online.

And finally, Duluth Parks and Recreation hosts their November Women Hike Duluth on Saturday.

The group will meet at 10:00 AM and hike Ely's Peak.

The event is for all ages and free to join.

Trekking poles and guides will be provided.

This hike is one of their more challenging hikes, so sturdy shoes are recommended.

More information is available on the City of Duluth's website.

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.

Thank you for joining us.

Good night.

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