The November 2, 2010 general election will select a new mayor and two city councilors for the Grand Marais City Council. The mayoral race has two candidates—one who filed and will be on the ballot, Mark Sandbo, and another who is running as a write-in candidate, Larry “Bear” Carlson. Running for one of the two council seats is incumbent councilor Bill Lenz. Lenz is challenged by Dave Palmer and Bob Spry.
Larry “Bear” Carlson
To help city voters decide, we asked the mayoral and city council candidates a few questions. Their answers follow.
The candidates are:
Mayor
Larry “Bear” Carlson
is running as a write-in candidate. Carlson has been a Cook County resident for over 40 years. He has a bachelor of arts degree in physics from St. Olaf College and a master’s degree in physics from the University of Wisconsin, Superior. He worked in Cook County schools for 25 years, the Shattuck School in Faribault for three years and at Silver Bay for one year. He served as contract negotiator for the Cook County teachers’ union and the Cook County nurses organization. He was also a member of the Cook County Planning & Zoning board and as a counselor at a YMCA camp. He is the owner/operator of Teddy Bear Charters. He has two kids and five grandchildren.
Mark Sandbo
Mark Sandbo
moved to Grand Marais 15 years ago to serve as principal of Cook County High School. He retired from CCHS 10 years ago. Before that he was a teacher and coach at Spring Lake Park for 10 years and was principal in Worthington for two years. Sandbo is now the manager of Grand Marais Hotel Company. He served as mayor for four years and during that time oversaw repair and replacement of sewer and water infrastructure in downtown Grand Marais and the downtown streetscape was done at the same time. During his time as mayor, Harbor Park was completed and the water tower on the Gunflint Trail was refurbished, with the assistance of the Gunflint Trail Association.
Bill Lenz
City Council
Bill Lenz
was born and raised in Cook County—Cook County, Illinois, that is. Lenz said he moved to Grand Marais in 1996 but had been visiting this area for much longer. He made his first visit to the Boundary Waters when he was a Boy Scout in 1956. Lenz has always enjoyed coming to this area and recalls that there have been many changes—such as the fact that tin cans were once not only allowed in the Boundary Waters, but visitors were instructed to sink them in the lake!
Lenz said he is typical of many Cook County, Minnesota residents—he worked in engineering for 30 years before retiring to Grand Marais.
Dave Palmer
and his wife, Flossie, moved to Grand Marais in 1994 after vacationing here for many years. They have two children. Dave retired from the 3M Company after 25 years. He is an active volunteer on the Cook County Council on Aging, at First & Second Thrift Shop, with St. John’s Catholic Church, and as a Cook County Emergency Services Conference fundraiser. Dave has also been a “ham”—an amateur radio operator—for over 50 years. He is currently a member of the Cook County Emergency Radio Team.
Dave Palmer
Bob Spry
grew up in Grand Portage and lived most of his life in Cook County. He graduated from Cook County High School in 1956 and worked for a few years before serving 3 ½ years in the Air Force, most of that time in Madrid, Spain. After his service, Spry earned a degree in accounting from UMD. He married his wife, Delores “Millie,” in 1968. When they had their children, Michael and Heather, they decided to move back to their roots. Spry had his own accounting business for 19 years and now works for Hedstrom Lumber Company. He has been with Hedstrom Lumber since 1994. He also served four years on the Grand Marais City Council.
Q What is your number one priority for the use of the
1% sales and use tax enacted in April 2010?
Bob Spry
Larry “Bear” Carlson:
I need to start by saying that I’m certainly not an expert on any of this. I don’t know whether or not there are strings attached to this money. But if I have any say in the matter, the money needs to go into the city’s infrastructure—power lines and the sewer and so forth.
Informed that the 1% sales tax was approved by the legislature specifically for recreation purposes, Carlson acknowledged that he had not researched the issue. He then said, I don’t know what the real options are. I do know that some of the options put forth so far are not very popular. Some of the ideas put forth are not that good for our population—for the city.
Mark Sandbo:
The community center. I think we need a community center for all of the citizens of Cook County. One that can be a draw for all different age levels and people. It needs to be a gathering point for what we do as a community.
Bill Lenz:
I would say the community center. The library would be number 2, if you want a number 2. Both will happen. The community center scares me a little bit. I keep looking at our pool and the original agreement. Three different entities were going to finance it—it turned out to be funded by the city. It was $15,000 per year initially and now is in the red about $200,000 a year. I personally feel the pool is a county pool. There are as many people out of the city using it as in. The community center is still my number one priority, but I am concerned about the scale of the project.
Dave Palmer:
I haven’t really thought that much about this. I think it could be used for the business park—to sell some of the lots up there.
Informed that the 1% sales tax was approved by the legislature specifically for recreation purposes, Palmer amended his answer, stating that our swimming pool is probably the biggest thing and the ball fields for the kids. A beautiful job has been done on the tennis courts, but the 1% could be used for that if they needed more.
Bob Spry:
I’ve always been a supporter of the community center and I’d definitely like to see that project get off the ground. The only concern is that they will make it too big. We are a small community and we can’t have everything. There are some smaller projects that are close to being ready—out at Birch Grove and/or the library. Those should be done too, but my number one priority would be the community center.
Q The Cook County – Grand Marais Economic
Development Authority (EDA) is a joint county-city EDA.
What can the city do to help the EDA with its current
financial difficulties?
Larry “Bear” Carlson:
I don’t want to go back over what got us in this predicament—we’re in it. We can’t keep throwing money at the EDA and hope the problems go away. I don’t know how strong our obligations are, but we may need to pull back from the whole idea of the EDA.
The whole basis of my candidacy is that I’m not coming in with preconceived answers to any questions. I’m ready to listen to all sides of a problem. I may not agree with someone, but I will listen. Isn’t that the purpose of the council—to collect information and come up with the best solution for the city?
Mark Sandbo:
Well, we already are. All of the citizens of the county fund the EDA through its levy. What the city needs to do is become more attractive for people who want to bring their business here. We need to make the business park more attractive to businesses. Thisis not a new thing. Thebusiness park has been in the works for 25 years. It just happened to be completed when the economy went sour. We need to make it attractive, to attract businesses to get them on the tax rolls which would benefit both the city and county. I really believe there are people out there who would love to have their business in the business park.
Bill Lenz:
I think the EDA does a lot of good. They’ve done a lot of good as far as housing. Unfortunately they have two projects that overshadow everything else—the golf course and the Cedar Grove Business Park. When the business park was proposed, it was a good idea. There were many businesses interested, but most dropped out because of the economy. I think the business park can be viable, but it may be three to five years before things pick up and lots sell. Unfortunately in the meantime there are bonds to pay.
I know the EDA has asked the county for help paying the bonds. The business park is a much better deal for the county than the city. The county gets taxes, as does the city, but the city is also responsible for maintenance of the streets and infrastructure. I think the city has more financial problems than vice versa. The EDA has proposed a budget that could help the city with the bond payments. I don’t know how that will end up.
Dave Palmer:
I’m really not sure because I am pretty new to this city council business—or any county government. That’s why I’m getting into this, to learn more. I’d say we should be open to listening to people’s ideas. I’m open to anyone’s idea that will benefit the city of Grand Marais. One way the city can work with the EDA is on housing. There is not enough rental places for people who want to live here. That is an important project.
Bob Spry:
The money the city pays to the EDA comes from the EDA levy. The citizens of Grand Marais pay toward that levy. The county and the city need to decide whether we are a tourist destination. Well, we know we are. We need to address that.
If the EDA is not happy with the way things are going, we need a professional consultant. I guess I don’t really have the answers, but regarding the golf course, something needs to be done to bring it up to what it once was. Q Do you support the installation of a memorial flagpole?
What do you think would be the best location for this
flag?
Larry “Bear” Carlson:
I think that since the flagpole is being paid for by the friends of Dick Joynes—and I assume they are going to pay for maintenance—it is something I can support. Any time you fly the flag appropriately, it’s a good thing. I think putting the flag up at Bear Tree Park would be just fine.
Mark Sandbo:
I support the idea of a memorial flagpole. Regarding where it should go, I don’t have an opinion yet. I’ve heard it should go in Harbor Park. I’ve also heard it should go up at the courthouse by the veterans memorial. I don’t have a definite opinion yet until I’ve heard all the whys and wherefores of where it should—and can—go.
Bill Lenz:
I do support it. We are waiting right now for word from the DNR. There were some restrictions that may keep us from putting it in the park in downtown Grand Marais. But I do like the idea of a flagpole and would vote for it being there if it was allowed. I do like another spot, on the sidewalk leading from downtown to the Angry Trout. I think more people would see it there. I also like that the group is proposing adding more memorial names on or around the flagpole.
Dave Palmer:
Yes, I do. I really think the park is the best place for it. I think the park looks bare without a flag—no matter whom it memorializes. When I was on the Council for Aging, I thought we should have one at the senior center. I’m really partial to the American flag. I think we should see more of them. I really support the idea of the flag—I’m in the coffee group that proposed it.
Bob Spry:
I do support a flagpole. It seems to me that the city council is saying it doesn’t want to put things like that in the park— but there are things like that, memorials, in the park. So, I’d like to see the flagpole in Harbor Park.
Q Why would you be a better mayor or city councilor than
your opponent?
Larry “Bear” Carlson:
I can’t even say that I would be. I’m saying that now people have a choice. People know who I am. They know who Mark is. That’s what representative government is all about.
Mark Sandbo:
I think experience and willingness to serve the community as I have in the past. I’m on a number of different organizations—Grand Marais Area Tourism Association, Cook County Visitors Bureau, Grand Marais Lions—we do a lot of service projects. I have experience in administrating projects.
Bill Lenz:
We are in hard financial times right now. I don’t expect the state to be filling its allotment to the city—or the county, for that matter. We are going to be facing some very hard decisions. We may have to cut personnel or services. Based on what I’ve seen of my opponent in the past, it’s more difficult for them to make those cuts. I haven’t liked all the decisions of the past. I think they have favored specific businesses rather than the entire community.
I have no ax to grind and nothing to gain here. I’m just a citizen who lives in this town. I want to make sure what happens is best for the city.
Dave Palmer:
I feel that some new blood, some new thoughts are needed. Some fresh ideas are needed. I won’t be very outspoken at first. I want to lean back and listen and learn what will make Grand Marais a better city. We need our resorts, but I don’t want our town to become a resort town only. One big question is the harbor. I don’t know what all has been done, but a big harbor project is way out of line. A 200-dock project with maintenance building and all that is not a good idea. Plus, if the DNR is going to handle this, they may not have the money to keep taking care of it and we may have to. I think we need to make it small.
Bob Spry:
I’ve not overly familiar with what the others have done. I have a degree in accounting—I don’t know what the other candidates have. I was on the city council for four years, so I have that experience. We got the downtown infrastructure done during that time. The downtown streetscape, the parking lot, etc, was an investment in our city. Now is probably not the time to be spending, so I’m not looking to do these things, but on the other hand we have 55-year-old-plus water and sewer lines.
Sometimes people concerned about spending are more worried about their own pockets than what is good for the city. I look at what’s best for the city.
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