8th District Congressman Pete Stauber (center) talks to Jim Boyd and Mary Petz following his recent information-gathering meeting held in Grand Marais on Wednesday, August 28. Staff photo/Brian Larsen
Representative Pete Stauber, (R-MN 8th District) met with North Shore business and community leaders on Wednesday, August 28 at the Cook County Community Center for a roundtable discussion on the North Shore economy and how to unleash the economic engine of the county.
Congressman Stauber introduced himself by telling the audience that as a freshman congressman he promised voters he wouldn’t “follow blindly to any political party. And that’s what I have done.”
He asked, “Who is the federal government? It’s you people sitting around this table.”
Then he said that God had given him two ears and one mouth for a reason, and it was time to listen to concerns and take questions.
Howard Hedstrom asked Pete if he new about the financial “hit” that Cook, Lake and St. Louis counties had taken when it was discovered that the Thye-Blatnik payments from the federal government would be about half of what they used to be.
The Thye-Blatnik Act of 1948 was created to provide compensation to Cook, Lake, and St. Louis counties for public lands set aside in the BWCAW for conservation. Counties receive 0.75 percent of the assessed value of the lands in payment. Hedstrom suggested upping that to 1.5 percent. The value of the lands is reappraised every 10 years and the 2018 assessment, said Hedstrom, was quite a bit lower than the 2008 assessment. He said the 2008 appraiser concentrated on lakeshore in the BWCA and the 2018 appraiser concentrated on appraising timber.
Congressman Pete Stauber leans in to look at some notes taken by his press secretary. Stauber spent an hour meeting with local business and civic leaders this past Wednesday at the Community Center. While many in Washington consider Minnesota and the Midwest “Fly Over” country, Stauber dismissed that notion and talked about the many talents and treasures our region has to offer. Staff photo/Brian Larsen
In 1989 the payment to Cook County was $421,000. In 1999 it rose to $704,000, and then climbed to $2,025,000 in 2009. As a result of the 2018 appraisal, the next 10 years of annual payments are proposed to be $1,273,500.
“That’s [a loss of] $7.5 million over ten years. That’s a huge hit,” Hedstrom said.
“I’m working on it,” said Stauber, acknowledging the problem faced by the three counties.
Mary Petz read an email from George Carlson. Carlson, who owns a wildfire protection system, asked if the government could provide more grants aimed at reducing the danger of wildfire. He said the county would be better protected from the dangers of wildfire and the jobs resulting from this work pays better than most jobs in the county.
Work has been progressing on the Hovland Public Works garage. The county highway maintenance crew that works out of the east end of the county should be able to move into the new facility before the snow flies. Staff photo/Brian Larsen
Cook County Chamber Director Jim Boyd talked about the shortage of workers in Cook County.
With more than 80 percent of the county’s economy tourist-based, and with Cook County’s unemployment rate at 2.1 percent, the county has been relying on foreign students holding J-1 visas, which are good for 120 days, and workers who qualify for H-2B visas.
H-2B workers not only stay up to one year, a business owner can get an extension for an employee for up to three years.
However, Boyd said that both programs had been hurt by changes made by the current administration. “These programs are vital to us,” he said.
Currently the Chamber is recruiting workers from Puerto Rico, said Boyd, noting that Bluefin Bay Family Resorts now has about 12 people from Puerto Rico on staff.
Pete said he had just attended a meeting in Brainerd where he heard similar stories from employers who couldn’t find enough workers. He said he was looking to the legislature to increase the limits of J-1 and H-2B workers into the U.S.
Jim Hall asked Pete if had an answer for all of the problems caused by plastic that is polluting the earth, air and water.
“Every city and state is working on reducing the use of plastic,” Stauber said. “Each of us has to take personal responsibility to recycle,” he added, noting the problem was worldwide.
Dave Seaton, owner of Hungry Jack Canoe Outfitters, told Pete he wants to see improvements in the BWCAW permit system and more funding for the forest service so it can do a better job of educating the public on cleaning up campsites and portages and enforcing violations that occur in the BWCAW.
Seaton noted that the local Forest Service was doing all it could with the limited funding it received. Stauber took note of his concerns and thanked all of the people who attended the meeting.
Members of Arrowhead Indivisible were allowed 10 minutes to meet with Pete. They left him with a list of policy suggestions to consider. . Healthcare is a right and should be available to all citizens, regardless of pre-existing conditions. Please make enacting a universal healthcare plan a goal during your time in office. . A woman’s reproductive choice is hers alone. We urge you to protect a woman’s right to comprehensive reproductive healthcare, and her ability to bear healthy children. . As a supporter of Polymet’s sulfide mine please heed these facts: According to the U.S. Forest Service 2016 study, 100 percent of sulfide mines have spills and 28 percent have, like Mount Polley in Canada, outright dam failures…. We understand Iron Rangers and all of northern Minnesota need jobs, please work to entice other industry into our region. Modern industry that will allow all our children to thrive and prosper without leaving home. . On the issue of guns, “Please join with your colleague, Representative Michael Turner, who said, ‘I will support legislation that prevents the sale of military-style weapons to civilians, a magazine limit and red flag legislation.’” . Work to keep a free and open democracy where citizens’ ideas get heard. Gerrymandering and voting roll purges have no place in our democracy.
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