The three citizens who are running for election in Commissioner District 4 are (L-R) Gail Anderson, Heidi Doo-Kirk and Rick Austin. The candidates took part in an election forum live on WTIP radio on Thursday, July 26. The three candidates are unified in their desire for a prosperous county and for the well-being of its citizens.
On Thursday, July 26, the candidates for Cook County Commissioner District 4—Gail Anderson, Rick Austin and Heidi Doo-Kirk—participated in an election forum live on WTIP community radio. Jay Andersen of WTIP and Cook County News-Herald editor Rhonda Silence asked questions submitted by listeners and readers to the candidates in an informal and informative hour-long program.
Mail-in ballots must reach the Cook County auditor’s office by Election Day, Tuesday, August 14, so it is recommended that you send them back soon. Ballots may also be hand-carried to the auditor’s office on Election Day.
There were more questions than time at the election forum however, so the News-Herald met with candidates this week and asked a few more. To help you decide who you want to vote for in Commissioner District 4, the News-Herald asked the following questions.
Q Please provide some biographical information about yourself (whatever you’d like – education, employment history, family, interests)
Gail Anderson: I was born in Evanston, Illinois and grew up in the northern suburbs of Chicago. I attended Brooks Institute of Photographic Arts and Sciences in Santa Barbara, California, and earned a B.A. in professional photography. I moved back to Chicago and worked with commercial photographers for many years. I moved to Grand Marais in 1994. I live with my husband, Dan, a private pilot and instructor, and two sons on Devil Track Lake. I started my own business—creating rock lamps Superior Light Source—eight years ago.
Rick Austin: I was born in Nebraska, but I have lived up here for over 30 years. My parents and I operated Rockwood Lodge for 20 years. After the lodge was sold I did a variety of things—sold real estate, worked in the construction business, and I now have A&E Marine in Grand Marais. I have three awesome kids who were born and raised here. They love Grand Marais and the Gunflint Trail.
Heidi Doo-Kirk: At the age of 27, I moved to Cook County to be closer to family. My father was born and raised here and his sister still lives here. My husband and I have lived on Maple Hill for the last seven years with his two daughters and our four dogs and two cats. I have been a self-employed bookkeeper for the last seven years.
Before moving to Cook County, I was the general manager of a multistore retail sales company. I studied business management and accounting in college and while in college, I earned certificates in leadership and management.
I have been a volunteer for North House Folk School for seven years, an on-call advocate for the Violence Prevention Center for four years, a VPC board member, a Lion, a Girl Scout leader, and I am still an active member of the Wellness Committee at School District 166.
I also have attended The White House Project training, which is for women interested in government. My training and education will help me be a great commissioner.
Q Would you describe yourself as a supporter or an opponent of the community center plan?
Gail Anderson: I’m a supporter. We need a swimming pool; our kids need to learn to swim. I think our community deserves this, a fresh, new community center to meet everyone’s needs. I will do my best not to burden the taxpayers, but I really think we need to do this. We’ll never get another chance to construct a nice facility like this.
There does need to be discussion about utilities. All that has been talked about is electric and propane. Someone needs to do their homework and look at solar and geothermal. We need to seriously consider that because that would really cut operation costs. That is a huge concern, so anything we can do to make the building environmentally friendly and sustainable, we need to do now.
But overall, I’m for it. Let’s just get it done and move on.
Heidi Doo-Kirk: I support anything that brings fitness and wellness to the majority of the community. I do not support anything that is going to cost taxpayers more than they can afford.
Rick Austin: I’m adamantly opposed as it stands. I think the steering committee has done a lot of good, hard work, but we need to rethink the plan to come up with something that is not going to lose a lot of money every year. We can learn from the library. It was double the original cost and the same company is working on the community center. What’s to say it isn’t going to go over as well?
Q How do you feel about the YMCA involvement with the county on the community center?
Gail Anderson: I think it’s great. I have the utmost confidence in going ahead with the YMCA. This is an organization that has been around for many, many years and operates thousands of YMCAs all over the country. I think we have a better chance of making this work working with them. The negotiations are a big part of this. We can sign the lease with them for a few years to see how it goes, but I am confident that it will be good. Hopefully we will all be pleasantly surprised.
Rick Austin: People think it is a great idea for the Y to run the community center, but they have absolutely nothing invested. How do we know they will stay with us through the hard times? Let’s look at Faribault, Minnesota. Faribault is a big community and the Y came in there. When they saw they were not going to make it, they pulled out.
Heidi Doo-Kirk: I’m enthusiastic about what they can bring to the table, as in past experience and management. But I’m also nervous at what the cost of that will be. I’m nervous because I haven’t seen what it will cost to have a management team from the YMCA.
Q In July, the county board adopted an energy plan, designating Jim Johnson to be the energy plan liaison and accepting the Cook County Local Energy Project as the energy plan advisory board. Do you agree this board is needed, and what role will biomass play in the future of the plan?
Gail Anderson: I am totally against the biomass project. Number one, burning wood is extremely polluting. Look at what happens with the campground’s campfire smoke when the wind blows off the lake. Look at what happened with the city’s burn pile a few years ago when smoke blew into the school, the hospital and care center.
Number two, I am concerned about the infrastructure—are they going to start tearing up the streets to install this?
And finally, we don’t have the fuel. Our county is 50% water. There is a lot of forest, but there isn’t enough logging taking place to sustain this. I honestly don’t feel we have the fuel for this. We should be concentrating on other alternatives—solar or wind. The question is: do we look at windmills or do we choke on smoke?
It seems we have to an advisory board for everything, but yes, you do need to have one for this, for people to study this.
Rick Austin: I think the board is a fine idea as an advisory board. I really don’t want to see them become a regulatory board . I don’t want to see them telling us what type of energy we need to buy.
It would be nice if biomass had a role if the costs of buying it and using were feasible. I don’t think we’re there yet. It sounds like a neat idea, but I just don’t think it’s feasible.
Heidi Doo-Kirk: I think that we do need a board. We have tried biomass. We tried it at the city pool and we are no longer using it. We tried it at the school and we are no longer doing it. I don’t know what has changed in the last decade or so that would make biomass work now. I am a huge supporter of conserving energy and finding better ways to use resources.
Q What do you think is the greatest problem or greatest need in Cook County at this time? If elected, what will you do about it?
Gail Anderson: Promoting business and trying to create some kind of industry that would support people and bring families here. Unfortunately everything is such a struggle that people who think of bringing their business here change their mind. It’s such a fight that people give up and go somewhere else. We’re headed for big trouble unless we open our eyes and become more open-minded.
Looking around I see all this real estate for sale—who are these people? Where are they going? Why are they leaving? If elected, I would try to find that out.
Rick Austin: I think there are two major problems. I think the greatest problem is lack of fiscal responsibility. If I was elected I don’t think the department heads will be able to walk in and ask for more and more and more without someone at least asking “why?” And it probably means saying “no” to things that would be nice but are extravagant considering our economy. Taxes can’t just keep going up and up.
The second problem is that we need jobs and families living in this community. Otherwise we can stop talking about the community center—and the school. These young families are our volunteers on the fire department and rescue squad and other organizations. We need these people. If we don’t have jobs and families, this community won’t be a place for people to retire, because they won’t have those sort of services.
Heidi Doo-Kirk: I think every board and committee needs someone with a strong financial background and the ability to understand budgets and finances. That is what I will bring to the board.
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