Jonathan Steckelberg and Pete Gresczyk are running against each other in the special election to fill a city council vacancy. Each took some time to answer questions asked to them by the Cook County News-Herald.
First, please tell us a little bit about yourself. Where did you grow up? Your career, family, children, hobbies, etc. And why you are running for the city council?
. Jonathan Steckelberg: I was born in Grand Marais and graduated with the CCHS class of 2003. After that, I went to Montana State University – Bozeman where I graduated with a major in Mechanical Engineering and a minor in Mathematics.
Worked in Winona, MN designing mobile cranes and excavators for eight years. My wife and I moved to Grand Marais three years ago when a job at the hospital opened up for her, and I was able to convert my job to a remote consultant type position, thanks to broadband access.
I’m still working on projects with my previous company, and have been doing design projects up at the lumber mill as well over the last few years.
You can find me out playing bass guitar just about every week. Otherwise, I’ll be biking, snowboarding, playing hockey, spending time with family and friends, or somewhere out in the middle of the BWCA with my wife trying to find where the fish are biting.
I am running for city council because I care about Grand Marais and the people of Grand Marais. I believe in community service, and in a small town, it takes all of us to pitch in to make it work. I enjoy the homework and responsibility that comes with being on the council and strive to be as informed as possible before making any decisions.
. Pete Gresczyk: My wife Carline and I are both lifetime residents of Grand Marais. We have three children, Gina and Todd Gervais, and Greg Gresczyk.
I graduated from Cook County High School and spent two years at Eveleth Tech School for carpentry. I proudly went to work for Harold Moe Construction for six years. What a great learning experience.
I started my first business, North Shore Amusement when I was 18 years old. I put the first jukebox and pinball machine in the Grand Portage Lodge.
I worked at LTV Mining in Taconite Harbor and logged in the winter. I purchased North Shore Dairy and Laundromat, formally Sjoberg Dairy, in 1985. My wife and I ran this business for 27 years. We currently are owner operators of G&G Septic Service.
I feel very fortunate to have lived my entire life in Grand Marais.
Do you feel Grand Marais has strong, consistent planning and zoning laws? Should they be updated?
. Gresczyk: No we don’t have consistent planning and zoning laws. They need to be updated and revised with the public’s input.
. Steckelberg: The zoning ordinance is consistent and serving its purpose, but it is definitely outdated. Both the zoning ordinance and City Code need to be looked at and updated.
Now that the Grand Marais Comprehensive Plan has been developed, this can be a guideline and a tool for shaping the ordinances and city code.
The city of Duluth allows 60 airbnb’s. Do you think Grand Marais should place a limit on airbnb’s?
. Steckelberg: To be clear, Duluth set the limit of 60 only for “off-site owners.” A Duluth owner can still rent out portions of their home if they are living there as well. I don’t think we need to set a numerical limit on short-term rentals, but instead focus on requirements for potential new units. For example, it could be that for every new bed put in, a new parking space would need to be created.
If we tailor our ordinances to address certain gaps in short-term rental requirements, I think we’ll be in a better long-term position than just setting an arbitrary number.
Right now short-term rentals are only allowed in commercial or mixed-use zones, and this should remain. I don’t think rentals are a problem if done correctly, and setting a maximum might even drive up demand and cause other issues—I don’t know because there is no research behind this yet.
I’ll be paying attention to Duluth and other cities that have set limits the past year to see what type of results they see.
. Gresczyk: I definitely feel there needs to be a limit. It’s part of the problem with our current housing issues. Housing costs are high, and I feel we need to keep the right mix within our city.
The city and county have joined to make a massive push to promote tourism in the area. Meanwhile, little has been done to attract new businesses. Some cities and towns encourage local business growth by granting special loans and offering tax incentives to entice new businesses to come to their community. Do you see any way to broaden and diversify our business base?
. Gresczyk: I thought that is what the EDA is doing. This is a tough question. I feel we need to bring in new businesses that pay a livable wage and mesh with our landscape. Many of our young people leave here because they can’t find jobs that pay them a living wage. It would be nice if they had options to stay here.
. Steckelberg: I believe the most important thing to attract new businesses or anyone for that matter, is to maintain an inclusive culture and climate that draws in, and retains, new people. For example, if the ongoing conversation is the lack of affordable housing, a new business will be concerned with finding a steady workforce.
The EDA has a great website, Prosperity North, full of information to help guide potential new businesses. We should make sure this resource is being promoted and utilized fully.
If we can focus on making Grand Marais an affordable and attractive place to live, the business will follow. It’s the people that make up the businesses that we want to come here.
In light of declining revenue at Gunflint Hills golf course, should the city keep it and run it? Or hire an outside firm to manage it? Or sell it?
. Steckelberg: For the time being, we need to stay with the current plan of maintaining the course so that it’s in satisfactory condition. Use of city employees and an outside contractor can get us through the immediate issues, and there is an ongoing effort to find a superintendent that can manage the course as a whole. Both of these approaches should remain in effect as we look ahead to the long-term plan.
We’re getting through a rough patch right now, but I believe it’s something we can do with a little more work. There are still many options to look at.
. Gresczyk: I would like to see a joint partnership with the county. A lot of county residents use the golf course. Sharing resources with Superior National Golf Course would be nice. An outside firm would be my last choice. I feel with the right people it could work. I don’t think the city can easily sell the golf course because of the various types of funds secured to purchase it. It’s something that has been looked at in the past and found to be very difficult to undo.
Should the city pay more than it now does for the upkeep at the YMCA? Should the city pay anything at all for the Y?
. Steckelberg: The city should not pay more unless we are to receive more services as part of that payment. This is a joint agreement between the city, county, and the YMCA. The contract changed between the county and the YMCA, so we’ll spend time this year reviewing this agreement to see what the financial situation is in reality.
. Gresczyk: The City of Grand Marais should not pay more. I don’t mind helping with the cost of the pool, but other programs need to be more self-sufficient. It seems excessive to me. City residents are being taxed twice for the YMCA as city residents and county residents.
Should the city build a new town hall/ office center in a different location or should the city update the building it now has and remain put?
. Gresczyk: I would like to run the numbers. It’s a great location for the liquor store. I feel moving the liquor store from the downtown area would not be a good move for sales. The offices could go to the new building.
. Steckelberg: The current building has outlived its purpose, and we need to start talking about options for the future.
These decisions should focus on what is the most effective use of two city-owned properties – the current location and the site in front of the Public Works facility. I hope to see community involvement in the visioning process to make sure that needs are met with regard to location and accessibility.
The important thing is to look at changes in terms of benefits vs. expenses to the community.
What do you see as the city’s biggest need?
. Steckelberg: Affordability. We all know we pay a premium to live up here. On everything from housing, food, clothing, heating, etc. A lot of that comes with the territory of living in a remote area, but we as a city should still keep looking into extra revenue streams and options to add to the tax base to help folks out.
Also, I think we can do a better job of promoting services or types of assistance for those who need it.
. Gresczyk: The most important issue is affordable taxes. We need to find ways to have our visitors help cover the cost of the services that are required. I feel with a new city council and mayor that we could address these issues.
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