This week the Cook County News-Herald talked to the citizens of Tofte who are running for the town board.
Although the candidates on the Tofte ballot are running unopposed, the Cook County News-Herald spoke with them last week to give citizens the chance to get to know the elected officials who are working for them.
Running for re-election in Tofte is Paul James as supervisor and Barb Gervais as clerk. Below is a sampling of questions for the Tofte candidates.
Q. Please provide biographical information about yourself—work experience, education, and family— whatever you feel is pertinent.
Supervisor Candidate Paul James:
I am married to Pamela James and we have four children, sons Jordan, Jared and Joseph and daughter Melissa. I am a 1973 graduate of Cook County High School and attended Bethel University for two years. I am currently employed as manager at Lamb’s Resort and own Nelson Towing in Tofte. I have been a supervisor in Tofte for 12 years.
Clerk Candidate Barb Gervais:
I grew up on a dairy farm in Wisconsin. I had a 30-year career in the investment industry with RBC Wealth Management (formerly Dain Bosworth) as the branch administrator in downtown Minneapolis. I moved to Tofte in 2003 and married life-long Tofte resident Jerry Gervais. I am currently employed by Lake County as a deputy auditor with the responsibility of doing the payroll for the county. I was first elected town clerk in 2006. I enjoy the position as it’s a great way to get to know people and to be active in what happens in my community.
Q. In January 2011, a Cook County- Grand Marais Economic Development Authority (EDA)-funded housing study found that if North Shore Hospital developed assisted living services, those services would not be needed on the county’s west end. How do you think Tofte should respond to that?
The township is now looking at a smaller senior housing project, which is not the same as an assisted living facility. The township, with the help of a grant commissioned by Nancy Grabko, did a study that showed assisted living is not a viable project because of the type of services and staffing needed to care for the elderly.
A general housing project with some services has a much lower level of staffing and is an option for anyone over 55. If medical attention is needed on a daily basis, then our elders would move to a higher level of service at an assisted care unit or nursing home.
Tofte is short of housing and it is our plan to meet this need if financially viable. Keeping our seniors in the community is our goal. Providing attractive affordable housing for them would in turn open up older family homes for sale and provide a market for younger families. The township has been applying for grants to accomplish the work needed to have a viable site. We would then seek a developer to build and operate the facility.
Q. The Town of Tofte owns the building that houses the Birch Grove Community School and Community Center. What is Tofte doing to keep the cost of maintaining this building down for taxpayers?
The Birch Grove community building is a wonderful asset of the Tofte community and the Birch Grove foundation leases the building and uses its fundraising activities to do the daily maintenance. The township pays for some general items like snowplowing, garbage and heat as it does on all its buildings. A wood pellet boiler was added to reduce heating costs and larger capitol improvement projects are carefully planned out and competitive quotes are requested to keep costs in line.
Q. What do you think is the biggest issue facing Tofte right now?
The biggest issues for Tofte are maintaining the township as a quality environment where people can start and expand their businesses and provide jobs and in providing leadership to assist with housing where possible, taking care of our vulnerable elderly population and working with utility companies to develop a wireless and high-speed communication network that ensures Tofte’s connectedness in today’s high tech society.
Clerk Candidate Barb Gervais:
Q. What role do you think the clerk plays in the township? The clerk keeps the town organized and moving. The clerk’s role has a variety of duties not limited to recordkeeping of both financials and documentation for the township but also is responsible for getting the information to the correct agency/people within the needed time frame.
Q. What do you think is the biggest challenge facing the township right now? I think the biggest challenge for Tofte township at this time is the lack of affordable housing for young families as well as the lack of housing for seniors wanting to stay in the community but are unable or wish not to maintain their own home.
Get out
the Vote!
Tofte Township Annual
Election of Town Officers
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
5:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Birch Grove Community Center
7 Good Neighbor Hill | Tofte, MN
Loading Comments