by Lisa Mattson
What do County Commissioners do?
Some of the commissioners' duties include:
- Review, adjust and adopt annual county budget
- Review and evaluate county programs
- Determine max number of county employees, negotiate and approve their labor agreements
- Authorize property tax levy and collection of county-wide property taxes
- Make decisions regarding county participation in optional federal and state programs
- Monitor overall fiscal health of the county
St. Louis County Commissioner District 1 race
Dennis Fink
(incumbent)
"Government is complicated. More than anything else, it is learning how to work the existing system and then doing it."
- More conservative
- Served on the board 14 years (first elected 1996)
- Navy veteran, graduate of Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania
- Active in National Association of Counties (stresses private land ownership and opposes state/federal land management restrictions)
- Worked as marketing and management strategic planner for Alcan Aluminum, St. Joe Minerals, Minnesota Power, and the University of Minnesota Duluth's Center for Economic Development
- Concerned with keeping property taxes low
- Believes in cutting spending instead of raising taxes for residents
Information and picture found on Dennis Fink's webpage http://thinkfinkagain.com/
Information also taken from an interview with The Hillsider at http://the-hillsider.blogspot.com/2010/08/dennis-fink-incumbent-1st-district.html
Frank Jewell
"Working as a non-profit manager has taught me how to pinch pennies and still get things done."
- More liberal
- Served on Duluth City Council from 1987 to 1991
- Graduate of St. Scholastica
- Executive director of Men as Peacemakers (formed in 2000 to counter domestic violence in the community)
- Worked as violence prevention specialist for St. Louis County and has worked with adolescents, the mentally ill, and the elderly
- Concerned with maintaining unspoiled lands and keeping public lands public
- Believes there needs to be changes on the County Board so that county business can be done effectively
- Wants to find creative new ways to provide services without raising taxes
This information found at http://frankjewell.com/
Picture and information also taken from an interview with The Hillsider at http://the-hillsider.blogspot.com/2010/08/frank-jewell-1st-district-county.html
Things to think about
The Duluth News Tribune did an article on this race, which discusses the candidates and some of their concerns in more detail at http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/event/article/id/182077/
We Are Watching is a local political watchdog group that focuses on the County Board and St. Louis County's seven commissioners. Read more about what they think at http://www.northernmnnews.com/
Fox 21 has a story available on their website about Commissioner Fink's absence at the debate conducted by the League of Woman Voters and his reasons for missing it at http://www.fox21online.com/news/update-slc-commissioners-silence-raises-questions