Cloquet council has new member

Meeting for the first time in their new chambers at the new City Hall, Cloquet City Council members voted unanimously Tuesday to appoint Chris Swanson as interim representative for Ward 3.

Swanson will be sworn in at the next council meeting Aug. 7 and will serve until voters determine who will take over Dakota Koski's seat for the remaining three years of his term, as Koski moved out his ward earlier this month.

Swanson was one of four Ward 3 residents to apply for the position. The other three included Uriah Wilkinson, Cory Martinson and Ray Schow.

Both Wilkinson and Martinson have served on city commissions, with Wilkinson having eight years of experience on the planning commission. Swanson and Schow have backgrounds in education, which at-large council member Lara Wilkinson said she liked.

Swanson, a teacher at Cloquet High School of American government and history (and CHS alumnus) impressed several of the councilors during his interview, which was conducted by phone, as Swanson was in Florida.

Ward 4 Councilor Kerry Kolodge said all four men were good candidates, but he favored Swanson.

"I think we need someone positive who can work with everyone and get us back in the good graces of the public," Kolodge said.

In his interview, Swanson said he's "not afraid of homework" and is ready to get to work learning about all the particulars of governing Cloquet.

He talked about being a good conduit for the concerns of the citizens, along with all the other roles of the council as the city's legislative body.

He said he will be a good listener to residents as well as other councilors and would offer a level head in times of disagreement. Experience as a union rep for the teachers union will also help, he said.

In an interview with the Pine Knot News after the meeting, Swanson said he watched the vote online.

"I was pleased and pleasantly surprised," he said, praising the other candidates, "and grateful for the opportunity to serve.

"I know there's been some angst in recent years," he said referring to a tumultuous two-plus years in the police department, which saw its rank and file take a vote of no-confidence in one police chief, who was eventually replaced with a chief who has been on an unexplained paid leave of absence since April, along with the departure of two officers deemed to have disciplinary issues that could impact the credibility of their testimony in court.

"To be frank, I hope I can make city council a little more boring again," he said.

The city plans to hold an election for the Ward 3 seat in November. The filing period for that election will be July 30-Aug. 13. The cost is $5 to file at City Hall. If more than two people file, city administrator Aaron Reeves said the Nov. 5 election will be a primary, followed by a general election on Feb. 11. Swanson said he plans to run in November.

As part of its consent agenda Tuesday, the council voted unanimously to change the city ordinance related to special elections to fill a vacant mayoral or council seat to remove the requirement for a primary election. In the future, if more than two citizens apply in the case of a special election only, all the names will be placed on a general election ballot in order to shorten the time to elect a new person. The regular election process will not change.

In other matters Monday, the council and mayor:

-Authorized the library to request bids from contractors for the proposed $2.2 million expansion. Once the bids come in, Reeves said, the council can make a final decision on whether to move ahead with the project. The city's portion would be roughly $1.2 million, with the library foundation covering $250,000 for furnishings and a $784,000 state grant paying the rest.

-Approved a final plat and site plan for the final phase of the 14th Street Apartments, to include a new 36-unit apartment building

-Accepted the 2018 audit results. Look for more details on this in the July 26 issue of the Pine Knot News.