Harry's Gang: We have elections for a reason

I’m always tempted to apply for elected positions in government when there is a vacant seat. Running for election is too much work. It would be an honor to serve … but too much of a chore to run a campaign.

I suspect that others agree with me. There is often no primary election for city council seats, but when there’s an opening, like when Dakota Koski had to vacate his seat recently, there are usually a few people applying.

Four citizens of Ward 3 applied. I watched the interviews on the city’s new streaming service. (It’s a great tool, although I do have some issues with how it was implemented.) The interviews were pretty boring, but there were some bright spots, like when the eventual replacement councilor, Chris Swanson, responded to a question about a councilor’s role in the city by stating that a councilor should “show up” — which was hilarious, because he actually did not show up to the interview and was “appearing” by phone from Florida. Nobody laughed at the irony, hopefully because they realized that Swanson was referring to his opinion that a councilor needs to be very involved in the city and its activities. He did interview well and promised to run for the election in November. I have no doubt he’ll be a good addition to the council.

But so would have the other candidates. I hope they all consider running in November.

Uriah Wilkenson displayed his knowledge of city government from his years on the planning commission. He mentioned he’s been civically engaged for about 20 years; I first met him when he ran for state representative just after the turn of the century, and was so impressed I invited him to be a panelist on “Harry’s Gang” many times over the years. Uriah ran as a Republican way back then, but to say he’s conservative is too broad — I’ve even heard him embrace a liberal policy now and then, when it made sense to him.

Ray Schow was a fellow guest on “Harry’s Gang” when I first got to town 20 years ago, and he helped host the show occasionally after Grandpa “Harry” Newby went into the nursing home. Ray’s interview was eloquent. He pointed out that kids in every town complain that there’s nothing to do; so his approach to solving the needs of the youth seemed to be more practical than fanciful. Ray also revealed that he’s a bit stubborn but understood when compromise was necessary. On a city council, he’s right: compromise is essential. His understanding of a city council’s job made sense: to effectively run the city, you let the employees do their jobs; the council’s job is to oversee the results and to set policy — micromanagement is not part of the job.

I don’t know Cory Martinson. From his interview, I learned he’s a veteran of the armed forces and has gotten all his kids (except one still in school) through the Cloquet school system; he said that Cloquet is very conducive to raising a family. I agree: that is one of the reasons I moved here. Cory has served on the Parks Commission for a few years, which is a great start in city government.

The problem with a city council choosing its own members is that, no matter how well the interviews go, the council votes to include someone who will fit in. But the right to serve on the city council belongs to the voters, not the council, so we are fortunate that it’s rare that the council chooses its own members.

I hope all four consider running a campaign for the November election. And nothing prevents anyone else from running, except for having to live in Ward 3. The filing period is July 30-Aug. 13; the cost is $5 to file at City Hall.

Pete Radosevich is the publisher of the Pine Knot News community newspaper and an attorney in Esko who hopes to host the talk show Harry’s Gang on CAT-7 again someday. He can be reached at [email protected].