Candidates spar at Cloquet forum

Oct. 24--Cloquet Mayor Dave Hallback and Councilor Roger Maki sparred repeatedly during the Cloquet Area Chamber of Commerce candidate forum Monday, Oct. 22, over a range of issues, but were most heated over the suspension and subsequent resignation of former Police Chief Steve Stracek.

Nearly 50 people crowded into the City Council Chambers to hear candidates for Cloquet City Council and mayor, Cloquet School Board, Carlton County attorney and the Minnesota House of Representatives respond to questions from moderator Pete Radosevich, an attorney and host of the CAT 7 political talk show "Harry's Gang."

Hallback and Maki clashed over the issue of Stracek, who was suspended in a special meeting of the City Council in 2017 after the police union conducted a vote of no confidence in the former chief's leadership.

Maki referred to Hallback as a "mayor out of control" when Hallback, a retired Cloquet police officer, called the meeting that eventually suspended Stracek. He said the emergency meeting was a "joke" and claimed the mayor "colluded" with other police officers and City Council members to call the meeting at a time when former city administrator Brian Fritsinger was set to leave his job the next day.

Maki was the only one of five councilors present at the emergency meeting to vote against Stracek's suspension.

Hallback, in return, claimed Maki was "throwing gas on the fire" throughout the process, which also included the selection of current Police Chief Jeff Palmer, who replaced Stracek.

Maki claimed the process circumvented the complaint process, where issues with a city employee would be brought to the city administrator. The administrator would then look into the matter and determine if it warranted further investigation, according to Maki.

Hallback stood by his actions regarding Stracek, claiming he consulted with three attorneys before calling the meeting and bringing the matter to the council.

"It wasn't a last-ditch effort," Hallback said. "There were grievances; there were letters; there were meetings. I was advised by our attorneys and none of those scenarios were, 'OK, let's deal with this another day.' You have to remember Brian Fritsinger was leaving; we were without a city administrator. There were no city policies violated; there were no state statutes violated. If there was, I probably wouldn't be sitting in this chair today."

Both candidates said they would support approaching the state to ask for the reinstatement of the city's half-cent sales tax when it expires. The tax has been used to refurbish and expand city parks, including the recently opened skatepark downtown.

City Council's 8 candidates weigh in

All eight candidates for the four open City Council seats answered questions during the forum.

On the issue of tax increment financing (TIF) of residential housing, several candidates said they would need to seriously contemplate using the public funding method for residential properties.

TIF subsidizes companies by refunding or diverting a portion of their taxes to finance the development of a certain area. While some candidates, like Ward 3 candidate Dakota Koski and Ward 2 candidate Sheila Lamb, said they would consider it on a case-by-case basis, others, like at large candidate Les Riess, said they would not likely support it. Ward 1 candidate Warren "Bun" Carlson said he supports TIF for commercial properties or assisted living facilities, but not for single-family homes.

Ward 1 incumbent Jeff Rock and Ward 2 incumbent David Bjerkness said TIF can be an effective tool in bringing more affordable housing to the area. All candidates agreed affordable housing is in short supply.

Candidates were also split on the use of project labor agreements for city projects. A PLA is a pre-hire collective bargaining agreement with labor organizations that establishes the terms and conditions of employment for a construction project.

In 2017, the council passed a resolution requiring a PLA for city projects over $175,000. At large candidates Lara Wilkinson and Riess said they support competitive wages, but are concerned about the resolution's effect on smaller projects.

Many of the candidates also voiced concerns with how the current councilors dealt with Stracek, and they called for more transparency from the council.

Carlson said the entire controversy made him "embarrassed" to tell people he was from Cloquet for a time.

On other issues, all candidates said they would vote against a proposed landfill expansion in Ward 1, which the council has rejected in the past.

All candidates also pledged some measure of taxpayer support for a proposed expansion to the Cloquet Public Library, depending on the results of a grant application submitted to the state. Last week, the council committed to support a $1 million grant application to the state to help fund a potential $2.3 million library expansion.

"I think the library provides a pretty essential function for some people, and for some, it's their only outlet to technology," Wilkinson said. "Print is part of it, but there are a lot of other resources that are available there ..."

Pertler takes stand

Carlton County Attorney Thomas Pertler then took the stage for a question-and-answer session, but he was questioned alone by Radosevich.

Pertler's opponent for the position he has held for 13 years, Lauri Ketola, couldn't attend the forum because she was on vacation out of town.

Following a brief statement read on behalf of Ketola, Pertler answered questions regarding his handling of the county attorney duties during his time in office.

In her statement, Ketola said she would institute more consistent plea bargains and other policies in the Carlton County Attorney's Office, to which Pertler claimed there is already consistent practices in place.

Asked about ineffective laws in Minnesota, such as drug laws, Pertler said it is not his job to select which laws to enforce; his job is to prosecute those who violate the law.

Pertler mentioned a number of states that recently legalized the recreational use of marijuana, but as long as it remains illegal in Minnesota, he will continue to prosecute those types of crimes.

Pertler was also asked about his proudest achievement as county attorney, but he had trouble choosing just one.

"Every single time we can bring justice to a victim," he said.

House, School Board candidates cap forum

Following Pertler's performance in the forum, most of the audience filed out, leaving just a few to hear Minnesota House of Representative 11A candidates Jeff Dotseth and Mike Sundin, as well as the Cloquet School Board candidates.

Republican Jeff Dotseth of Kettle River and DFL incumbent Mike Sundin of Esko fielded questions ranging from health care, to roads and taxes.

Dotseth, a real estate broker with offices in Kettle River and Zimmerman, hammered Sundin for co-authoring the bill establishing MNsure, Minnesota's online health insurance marketplace, and asked what incentives businesses have for moving to Carlton County.

Sundin responded by saying Medicare is the most effective health care provided in the U.S. and that he believes in "Medicare for all, including pre-existing conditions."

Cloquet School Board candidates Ted Lammi, Dave Battaglia and John Babineau then answered questions; Gary Huard was unable to attend. Topics included the district's infrastructure needs, Education Minnesota, athletics and new Superintendent Michael Cary, whom all the candidates gave high marks.

When asked about potentially consolidating the Cloquet and Carlton school districts, Lammi and Battaglia were cautious, while Babineau said he's more receptive to the idea.

Lammi said he's concerned about Carlton taxpayers being forced to take on the debt of the Cloquet district, and noted the increased student population would require additional construction at Cloquet High School.

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