Dear True,
The leaves are turning. Residents are raking, putting up storm windows, winterizing their vehicles, bedding down the plants, and looking forward to the next installment of the Visioning Plan, as well as the up-coming mayoral election. I hope.
The last time Community Growth Institute was in town they did not anticipate the all-consuming nature of our tourist season and, as a consequence, many residents previously involved couldn’t attend the second round of talks. Instead, all four meetings were dominated by highly vocal special interest groups -- namely realtors, land sharks, and profiteers. Wisely, CGI could see the deck was stacked and retreated. They plan to return at the end of this month with a widely varied meeting schedule that should accommodate just about everyone’s lifestyle.
If you don’t like the direction Grand Marais is taking, you owe it to yourself, the harbor, and your children to show up at these meetings and make your views known. This is an on-going process. It’s a mistake to assume that because you spoke up once, your job is done. It’s not. Do you want to save Grand Marais or do you want certain individuals cutting it up like a pie, selling off chunks to speculators, and living large off profits generated by ruination? Your opinion counts. Bigtime.
As for the mayoral election, I’m thrilled to have a choice. I’m thrilled to have an opportunity to campaign for a candidate possessing common sense, money sense, honesty, and an open mind -- someone who will NOT be tossing people out of public meetings in a fit of self-important pique or announcing publicly that he doesn’t care what his constituents want, only what he wants.
Once again, you have to ask yourself if you like the direction the town is headed. Do you like the new condos? Do you mind losing your harbor if the current mayor continues in office? How do you feel about the “bump outs” on the downtown streets that cost you hundreds of thousands of dollars, still not fully paid for? What do you think about the repaving of the west end streets (benefiting whom, exactly?) even though the municipal pool is in a desperate state and 1st Avenue is so bumpy you can’t drive from Highway 61 to the High School without slopping coffee all over yourself?
Despite an on-going trend in which the government shaves off a little more of its support to municipalities every year, this mayor spends money like he mints it and then is willing to raise your taxes by claiming the library costs went up. Well, the library costs did go up, but not enough to warrant a 5% increase in your taxes. The truth is, the capital improvement funds are all spent. He’s gone through all of it. New money has to be found either through taxes, selling off assets like the ski hill or the Homeland Security site, or selling municipal bonds (which I’d never purchase while this guy‘s in office!) So what? So you. You’re the one who will be ‘enriched’ by all the jobs he keeps promising on the come -- as a janitor, chamber maid, or retail clerk -- as you struggle to outdistance your rapidly rising property taxes. If a day holds 24 hours, you can hold three six-hour jobs and still have six hours for sleep. Sounds great.
If I were you, come November, I’d vote for a change in mayor.
Pam Dorris
Lutsen
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