Lawmakers share the stage

Lawmakers share the stage Hauschild, Skraba and Zeleznikar host state’s lone bipartisan town hall

It’s not uncommon for state lawmakers to hold town hall meetings in their home districts.

Yet an April 5 town hall in Two Harbors was indeed unique and believed to be the only one of its kind in Minnesota.

That even brought lawmakers from both sides of the aisle to the North Shore for a cordial discussion on issues facing the region.

State S en. G rant H auschild, a Democrat, joined both of the Republican State House members in the vast district - Ely’s Roger Skraba and Hermantown’s Natalie Zeleznikar.

“I think this is the only bipartisan town hall happening in the state,” said Hauschild. “Even when we don’t agree, we are civil and figure out how to work for the Northland first.”

The legislators touted their work together on a myriad of issues facing northeastern Minnesota and Hauschild said the cooperation pays dividends.

Hauschild noted Skraba’s interest in a bridge issue near International Falls, saying it was an issue he knew little about.

“We can’t do everything,” said Hauschild. “It does matter that we have our own lanes.”

Skraba added “I come from a mayor’s position where you get elected by everybody,” citing his years of experience as mayor and council member in Ely. “People are seeing I don’t run to a side and say this is it. And I’m willing to take the heat for some of the stances I take. That’s politics.”

The trio shared frustrations with the Walz administration, taking issue with the governor’s budget plan including proposals to reduce payment in lieu of taxes appropriations to counties.

“It’s fundamentally important to our region because we have a lot of public land,” said Hauschild. “I was able to get an increase in those payments and it provided a way to get more money to places like Lake County to reduce your property tax burden. Frankly, I have called the governor out on this. I have asked why are you targeting northern Minnesota with these cuts. If there’s going to be pain, it should be equitable across all of the counties.”

Zeleznikar added, “The governor’s plan is detrimental to Two Harbors, to the entire north.”

Mining is another issue where the legislators are in agreement, with Skraba reiterating his support for both taconite mining and proposed new copper-nickel ventures.

“We take dirt and we make steel and we take trees and we make paper - that’s what we do up here,” said Skraba. “We always do it and we will continue to do it.”

Zeleznikar lamented pending layoffs at Range mines and compared them to the U.S. Steel plant shutdown in Duluth four decades ago.

“If mining goes so do those workers and they often don’t return,” she said. “If mining was prospering for the area, the ports, for taconite and we get back to those days, the schools would have the ability to do so much more.”

Zeleznikar added that “the Range’s future is in jeopardy.”

Hauschild also spoke of mining’s importance to the district, noting “Imagine Silver Bay without Northshore (Mining). We would not be able to sustain ourselves up here.”

The three legislators all supported extended unemployment benefits for Iron Range miners, but Hauschild set himself apart and said tying the benefits to a lower sulfate standard at a Keewatin mine was a “risky move.”

“What happens if the issue becomes politicized and we can’t provide unemployment for these miners?” asked Hauschild.

Hauschild reiterated his support for the Keewatin operation, adding “We’re not going to shut down a mine and put people out of work because of a standard we can’t meet.”

The lawmakers took differing positions on a question related to cuts implemented by the Trump Administration.

Zeleznikar said she understood that “base funding” would be sustained and that many of the cuts coming from the federal government were “Covid dollars that were always expected to run out.”

Skraba pointed back to his tenure as mayor when he appealed - through the office of former U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman - for the Bush Administration to keep the Community Development Block Grant program.

“I called Senator Coleman’s office and said to tell the president we need it,” said Skraba. “Three days later I got a call saying ‘we are not going to cut CDBG.’ Our voices are heard. I think if we carry that idea, and that we tell our story, we need to let them know it’s not fluff. It’s not waste.”

Hauschild set himself apart and took aim at the Trump Administration, generating applause from the audience in Two Harbors.

“Sometimes people think bipartisanship is only agreeing on things,” said Hauschiild. “In this case when the governor proposed PILT cuts, I’m fighting him on that issue. I’m putting in that much effort to fight back against Donald Trump. It doesn’t matter what party you are and I will call you out. If you don’t think a billion dollars in Medicare cuts won’t hurt rural communities like ours, you’re foolish.”

Hauschild said he has written to Trump and met with U.S. Forest Service employees who were told “By the way, you’re out of a job without any sort of merit-based decision,” and that he was unable to meet with U.S. Rep. Pete Stauber (R) to address the matter when he went to Washington, D.C.

The trio later talked about zoning issues and all voiced their support for local control, although Skraba said measures proposed in St. Paul that would bring more state authority are meant to “give developers tools” to address a housing shortage.

Hauschild countered “I would just say that for those of you in your communities, would you rather have the power to go to the city council (to address a local housing issue) go away or do you want to keep that ability to talk to our local officials?”

Asked about a “visionary statement,” Hauschild talked about green energy efforts and the work of the Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board to diversify the area economy.

“I will tell you the biggest challenge we face in northern Minnesota is we can’t get a workforce for a facility that will hire 400-to-500 people,” said Hauschild. “The issues they face are housing, child care and educational opportunities for their kids. My wife and I chose to live in northern Minnesota, but we need more people to do that.”

Zeleznikar pointed to the benefits of mining jobs adding “These are $100,000 jobs. Mining is really critical for Minnesota and there’s all of the spinoff employment. People will not move there unless they have economic security.”

The group also took on the issue of gender - and biological males playing in girls sports.

Hauschild took issue with potential legislation.

“I don’t want a scenario to play out where we have a law in Minnesota that encourages people to be suspicious of my daughter’s gender,” he said.

Zeleznikar pointed to her own upbringing on a farm and said “everyone knew I was a girl. I didn’t have to prove I was a girl.”

She added that girls “can not compete with a six-foot man who has a completely different genetic makeup.”

Skraba didn’t directly address the legislation but said “I come from the side of the tracks that ‘if it floats your boat that floats your boat.’ But I do come in on the question of is it fair to have males compete with females.”

Addressing the state budget, Zeleznikar said she would trim $194 million proposed for a train to operate between the Twin Cities and Duluth and $60 million “allocated for free health care for non-citizens.”

Skraba voiced his support for education.

“What would I cut?” asked Skraba. “I know I wouldn’t cut schools. It’s something I can’t do.”