Topic	Link/Article
Link	http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/trails_waterways/ohvraplan/update.html
Editorial	http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/articles/index.cfm?id=58219&section=opinion
Editorial	http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/articles/index.cfm?id=58219&section=opinion Our view: Good ol’ boy business as usual at St. Louis County Duluth News Tribune Published Wednesday, January 16, 2008 The good old boys of St. Louis County just can’t seem to get over it: In November 2006, County Attorney Alan Mitchell ran an uninspired-at-best campaign and, facing a challenger for the first time in 28 years, lost. The voters had to be wrong, some County Board members seemed to indicate when they immediately considered offering Mitchell a $75,000-a-year, four-year consultant deal. Supposedly, he was the only person in the county qualified enough to negotiate health-insurance contracts. Never mind that newly elected County Attorney Melanie Ford offered to handle the responsibility, which clearly was under the purview of her and her staff. Mitchell went away that time. But yesterday, still apparently unwilling to run county government without their man Mitchell, commissioners voted to name him interim county administrator. The current administrator, Dana Frey, isn’t even gone yet. He leaves for a new job in Bosnia next month. MITCHELL: Why can't the County Board take steps without him? Mitchell was one of four candidates considered for the interim post — and the most qualified, according to the commissioners who supported him. They hadn’t planned to divulge the identities of the others, but in open discussions yesterday, the names emerged: former county Sheriff Gary Waller and deputy administrators Gary Eckenberg and Lisa Potswald. Granted, Mitchell has extensive knowledge of the county, and he has strong management skills. But how he would be more qualified for the job than the current deputy administrators is a bit of a puzzler. Less puzzling is the political stress his presence back in the boardroom could provoke. And it’s no puzzle at all that hiring Mitchell for the interim spot would cost more than temporarily elevating Eckenberg or Potswald, who already are on the payroll. If the contract being negotiated with Mitchell comes anywhere near the about $130,000 he used to make as county attorney, it could be as if Mitchell never left, or as if he got the consultancy he was being considered for earlier. And that’s something that would seem to suit a few old-boy county commissioners just fine.   http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/articles/index.cfm?id=58257&section=news Board backs Mitchell; critics foresee friction Duluth News Tribune Published Wednesday, January 16, 2008 The St. Louis County Board voted Tuesday to negotiate a contract with former County Attorney Alan Mitchell to become interim county administrator. If a successful contract is negotiated, Mitchell would take over for outgoing administrator Dana Frey, who is leaving Feb. 8 to take a position in Bosnia. Frey has held the post since April 2004. The board voted 5-2 for Mitchell. He was the only candidate among four applicants forwarded to the full board from a board workshop on Monday. While the process was supposed to remain anonymous, open discussion Tuesday revealed the other candidates as former St. Louis County Sheriff Gary Waller, current deputy administrator Gary Eckenberg and current deputy administrator Lisa Potswald. Supporters said Mitchell was the best-qualified for the job, noting he has extensive knowledge of the county and proven leadership and management skills. But critics say the appointment will deepen rifts in county government that have bubbled over since Mitchell lost his bid for re-election in November 2006 by 88 votes to Melanie Ford. “I still have something to offer the County Board and the people of St. Louis County,’’ Mitchell said Tuesday. He did not attend the board meeting. Mitchell said he has been enjoying retirement but that he wants to remain active until his wife retires as Hibbing police chief in coming years. While an amendment was defeated that would have placed a deadline of July 31 on Mitchell’s service, Mitchell and county commissioners said it was unlikely Mitchell would apply or be accepted as the permanent county commissioner. “I’m completely happy with that, whether it’s 60 days or six months. It’s not my intention that this become permanent,’’ Mitchell said. It’s not clear when the County Board will take up the search for a full-time replacement for Frey. Eckenberg said no timetable has been set to fill the position permanently. In the past, the board has used both internal human resources staff and external candidate search companies to fill the post. Commissioner Keith Nelson of Virginia said the board should use the interim period to look closer at whether to make major changes in how county government operated, such as considering moving to a county manager or other form of county administration. Mitchell, 62, was first elected county attorney in 1978 and ran unopposed for re-election six times until he was defeated by Ford. Mitchell’s presence again within the county courthouse in Duluth could make for some uncomfortable moments as he’ll sit across the board room from Ford. But Ford said she harbors no ill-feelings toward Mitchell or his supporters. Mitchell said likewise. “I wish Alan Mitchell well in his new position and I’m sure he’ll do a good job,’’ Ford said. “That’s all long behind me,’’ Mitchell said. Others said hiring Mitchell was a return to the divisive politics that have split the board in recent years. Sam Haddad of Duluth, a county public works employee, said the move was another sign of disrespect toward Ford, whom he claimed has been repeatedly disrespected by several commissioners. Others suggested that Mitchell’s presence will diminish efforts to put complaints of sexual harassment behind the County Board. They noted that Mitchell declined to pursue allegations of sexual harassment on female employees by County Board members, while Ford moved ahead with the cases. Mitchell, by then out of office, then represented Commissioner Steve Raukar of Hibbing against the allegations. Haddad said the two internal candidates, Eckenberg and Potswald, were just as qualified as Mitchell and that their appointment could have saved the county thousands of dollars. “Let’s not spend money we don’t have,’’ Haddad said. Other residents who gave public comments said it was an indication the board remains unwilling to accept the will of the voters in 2006. But County Commissioner Mike Forsman of Ely disagreed. “It had nothing to do with that election. It’s trying … to find the right person to lead St. Louis County into the future,’’ Forsman said. Commissioners Peg Sweeney and Steve O’Neil of Duluth voted against offering Mitchell a contract. Commissioners Dennis Fink and Bill Kron of Duluth, Raukar, Forsman and Nelson voted yes. The county administrator is responsible for the general supervision of county departments, institutions and agencies. The directors of 12 departments report directly to the administrator. The position also oversees many of the 1,970 county employees and helps the seven commissioners set the county’s $334 million budget. The position is expected to pay between $101,000 and $135,000 in 2008.
County Administrator	DULUTH — A six-person county subcommittee has narrowed the choice for an interim administrator to four people — two candidates currently within the county and two who are not. “I would hope that any candidate for an interim administrator would have first-hand working knowledge of St. Louis County immediately. I think we should expect the candidate chosen to have a working relationship of all departments both in a professional and casual basis. The person should know the internal workings of county government, have broad knowledge of St. Louis County and most of its policies,” said County Board Chairman Mike Forsman, who is a member of the subcommittee. Forsman abided by an agreement of all on the subcommittee to not release any names at this time on the final four candidates. However, there has been speculation that one of the two candidates not currently in county government but with extensive knowledge of its workings is former County Attorney Alan Mitchell of Hibbing, who had more than 20 years of experience in that position before being defeated in 2006 by current County Attorney Melanie Ford. The interim position is needed because current Administrator Dana Frey has accepted a U.S. government position in Bosnia. While he doesn’t leave until February, Forsman said it’s important to get someone in the position as soon as possible. “We need to have someone on board relatively quickly to take over the reins of the county,” he said. The board will hold a workshop meeting in Duluth Monday to discuss the issue. It will then hold its board meeting Tuesday and a final decision could be made. “We need to decide no later than our Jan. 22nd meeting ... and I’d be happy if it was earlier,” Forsman said. Others on the subcommittee are Commissioners Dennis Fink and Bill Kron, County Attorney Melanie Ford, County Auditor Donald Dicklich and Sheriff Ross Litman. o Bill Hanna can be reached at bill.hanna@mx3.com. To read this story and comment on it online go to www.virginiamn.com.
	The Messabi Daily News Reports Interim post eyed County Board to fill position Charles Ramsay Last updated: Tuesday, January 08th, 2008 11:14:56 PM DULUTH — The St. Louis County Board started off 2008 Tuesday with change at the top — a new chair and vice chair, and a subcommittee to pick an interim county administrator. At their annual organizational meeting, in quiet contrast to the first rowdy board meeting of 2007, commissioners Tuesday approved Mike Forsman of Ely as board chair and Dennis Fink of Duluth as vice chair. A subcommittee comprised for now of Forsman, Fink, Commissioner Bill Kron of Duluth and other elected officials, is expected to meet this week to consider possibilities for filling in the top administrative post in county government until a permanent one is approved. A board workshop Monday at the Duluth Courthouse will deal further with the topic. Current County Administrator Dana Frey gave notice last month his last day of work will be Feb. 11. Commissioners said they want to move quickly to fill the interim position. Seemingly in a more congenial mood, compared with some tense meetings last year, commissioners displayed more harmony in several areas, particularly on county Planning Commission appointments. Two women residents who had applied to fill vacancies received preliminary approval, Sonya Pineo of Tower and Darlene Saumer of Colvin Township. Diane Wershay of Eveleth was named to fill a spot on the county Board of Adjustment. Commissioner Keith Nelson said he was concerned about keeping some gender equality on the panel in nominating Saumer. Commissioner Peg Sweeney of Gnesen Township said in looking at a county map on Planning Commission members’ residences, “I’m extremely, extremely concerned’’ about geographical imbalances as there was just recently only two persons on the panel who lived south of Eveleth. “There’s a huge mass of land there that has absolutely no representation,’’ she said.
County Administrator	WDIO Reports as Did Mesabi Daily News on 1 11 08 Former County Attorney Alan Mitchell Likely To Be Named Interim Administrator http://www.wdio.com/article/stories/S313476.shtml?cat=10335 It was a close vote on Monday, but the St. Louis County board is backing former County Attorney Alan Mitchell, as the interim administrator. The board discussed four candidates at a workshop on Monday. None of the names were made public at the workshop. But Eyewitness News confirmed that the two external candidates last week, Mitchell and former County Sheriff Gary Waller. The other two were internal. One of those people is Lisa Potswald, who is one of two Deputy Administrators. The other person's name was not made public. The commissioners narrowed the field down from the four candidates, by ranking their top choices. They voted twice, and the final two were Potswald and Mitchell. In the last vote, five commissioners voted for Mitchell, including all of the Range commissioners, and Bill Kron and Dennis Fink, who are from Duluth. Steve O'Neil, of Duluth, and Peg Sweeney, of Proctor, voted for Potswald. Mitchell was the County Attorney for 28 years. He was beated by current County Attorney Melanie Ford, back in 2006. Ford said she no comment on Mitchell's status as the only finalist, because he has not officially been voted in yet. That vote will likely take place at Tuesday's board meeting. Current administrator Dana Frey resigned his position, effective February 8th, for a job overseas. The board plans on launching a large and lengthy search, for his permanent replacement. DULUTH — A six-person county subcommittee has narrowed the choice for an interim administrator to four people — two candidates currently within the county and two who are not. “I would hope that any candidate for an interim administrator would have first-hand working knowledge of St. Louis County immediately. I think we should expect the candidate chosen to have a working relationship of all departments both in a professional and casual basis. The person should know the internal workings of county government, have broad knowledge of St. Louis County and most of its policies,” said County Board Chairman Mike Forsman, who is a member of the subcommittee. Forsman abided by an agreement of all on the subcommittee to not release any names at this time on the final four candidates. However, there has been speculation that one of the two candidates not currently in county government but with extensive knowledge of its workings is former County Attorney Alan Mitchell of Hibbing, who had more than 20 years of experience in that position before being defeated in 2006 by current County Attorney Melanie Ford. The interim position is needed because current Administrator Dana Frey has accepted a U.S. government position in Bosnia. While he doesn’t leave until February, Forsman said it’s important to get someone in the position as soon as possible. “We need to have someone on board relatively quickly to take over the reins of the county,” he said. The board will hold a workshop meeting in Duluth Monday to discuss the issue. It will then hold its board meeting Tuesday and a final decision could be made. “We need to decide no later than our Jan. 22nd meeting ... and I’d be happy if it was earlier,” Forsman said. Others on the subcommittee are Commissioners Dennis Fink and Bill Kron, County Attorney Melanie Ford, County Auditor Donald Dicklich and Sheriff Ross Litman. o Bill Hanna can be reached at bill.hanna@mx3.com. To read this story and comment on it online go to www.virginiamn.com.
	http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/articles/index.cfm?id=58183&section=News
County Administrator	Mitchell might return to take top job John Myers Duluth News Tribune Published Tuesday, January 15, 2008 Former St. Louis County Attorney Alan Mitchell might get a new job with his old employer. Mitchell on Monday was approved by a committee of the St. Louis County Board to fill the position of interim county administrator. The full County Board is expected to suspend its rules and vote to approve Mitchell for the temporary post at their regular board meeting today in Duluth.   Mitchell would replace Dana Frey, who is leaving after Feb. 8 to take a position in Bosnia. Frey has held the post since April 2004. Gary Eckenberg, deputy county administrator, said Monday that Mitchell was one of four applicants for the interim job who were considered finalists — two current county employees and two people from outside the county. The other finalists’ names will not be released, Eckenberg said. Mitchell’s presence again at County Board meetings could make for some uncomfortable moments as he’ll sit across the board room from County Attorney Melanie Ford, who defeated Mitchell in a razor-close election in November 2006. It’s not clear when the County Board will take up the search for a full-time replacement for Frey. Eckenberg said no timetable has been set to fill the position permanently. In the past, the board has used both internal human resources staff and external candidate search companies to fill the post. It’s also not clear if Mitchell, 62, will apply for the position permanently. He was first elected county attorney in 1978 and ran unopposed for re-election six times until he was defeated by Ford. Mitchell did not immediately respond to attempts to reach him on Monday. The county administrator is responsible for the general supervision of county departments, institutions and agencies. The directors of 12 departments report directly to the administrator. The position also oversees many of the 1,970 county employees and helps the seven commissioners set the county’s $334 million budget. The position is expected to pay between $101,000 and $135,000 in 2008.
Mileage Reimbursement raised to 72.6 Cents per mile	http://www.virginiamn.com/mdn/?section_id=70&story_id=211788       4 county officials reject extra mileage pay Increase goes from 50.5 cents per mile to 72.6 cents Charles Ramsay Last updated: Sunday, January 13th, 2008 10:31:58 PM DULUTH — Four St. Louis County elected officials say they don’t want to get 72.6 cents a mile reimbursement for travel put on their own vehicles on county business. The four — Commissioners Steve O’Neil and Bill Kron of Duluth and Mike Forsman of Ely, along with County Auditor Don Dicklich — have requested in writing that they receive the standard 50.5 cents mileage rate proscribed by the Internal Revenue Service, Chuck Hardtke of the County Auditor’s office said. The increased mileage rate was approved Dec. 18 by the County Board for 11 officials, the seven county commissioners, as well as the county auditor, sheriff and attorney, and county Intergovernmental Affairs Director John Ongaro, who commutes weekly during legislative sessions to the Twin Cities and back. A number of county officials “are effectively precluded from using county-owned vehicles for business-related transportation due to their required participation in political activities,’’ County Board Resolution 707 of Dec. 18 states. Up until this year, the county’s practice has been to align mileage reimbursements with whatever the IRS set, such as 48.5 cents in 2007. “It’s always been the IRS rate,’’ Hardtke said. County Board Chair and Commissioner Mike Forsman of Ely said there is a belief that the standard rate doesn’t cover the total cost of operating a personal vehicle. According to information provided by County Administrator Dana Frey and backed by County Auditor Don Dicklich, the actual cost of operating a vehicle is at the 72.6 cents a mile rate, Forsman said. When former County Auditor Gordon McFaul bought a new vehicle in the 1990s, he told Forsman that the costs logged on it, including everything like insurance, licenses and repairs, “were substantially more than what he was being reimbursed by the county,’’ Forsman recalled. The County Board has been looking into trimming vehicles in the county motor pool, but officials said Tuesday that probably wasn’t going to happen this year. The 25,000-30,000 miles Forsman estimates he puts on his vehicles annually going to meetings and gatherings all over his sprawling Fourth District — 62 percent of the county, from Kabetogama to Ely, Hoyt Lakes to north of Chisholm — adds up. “It’s $5,000-$6,000 a year,’’ the 2008 County Board chair said, “with all the driving I do.’’ Forsman said he will take the lower 50.5 cents per mile rate as he believes the compensation in place when an official takes office after being elected is what they should receive. An election “goes back to a contract with the people,’’ he said. A former mechanic in the Marines and a current maintenance mechanic with AcelorMittal Steel on the Range, besides being board chair, Forsman added, “I do my own work on a car,’’ which keeps his vehicle costs lower. o Charles Ramsay can be reached at charles.ramsay@mx3.com. To read this story online and comment on it go to www.virginiamn.com.
Polymet and Sulfide Mining	Settlement details Friday, April 27, 2001907 Volume 18, Issue 17 PolyMet opponents win court victory By Marshall Helmberger Opponents of PolyMet Mining’s plans to use a site near Floodwood for wetlands mitigation have won a significant court ruling that puts county logging and other activity in the area on hold. The ruling also voids an agreement between PolyMet and St. Louis County to allow the mitigation project, an agreement that the county board approved last year. District Court Judge Heather Sweetland, on April 17, ruled in favor of an ad hoc organization of local residents, calling themselves the Wetlands Action Group, and issued a temporary injunction on any further activity at the site. The group contends that St. Louis County approved the mitigtion plan and proceeded with logging and other activities at the Floodwood site before completion of PolyMet’s environmental impact statement. According to the court ruling, the county had been warned by the state’s Environmental Quality Board and the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy that such approval could violate state and federal laws, which prohibit approval of a project or portions of a project prior to final completion of the environmental review process. Despite the warnings, then-county attorney Alan Mitchell had advised the board to approve the agreement with PolyMet anyway. Just days after the county approval, the county land department sold the timber at the site and the property was logged over this past winter. The county argued that it had the right to log the county-managed land, because the logging was not associated with the mining project proposed by PolyMet and was, therefore, not a part of the environmental review process. But the judge disagreed with the county’s arguments, and indicated the county action compromised the environmental review process. The judge also awarded plaintiffs their court costs and attorneys fees. “We think it’s a good ruling,” said Bob Tammen, a longtime resident of Soudan, who was a plaintiff in the case. Tammen said residents in the vicinity of the Floodwood site are strongly opposed to the mitigation plan and question the value of wetland restoration in a former wetland that has already been restored “by nature and the beavers,” according to Tammen.
Polymet and Sulfide Mining	Subject: Judge suspends work on wetlands near Floodwood/Wind energy takes flight on Iron Range/Natural gas pipeline discussed http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/articles/index.cfm?id=40326&section=news Judge suspends work on wetlands near Floodwood Duluth News Tribune Published Friday, April 20, 2007 Work to reconstruct a wetland near Floodwood — planned to replace wetlands lost if the PolyMet copper mine is built near Hoyt Lakes — must wait until the mine’s environmental review is completed. That’s the order of State District Court Judge Heather Sweetland, who has ordered St. Louis County to halt work on the wetland project. The judge’s order includes a temporary injunction banning work at the wetland site. At least some of the site was logged over the winter, the first step toward reconstructing wetlands. Work was supposed to begin this summer on plugging artificial ditches in the area and reflooding hundreds of acres to form wetlands Those wetlands would be used to satisfy the legal obligation of PolyMet Corp. to replace about 1,200 acres of wetlands lost if the company develops a copper mine and processing operation at the old LTV Steel plant near Hoyt Lakes. “The applicable statutes and regulations suggest a possibility that the county may have been in violation of state and federal law in approving the wetland restoration agreement with Polymet and harvesting the timber on the wetland restoration site,’’ The suit was filed in December by Wetlands Action group, a loose coalition of several Northland residents, including Bob and Pat Tammen of Soudan, Leonard and Lori Anderson of Cloquet and Elanne Palcich of Chisholm. One year ago, PolyMet and county officials signed an agreement to restore the wetlands at the site near Floodwood. In all, the county has proposed returning 3,200 acres of drained or partially drained land near Floodwood to full wetland status. The county would sell rights to the wetlands to PolyMet and other developers who need to replace wetlands they fill. James Peters, attorney for Wetlands Action said the judge’s decision is a major victory. “They have cleared trees, but not filled in the ditches and disrupted the existing surface water drainage patterns. The order stops work this summer on changing the drainage,’’ Peters said, adding that the judge’s order invalidates the 2006 wetland contract between St. Louis County and Polymet. St. Louis County is being represented in the case by Lake County Attorney Russ Conrow because of a conflict of interest. Conrow said St. Louis County could appeal but that no decision had been made. Some residents near the proposed Floodwood wetland say the area already has restored itself to nature after ditches were dug in the early 1900s to drain the land for farming efforts that eventually failed. Opponents say adding dams and more water to the site will destroy upland habitat and could flood nearby private property. Moreover, opponents of the copper mine say the wetland project should not be allowed to advance until the proposed mine’s entire environmental impact statement is complete. They say the mine might not move forward if state and federal regulators require extensive pollution control efforts, meaning the replacement wetlands won’t be needed. Warren Hudelson, PolyMet spokesman, has said that the company has several other options to satisfy wetland mitigation requirements other than the Floodwood site. He also said that changes in the footprint of the proposed mine may end up destroying fewer acres of wetlands than originally planned. The draft environmental impact statement on the PolyMet project is expected later this year.   http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/articles/index.cfm?id=40305&section=homepage
Code of Conduct	The Duluth Budgeteer gives a thumbs down to the St. Louis County Board prior to the recent board meeting at which a commissioner put forth a watered down code of conduct rather than the carefully and professionally crafted one put forth by the committee assigned to produce a code for the board by the board. Since the mention in the Budgeteer, the board tinkered with the makeshift code and strengthened it at the meeting however there were several calls in the meeting to go back to the professionally crafted one.   What was passed was probably the best that could be expected given the board presently seated.   Fink, and Nelson were the strongest opponents to the stronger, professional code, with Raukar and Forsman also bucking a meaningful code.   When Commissioners Raukar and Forsman realized that a code was a reasonable step and found ways to support it they made a huge step forward and are to be strongly commended.   The commissioner, Nelson, who put forth the makeshift code, said that two prominent attorneys had worked on it, however given the gramatical and legal missteps in it and the lack of protection it offers the County, it seems clear they did not want their names associated with the document, and that may be part of why they went unnamed.  Just who these unnamed attorneys are remains an interesting question.