The Lake County Commissioner District One seat is up for grabs this November, and Finland resident Colby Abazs will challenge incumbent commissioner Joe Baltich of Fall Lake.
The race is a rematch of the 2023 District One special election primary. Baltich defeated Colby Abazs by just one vote, discovered during a recount. The primary occurred to fill the position after commissioner Pete Walsh’s death. Baltich and Abazs were tied for second.
Baltich said he won the ensuing election by sending 800 handwritten greeting cards with his art on the front to voters across the district.
Both Abazs and Baltich first ran for the seat out of discontentment with the district’s representation.
“I decided to run because I don’t like where the area is going and how our local government is operating, and I wanted to be a part of the change,” Abazs said.
Abazs envisions a county where “younger folks can have hope for the future and be really excited about where the county is going.”
“I wasn’t happy with the way we were represented before. I just didn’t feel we had a seat at the table,” Baltich said. “A lot of us in the north felt Two Harbors controlled our lives to some degree.”
Baltich said he is the only of the five county commissioners to live in the northern half of the county. He was elected as Ely’s mayor at just 25 years old, then served on the Ely City Council for two terms.
Baltich said he wears four hats, creating paintings, running the Northwind Lodge, driving school bus for the Ely Public Schools and serving as Lake County District One commissioner.
Abazs formerly served as the Crystal Bay township clerk for several years. He is currently a member of Finland Home Solutions, the local housing commission for Finland, MN.
Abazs is involved with the Quakers via the Friends General Conference Board, where he works with the youth program. He lives on a farm in Finland, Minnesota.
“I’ve been an active community leader for my whole life, basically,” Abazs said. “I want to create a welcoming space where all people, perspectives and ideas are a valuable part of learning, growing, and doing together.”
“I represent my district, but I ultimately represent Lake County,” Baltich said. “We’ve got to look at the whole. One of my missions has been to unite the north and the south by being the liaison or bridge as we go through.”
Baltich said he has enjoyed building connections with communities across the county, from Little Marais to Fall Lake. He said these efforts help gain public engagement and support.
Local food movements, skilled trades and small business entrepreneurship provide good opportunities for county residents, Abazs believes.
“The richest way we could drive our economy is by meeting those services our community needs ourselves,” Abazs said.
Baltich said the Pulsar helium project is among the most important opportunities for Lake County. Helium extraction will help bring ancillary businesses and manufacturers, Baltich said, and he will continue to work on industry regulations with other officials.
“It’s really critical that we develop this resource,” Baltich said.
Baltich also supports copper- nickel mining.
Housing and human rights are among Abazs’s top priorities.
“There are a lot of people who want to live in our community. How do we accommodate them in a way that doesn’t disrupt the community?” Abazs asked.
Abazs hopes to amend the septic ordinance to help solve the housing shortage, as he said community conversations through Finland Home Solutions have revealed that septic size requirements represent one of the biggest barriers for those seeking to add housing capacity on their properties.
Baltich said he “can’t get through a single day without learning something new about Lake County.”
“I’m not afraid to be outspoken. I’ve been that way my whole life, and I’m doing it now at the county as well,” Baltich said.
“I have ideas and I’m going to stick to my values. But I’m also open to my mind being changed, and to listening and growing and learning together because we are better together,” Abazs said.
Lake County District One encompasses the county’s far northern reaches and reaches down along the Cook County border to the North Shore, encompassing Fall Lake, Crystal Bay, Beaver Bay and parts of Silver Bay.
