Opinions/Editorials

Editor:
I write in response to Tom Tidwell, former U.S. Forest Service chief’s commentary, “Industrial mining must be kept away from the Boundary Waters.”

When Pete Stauber announced he was going to run for Rep. Rick Nolan’s seat in Congress, he did so on the front steps of the Ely City Hall.
It was back in July and after starting in his hometown of Hermantown, Stauber came to Ely.
“I drove up here because Ely and the Iron Range matter,” Stauber said.
The question that day was would Stauber matter in a race that heavily favored the incumbent with a well-financed Republican likely to jump back in for another run.
All of that changed when Nolan announced he wasn’t running, followed by Stewart Mills. Instead of running on a prayer, Stauber became the front runner.
On Monday he returned to Ely as U.S. Representative-Elect Pete Stauber and participated in a legislative meeting with area elected officials. He was the only federal official to show up.
Is this a sign Ely will have as good of a relationship with our new Republican House member as we did with Democrat Nolan? We sure hope so.

The federal government has made a mess of trying to manage gray wolves. From a botched attempt to delist them from protection under the Endangered Species Act to the debacles at Isle Royale, this has been one screw up after another.
Those hoping for common sense cheered when they read the Republicans who still control the House passed a bill to drop legal protections for gray wolves in the lower 48 states. That bill is dead on arrival in the Senate.
But the passage of the bill in the House shows the frustration in how the Fish and Wildlife Service has been able to beat back repeated court challenges. The feds attempt to delist and return management to the state and the wolf groups fire up their lawyers and get a friendly judge in Washington to stop the delisting.

Minnesotans, particularly on the Iron Range and especially in the Ely area, don’t need much prodding to exercise their right and vote.
Turnout approaches 90 percent in some parts of our area during presidential election years and even an off-year, midterm election - such as the one coming up next week - always brings a healthy majority of local residents to the polls.
We’re hopeful that polling places are again among the busiest places in town on Tuesday and that turnout is even bigger than normal.
What the heck? Why not see if we can even approach the turnout of a presidential election?
While the race for the Oval Office isn’t on the ballot this time, and while Ely area elections are much quieter than usual, there are a bevy of races that have a big impact on all of us.
Whether you live in St. Louis or Lake County, contested county commissioner races are on the ballot.

Now more than ever, our Nation’s future depends on overturning the U.S. Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision, so we can finally put a stop to the billions of dollars in secret, dark money corporations and special interests are permitted to spend for terrible, false, and negative TV ads.
These messages, which begin months before Election Day, go on ad nauseum – discouraging good people from running for office, denigrating the candidates, driving down voter turnout, and causing Americans to lose faith in their leaders and the integrity of our public policymaking process.

Election Day has come and gone and we’re thrilled to see the extraordinary interest in the Ely area - where turnout was through the roof - and across the state and nation.
But those looking for some clarity, and a break from the political divide that exists seemingly everywhere, figure to be in for disappointment.
Voters delivered what at best could be called a split verdict Tuesday night.
Across the nation, Democrats took over the U.S. House as expected but Republicans gained seats in the U.S. Senate.
The House losses were typical for a president’s party during his first midterm and clearly not at a level suffered by recent presidents including Obama (2010) and Clinton (1994).
In Minnesota, it was more of a victory for Democrats as the party continued their winning streak in statewide elections, with crushing victories in both the governor and two U.S. Senate races, and a sweep that puts the DFL in charge of the State House.

Few if any candidates for Congress in Minnesota, or anywhere in the country for that matter, had a worse week that Joe Radinovich.
In a span of a few days, the DFL nominee in Minnesota’s Eighth House District lost his campaign manager, over $1 million in critical advertising support and fell behind by a whopping 15 points - if a poll commissioned by the New York Times is accurate.
One doesn’t need to be a soothsayer to see which way the wind is blowing in what, by all accounts, had figured to be very close race.
Stauber, the Republican nominee, seems well on his way to succeeding Rick Nolan in Congress.
Some national observers have shifted their ranking of the race from the toss-up to lean Republican category.
And even if the Times poll is off, as some have suggested, Stauber seems to have ample breathing room to roll to victory on Nov. 6.

by Johnathan Hladik, policy director
Center for Rural Affairs

This past week the national stage was filled with debate over whether or not to confirm a new Supreme Court justice. Here in Ely folks are talking about the future of the Community Center building.
Having civil discussion on the issues of the day is a right guaranteed by our Constitution. And while we respect each person’s opinion, it is a civil discussion that can be lacking at times.
In Washington where politicians will say nearly anything to stay in office, we’ve come to expect a level of party loyalty that leaves common courtesy and common sense back in the cloakroom. Is it surprising? No. Both sides have dug in so deeply they can no longer see the sky. They just see more dirt they can throw.
We’d like to see Ely stay away from the rhetoric going on in DC. But last week there were comments made in a public meeting that didn’t make us proud. What needs to happen is to focus on the “what” instead of the “who.”

The U.S. Forest Service may end up being responsible for damaging several Ely area businesses and upsetting a large section of BWCA motorboat permit users.
A letter sent out last week from the Duluth office reaffirms the decision to do away with the permit lottery for motor entry points.
This includes:
Day Use Motor Entry Points:
• D Fall Lake, Newton, Pipestone & Beyond
• F Moose Lake to Newfound & Sucker Lakes
• G Moose Lake to Prairie Portage to Basswood
Overnight Paddle & Overnight Motor Entry Points:
• 24 Fall Lake
• 25 Moose Lake
The Forest Service believes an online permit reservation system will work better. But for individual users and businesses who rely on the scarce motor permits, this is a recipe for disaster.