Three on the ballot for Mayor of Grygla

Occupation: Director of Facilities at the Warroad School 

How long have you lived in Grygla? 55 years – my parents moved here July of 1963. I was born and raised here.

Have you served as mayor before? If so, when and how long? Yes, from 2002-2008. Prior to that, I served on the city council for 6 years.

What made you decide to run for mayor again? Just seeing the changes and improvements that need to happen in Grygla; things that will make us more sustainable.

What organizations, boards, clubs, etc. are you a current member of? I’m not involved in anything at the moment. When I lost my first election as mayor, it was because I live here but I don’t work here. There are a scattered few that are able to live and work here. 

What role does the mayor of Grygla play in the community? The mayor operates with the assistance of the council, operates the city’s day to day functions and planning ahead for the future.

Why do you want to be the mayor of Grygla? I’d like to be the mayor because I see some improvements that the city needs to make. Without the proper foresight that is going on at the moment, I think we could use some assistance in planning. 

What would be your top priority if you were elected mayor? Assist with planning and trying to see what the future can bring, along with what the city needs to sustain it and keep us operating. 

Any issues you feel need to be addressed within your first few months as mayor? In all reality, if you look at the grand scheme of things there aren’t any major issues that we are confronted with at this moment. There are things that need to be worked on and addressed over time – not overnight - we are a work in progress. However, I do feel that the city is not using its reserved funds as properly as they should. They are considerably less from where they were at years ago. I also feel like items on the council agenda aren’t getting done. Decide to do something or don’t – some of that stuff have been on there for months and it’s not getting done. Things shouldn’t be on our to-do list for that long.

Any specific ideas for business development in our town? The city can offer incentives without hurting themselves, but they need to try to draw something in here or get assistance from other established businesses. We could also pull some sort of satellite station or phone hub in for some other up and coming businesses. 

What do you think needs to change in our town to set it up for future success? I think we need to get some involvement in or with other town’s development committees to get ideas and work with them to see what is or is not working and maybe implement some of those things here. I also think we could look at bigger companies around like Garden Valley or Roseau Electric and work together to offer some incentives.

What politician do you most admire and why? I would have to say Representative Matt Grossell, District: 02A, just because of his direct approach. 

What is your favorite thing about Grygla? Everyone here is friendly and says “hello!” They also say what’s on their mind – good or bad! My brother has lived in Roseau for the last 30 years. When he lived in town, he didn’t know any of his neighbors. It blows me away that someone couldn’t know their next door neighbor. 

Why should voters choose you to be the mayor? I feel people should make an informed choice based on what they know of the person and past experience that has proven that things work.  

 

How long have you lived in Grygla? 32 years

Have you served as mayor before? Yes, I’m currently serving. I’ve been mayor for 8 years now.

What organizations, boards, clubs, etc. are you a current member of? Grygla Lions Club

What role does the mayor of Grygla play in the community? The mayor represents the city and gives back to it – you don’t take from it.

Why do you want to continue to be the mayor of Grygla? We have a lot of young, qualified people in Grygla for this position. It would be nice to see some of them step up. Until then, we’ll continue doing it for another two years. The council is a great stepping stone for someone who’s thinking about running for mayor one day.

What is your top priority as mayor? Eight years ago the things I wanted to accomplish haven’t gotten done as 50 other projects have popped up. We have so much maintenance work to get caught up on – stuff that hasn’t been done in quite a few years. We have to keep an eye on that. 

Any issues you feel need to be addressed right now? Our water tower has been an issue. We’ve got to raise money to put some work and attention into that. We also have a couple of businesses that we need to get back on track whether that’s finding buyers or finding someone who knows the ropes until a final solution is reached. Those are the main things that need to take place. 

Any specific ideas for business development in our town? In a small town, keeping the existing businesses going is a big job in itself. A lot of small towns don’t have this or that going, but we’re keeping ours up here, at least. 

What do you think needs to change in our town to set it up for future success? Well, a few more kids going to school. Machinewell is expanding right along so that is a plus we have in Grygla. I’m more interested in keeping our existing businesses going.

What politician do you most admire and why? The President of the United States – he says exactly what he thinks. A lot of conservative people think the same way. We need to get off this politically correct stuff – it’s gone too far. Nobody can do anything anymore without an investigation. We’re not getting anything done. We have to get to work. 

What is your favorite thing about Grygla? It’s quiet and it’s the best place I’ve been to yet. The traffic isn’t overwhelming and you aren’t getting drove over every hour of the day. 

Why should voters choose you to be the mayor? If you want to keep things moving forward, vote for me. We aren’t moving ahead at 100 mph, but at least we’re going forward. If you want to let things slide backwards, choose someone else on the ballot.

 

Occupation: Machinewell, Inc.

How long have you lived in Grygla? All of my life. 

Have you served as mayor before? No. 

What organizations, boards, clubs, etc. are you a current member of? Grygla/Gatzke Jaycees 

What role does the mayor of Grygla play in the community? Oversees certain aspects, enforces change in the community and guides the town in the right direction. I’ve never been on one of these boards and it’ll be a big learning curve for me, but majority plays a behind the scenes role. 

Why do you want to be the mayor of Grygla? I’ve lived here my whole life and I’d like to put a few aspects back into place that have been bypassed lately and need to come back around. 

What would be your top priority if you were elected mayor? Winter is coming; a decent and legit priority is the snow removal. From what I’ve seen it hasn’t been done properly and it’s creating a lot of blind intersections. I also want to see the skating rink get ready in a timely fashion. Everyone thinks that’s nothing, but the kids need something to do in the winter.

Any issues you feel need to be addressed within your first few months as mayor? We need more small businesses to start in town. We have people setting up market places outside of town where people are trying to sell things. We have a community garden in town, why don’t we use that space more? Drive by there, get your items and be on your way? Roadside stands, for example, why not have that in town? Who wouldn’t go there for their potatoes and tomatoes? 

We chip sealed the roads before the Centennial, but the leftover pile is sitting on the corner by the Catholic Church. Why have a big pile in town? Anyone who wants it is getting charged for it, too, and they’ve already paid for it through their taxes. If people want it in town, it should be delivered free of charge and spread in someone’s yard.

The arena also needs to be opened sooner for our kids. I was ice fishing last year before it was even opened. Our kids need something to do in town.

Sewer and water pipes need to be redone – maybe we can find a grant for that.

The airport…do we need to set a fee there? If you have to rent the Grygla Community Center for a fee to hold your wedding there, why don’t we have a permit fee to rent the airport space? 

Also, people need to be held accountable when it comes to paying their city bills. Water needs to be shut off.

Unless it benefits a personal agenda, it seems like things don’t happen in this town. It’s been that way for so long. 

Any specific ideas for business development in our town? A lot of people do small shop work outside of the community; we just don’t have the space for someone to set up stuff like that here in town. We need more space. The last commercial lot in town has a community garden on it. 

What do you think needs to change in our town to set it up for future success? Apartment buildings in town are a good thing to have. It’s a matter of touching them up and making them look more respectful and geared towards families. We need more families and school-aged kids coming. These things can’t happen overnight, but you can sit down with your council and start coming up with some plans and put them into action.

What politician do you most admire and why? I can’t say I really admire any politician because they tell you one thing to get your vote and they do another in their office. I don’t think anyone can disagree with that. They shake your hand, tell you what you want to hear, but they stab you when they get into their office.

What is your favorite thing about Grygla? I like the fact that it’s always peaceful and relaxing here. I like to hunt and I don’t have to deal with the big city life. 

Why should voters choose you to be the mayor? If they want anything to change in the community they have to change the people in charge. The same people have been doing the same thing. It never gets better because you keep checking the same name time after time.