Voter Guide: Kooch County District 4 candidates

A special election will be held May 3 to fill the county board left vacant with the resignation of Rob Ecklund on Dec. 15.

Ecklund was was elected House District 3A in December.

The Journal surveyed candidates Walt Buller, Howard Davis, Dan Griffith, Ron Norby and Cory Norgart on their background and qualifications for the position the Koochiching County Board.

The candidate’s responses were limited to 500 words. Only spelling errors have been corrected.

The questions posed by The Journal are as follows:

1. Name, age, address. Summarize your personal background and experience.

2. Why are you the best candidate for this office?

3. What do you see as the biggest issues facing District 3A, and how would you address them?

4. How would you work to spur economic growth in the district?

5. Do you have specific legislation to plan to propose? If so, what does it involve?

Walt Buller

1. Walter Buller, 63, 1409 14th Street, International Falls. Before moving my family to International Falls in 1994, I was a heavy equipment operator for the Cottonwood County Highway Department based out of my hometown of Mountain Lake. During this time I was an AFSME union representative. Advancement followed with seven years as supervisor.

Working with and serving the people of Mountain Lake as a city councilman was an experience and privilege I encountered. It has helped me learn to work with other people and their ideas.

I recently completed 21 plus years of service as Koochiching County highway supervisor. This position included the responsibility of budgeting funds. It also provided the opportunity to work with many state and federal government agencies including the MPCA, DNR, FEMA, Fisheries, Trails and Waterways, the MN State Highway Department as well as the City of International Falls.

Many of the challenges that arose were addressed and solved through creativity, new ideas and teamwork.

Shortly after starting my job with Koochiching County, I was faced with an interesting challenge.

A large amount of the chemical 245T (Agent Orange) was in need of disposal. It had been stored in the highway department from prior years.

The original quote for disposal was around $17,000. After researching and contacting numerous agencies, I found a way to safely remove the chemical at no cost to the taxpayer.

Other challenges were the floods of 2002 and 2014. I was actively involved in coordinating the sandbagging sites, directing traffic and volunteers that came to help.

During my years, I have been a volunteer for Governor Fishing openers, Bass Fishing tournaments, and the United Way Buddy Back Pack.

2. My spirit of teamwork has earned the respect of many county employees, local 49ers and residents.

I have worked with all the county departments during my employment with Koochiching County and assisted in problem solving.

I enjoy interacting with the public and feel that I am a good listener. In this way I would strive to help the people with their concerns whenever possible.

I am responsible, resourceful and reliable and feel that I can contribute to the betterment of our county. This has been my home for over 22 years and I am strongly motivated to work towards making District 4 an even better place to live today and in the future.

3. After talking to some of the people in District 4 I have become aware of the need for improved rural sewer and water. I am willing to revisit and support this project if this is what the majority of the people want. I want to be transparent with the public and listen to any other concerns and work diligently with others to resolve them.

4. Our boundary area is unique and is enjoyed by local shoppers and visitors. We need to target this uniqueness and look for new business opportunities. A place to start would be discussion and shared ideas between all local governing bodies.

5. Not at this time.

Howard Davis

1. Howard Davis, 2853 County Road 2 South. My wife is Gretchen, we have 4 children, 17 Grandchildren and 8 Great Grandchildren. I grew up in Southern MN on a farm.

After graduating High School, I went to a trade school and became an electrician. I moved to the Falls in 1989 and worked on the expansion. Then I worked for a sub-contractor in the mill until 9/9/99.

I started my Electrical Business in September 1998. I am still running that today. We also ran a B&B for 13 years. I was involved in Circles of Support for all the years it was in effect. I have been on my church board, I am involved in the Gideon Ministry and Speaking in various churches to share what God is doing through this ministry.

2. Maybe I’m not, but I am an advocate for mentoring programs, education, work training and small family business and if elected I will do the job to the best of my ability. Then again maybe I am the Best candidate for the job.

3. I never really thought of the position as just on the District Level. I think of it as a county level. I am sure there are plenty of ideas people have and I am sure they would let me know.

4. That’s the same answer you always get. We need more jobs and new businesses, but it seems as though we make it almost impossible for that to happen.

I’m not sure what the answer is and not being in a government office before I think there is a lot to be learned as to how things operate and some things will be “Oh” that’s why it is done that way. Then there are other things that you can say maybe there is a new and better way to do that.

5. No, I do not.

Dan Griffith

1. Dan Griffith, graduated from Falls High in 1980. Graduated from RRCC, University of Minnesota and William Mitchell College of Law.

I then entered the service where I spent most of my time training in California at the Defense Language Institute. Debbie and I moved back here in 1994. My wife Debbie and I are raising our four sons here and appreciate how our small town mentality supports raising a family.

We have good community service programs, music, sports, fishing, hunting, snowmobiling, and even our own Icebox Radio Theatre and Borealis Bards. But all of it is driven by the strength of our economy.

Our economy is not what it was and can be again.

We have great potential and a lot to offer. I want to do what I can as a county commissioner to grow our community, not grow our taxes and government.

I do not know if I can make all the changes I see necessary, but I am going to try. Our County has a lot to offer. I believe there are ways to make our community attractive to new businesses. We need new life and fresh energy for our town and county to thrive again. We can make a difference with all of us working together to accomplish this goal.

2. I am passionate about making a real stride to see our community grow. Debbie and I have four sons who are part of the public school system. I grew up in International Falls and have a business here. I plan on giving all I can to ensure our county thrives.

3. The big issue I see is that people have lost hope in believing prosperity is really possible. There is a lack confidence that we can have a prosperous future. We have much to offer families with young children and that is what we must encourage to breath life into our economy again.

Young people leave because they do not believe they can support a family here on one job. We need to change that and I believe we can.

4. I would like to see a rejuvenation of our Main Street and outlying business areas. Some projects are already in place to bring life back to some of the classic buildings on our Main Street and other areas. Let’s not only encourage that, but do even more.

Encourage people to put their own sweat equity into ideas big and small by keeping bureaucratic hurdles to a minimum. Sometimes that best thing politician can do is get out of the way.

5. Look at what works and keep it. Look at what gets in the way and get rid of it. My plan is to work with the other commissioners to achieve that goal.

Our country enjoyed an economic boom in the 1980s because our government rewarded what worked and stopped rewarding what did not. I also want to encourage an education curriculum that honors what is great about America and great about our county.

We are a unique county in a unique country and we should be proud of that.

Ron Norby

1. Ron Norby, 68. 2699 TR 403 W, International Falls. My wife Pat and I are both Boise retirees and live in the Meadowview area.

I was born and raised in Clearwater County, graduated from Bagley High School, and attended Hanson Mechanical Trade School in Fargo, N.D.

While working at Boise I was a union member for 21 years and a salaried supervisor for another 16 years.

2. Listening to constituents is an important part of being a commissioner. On any issue there are supporters and opponents, I have the ability to consider all view points before making a decision.

County Commissioners need the ability to make tough, sometimes unpopular decisions. I have many years of decision making experience and have the ability to think outside the box to find new solutions for old problems.

Other areas I have experience in are establishing and operating within budgets, personnel management and creating and implementing policy. I will be a fresh voice in county government, be able to facilitate cooperation and be sensitive to tax-payers dollars.

3. There are several “difficult to solve” issues facing District 4 and all of Koochiching County. We have an aging population and fewer good paying jobs to retain young families. It is difficult for young educated people to pursue a career path in a smaller community.

We are fortunate to have a Customs and Border Protection Port, Border Patrol Station and the Park Service located in the county.

These facilities provide good paying jobs with benefits which allow their employees to buy homes, goods and services and enroll their children in our schools.

Four “difficult to solve” issues that will require a considerable amount of attention from the County Board are the County Road 24 overpass project, the Island View sewer line extension project, the airport terminal project and the Ranier access issue. I look forward to providing input on these and other projects and working on ways to attract new families and businesses to the county.

4. I would call this effort “economic redevelopment.” We need to realize that life in Koochiching County may never be as it once was and move forward.

KEDA is working at their mission to recruit new businesses to the county, as a commissioner I will support their efforts.

County residents want KEDA to have more home-runs and less swing and misses. I believe the Voyage Forward concept is a great way to help with this process.

As a commissioner I will support infrastructure improvements needed to attract new businesses and home owners to the district.

While efforts to attract new businesses to the county must proceed we also need to support existing ones. Local government units purchase a substantial amount of supplies, equipment and parts, vehicles, etc. As a commissioner I will support making these purchases locally.

5. At this time I don’t have any new legislation to propose. I feel the County Board currently has several important issues to resolve. I have no personal agenda and look forward to learning what’s most important to the residents of District 4.

Cory Norgart

1. My name is Cory Norgart; 43, 4019 Hwy 11, International Falls. Born and raised in Koochiching County. My family and I have a combined 62 years as residents of Papermakers Colony and District 4.

I graduated from Falls High School in 1991 and attended St. Cloud Business College from 1991-1993. I’m a very proud father of 2 daughters; Kylee and Marty. I’m labor friendly and a 19 year member of Pipefitter/Steamfitter Union.

I have 9+ years experience in sales and operations as proprietor of a small business.

As a labor union member and small business proprietor, I am qualified and possess skills in negotiating, leadership, and working with others, listening to concerns of others and dealing with financial and other issues that require a fair and balanced acknowledgment.

2. As a lifetime resident, I’ve had the opportunity to grow up with many of our county residents, young and old. I’m aware of the needs of our elderly citizens that have invested their lives in our community. I also understand the needs of our younger citizens who are choosing our community to invest in, believe in, and to raise their families in safe and secure neighborhoods.

Throughout my family history I have not only experienced economic rises in our community such as the major rebuild of our paper industry, but also economic downfalls such as the closing of our Boise Insulite, and the impact that those downfalls have on our labor forces.

3. Concerns and issues can be commonplace in communities that have multiple governing offices, especially ones with numerous commissions and separate entities, which sometimes bring about concerns such as expenditures, water and sewer prices, city and county projects, and others.

As your Koochiching County District 4 Commissioner I will be committed to do my very best in approaching and assisting all local government agencies, commissions, and citizens in working together to use available resources to help resolve any issues and obstacles presented during my time in office.

4. The first step in spurring economic growth is to support the existing businesses. Our support to our local businesses will ensure they remain within our county and prosper. As a whole, we have ample room for growth and expansion for current businesses, as well as new businesses.

Economics in any community takes a great deal of collaboration with others, especially with the citizens, county, and other agencies working as a whole. Therefore, I intend to fully support our existing businesses and any new business opportunities that present themselves with the desire to make a home in our community.

5. I have plans to propose a safety audit to legislation on our city streets and county roads, not only in the district, but throughout the county. Significant safety issues surround our children, our elderly, our walkers, our joggers, and our bikers.

I believe there are many areas of concern that could use the attention of proper caution signage, shoulder maintenance and structure, safer intersections, and speed limit reductions to protect all of them.