The six candidates vying for the District 1 Lake County Commissioner’s seat met before a full house at the Claire Nelson Community Center in Finland on Tuesday, July 25th. The gathering gave attendees an opportunity to hear each of the candidate’s ideas on a number of important issues.
The candidates; Joe Baltich, Paul Hartshorn, Colby Abazs, Mark Haarmon, Jack Nelson and Steve Marolt responded to questions on the following topics.
- What are your top priorities if chosen to represent District 1 and how will you address those priorities?
- What is your plan to communicate with constituents and keep them informed?
- How do you plan to represent the entire district?
- Do you have a plan to increase housing and relieve the property tax burden?
- How do you plan to address necessary services to provide for public safety?
- What plans do you have for dealing with issues related to trash collection and recycling?
The forum was moderated by Dan Cahill Mathews. The candidates were given time to respond to each question with an additional thirty seconds to either add to their comments or rebut their opponents. The questions were well chosen and each participant had the opportunity to talk in some detail about their approach to addressing critical issues that Lake County and District 1 are facing.
Each candidate expressed the importance of being accessible to voters and commented on the need for the open exchange of ideas between the public and elected officials. Themes that continually came up over the course of the evening included the need for employment opportunities and affordable housing to attract new residents and help younger community members see a viable future for staying in the community. Tax relief, protecting the environment, providing broadband service throughout the county, and keeping the police, fire and rescue services fully funded and staffed were also addressed.
All of the candidates have deep roots in the area and diverse backgrounds as business owners, veterans, former local office holders, and community activists. They each have a strong commitment to public service and a desire to address the many issues that will help bring vibrancy to District 1 and to the County. As residents of Lake County, your engagement is also needed. Two Harbors Community Television was on hand to record the proceedings and the forum in its entirety can be viewed on their website (https://reflect-two-harbors.cablecast.tv/CablecastPublicSite/show/6513?channel=1).
The candidates face a primary election on August 8th with the top two candidates advancing to the general election on November 7th.
