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Veda Ponikvar endorses Robinson in 5B special
Shelley Robinson earned a notable endorsement in the House 5B special election Thursday. Former Chisholm newspaper publisher and longtime Iron Range leader Veda Ponikvar offered her support to Robinson. From the campaign release: … Ponikvar reports that “for the past 20 years, Shelley Robinson has been a passionate advocate for the less fortunate among our…
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Primary drama, cold winds, hot Iron Range politics flood House 5B special
Open legislative seats on northern Minnesota’s Iron Range always attract drama, and not the sort of snappy, well-timed dialogue like you see in “The West Wing.” No, this drama is sometimes brutal, awkward, but extraordinarily rich, unflinchingly real, spanning generations like a great bridge. Today it begins anew. Seven candidates have filed for the special…
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Five DFLers, one Republican and one IP for Sertich seat special
The field is set. Five DFLers including Shelley Robinson, Carly Melin, Jeff Kletscher, Ray Pierce Jr., and the John Spanish will compete in a Feb. 1 primary election for State House District 5B. Republican Paul Jacobson and Independence Party candidate Cynthia Kafut Hagen will be waiting in the Feb. 15 general election for the DFL…
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Final day of filing for House 5B; full coverage of campaign at MinnesotaBrown
Today filings close on the Minnesota House of Representatives District 5B special election to replace former Rep. Tony Sertich (DFL-Chisholm) who is now Commissioner of Iron Range Resources. DFLers Jeff Kletscher, Carly Melin and Shelley Robinson are already in, along with Republican Paul Jacobson. I have heard from one candidate, DFLer Cynthia Kafut Hagen, who…
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Seeds of "military industrial complex" found in northern Minn. boat house
If you’re a fan of politics or history you might recall the legendary quote from President Dwight Eisenhower’s farewell address delivered 50 years ago today. The speech warned of the rise of a “military industrial complex” that would grow to drain our federal budget by entangling us in a series of nonstop overseas entanglements. Eisenhower’s…
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Jeff Kletscher adds name to DFL primary in 5B
Jeff Kletscher, entering his third fifth term mayor of Floodwood and current president of the League of Minnesota Small Cities, has joined the DFL primary fray in the House 5B special election. Kletscher has been in Floodwood city government for more than 18 years and works as a real estate broker after a career as…
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Paul Jacobson files as Republican for 5B special election
With DFLers Shelley Robinson and Carly Melin already in the race for the House District 5B Special Election, we now have a clearer picture who the primary winner will face in the general election. Republican Paul Jacobson filed today, resurrecting his unsuccessful campaign from last fall when he lost to former State. Rep. Tony Sertich,…
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DFLer Carly Melin will vie for 5B House seat
Carly Melin of Hibbing, an Iron Range attorney, is filing today for the open District 5B House of Representatives seat vacated by Rep. Tony Sertich, now Commissioner of the Iron Range Resources agency. Melin (pronounced Meh-leen) recently graduated from Hamline Law and now works for the Minnesota State Judiciary on the Range. She once worked…
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A heartfelt speech from Sertich
If you’re interested, check out the touching resignation speech from Rep. Tony Sertich (DFL-Chisholm), who stepped down today to start his new job as Commissioner of Iron Range Resources tomorrow. Related posts: No related posts.
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Filings for House 5B special election to open Friday, close Tuesday, Jan. 18.
Minnesota Secretary of State Mark Ritchie has officially posted the special election for House or Representatives District 5B, the seat vacated today by Rep. Tony Sertich (DFL-Chisholm). Filings open Friday, Jan. 14 and close Tuesday, Jan. 18 at 5 p.m. Information on how to file and the list of candidates who filed so far may…
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Shelley Robinson first to announce for 5B seat
Shelley Robinson becomes the first candidate to announce for the House District 5B seat being vacated by Rep. Tony Sertich (DFL-Chisholm). Her statement, made both here and on her Facebook page, is this: Shelley Robinson is announcing her candidacy for MN House District 5B seat vacated by Tony Sertich. Shelley is the Executive Director of…
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Tony Sertich and the seachange on the Iron Range
As previously reported, Rep. Tony Sertich (DFL-Chisholm) will resign Thursday to take his new position as commissioner of the unique state agency Iron Range Resources. This agency overseas the tax revenue paid by mining companies in lieu of local property taxes. Though much maligned by foes, both of the informed and uninformed variety, IRR remains…
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Dayton officially announces Sertich pick at IRR
And it’s official. More on the way. Governor Dayton Announces Representative Tony Sertich to Head Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board Dayton, Sertich committed to economic development in Northern Minnesota St. Paul— Governor Mark Dayton today announced the appointment of Representative Tony Sertich as Commissioner of the Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board (IRRRB). Sertich,…
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Sertich to be next Iron Range Resources Commissioner
The Mesabi Daily News is reporting something that’s been in the rumor mill around the Iron Range for weeks. Gov. Mark Dayton will appoint Rep. Tony Sertich to be the next commissioner of Iron Range Resources on Tuesday. Wisely, the MDN was granted an exclusive here. Later on Tuesday I’ll elaborate on the three big…
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MPR: "Iron Range needs answers more nuanced than ‘jobs, jobs, jobs’"
Minnesota Public Radio published my commentary piece today entitled “The Iron Range needs answers more nuanced than ‘jobs, jobs, jobs.’” This is the second one and I think I’m going to try a few more because we all know what starts happening after the third date, am I right? This piece strikes at some of…