I first started at the Bemidji (Minn.) Pioneer as an intern in the summer of 1996. That would begin six years as a news reporter, sports reporter and copy editor for a small, six-day-per-week daily newspaper in northern Minnesota. I wrote a large range of stories from multiple beats, to features to sports, my favorite being the coverage of the Red Lake Reservation High School basketball team named the Warriors. Here is a collection of my stories from my time at the Pioneer.
Jan. 5, 1997
By Devlyn Brooks
Staff Writer
Shortly after noon Wednesday, Gail Skare of Bemidji was no longer a Beltrami County commissioner. Shortly after noon this Tuesday, Skare will take an oath to serve as a legislator for the Minnesota House's District 4A, which includes the southern part of Beltrami and northern part of Hubbard counties.
Skare, who served as a county commissioner for 10 years, will be entering state-level politics for the first time after winning the Nov 5 general election by fewer than 400 votes.
Pushed by a desire to better the relationship between state and local government and to distribute state resources more equitably among local communities, Skare said she is ready for the challenge.
In a ceremony riddled with pomp and circumstance Tuesday, Secretary of State Joan Growe, who will preside over the House until the speaker is elected, will convene the 1997 House session. She will call the House to order, and a roll call of legislators by district will be taken.
All 134 newly elected members will take an oath of office, and another roll call will be taken, alphabetically.
An election of officers will follow, including the speaker, majority and minority leaders and other assorted House officials. The speaker will then displace Growe as chair, and the delegates will officially lay claim to the desk they will use for the session. Afterward, a reception for delegates and their families will take place.
And that is how Skare will enter the House.
The fun is soon over, and Wednesday the work begins for Rep. Skare, DFL-Bemidji, who will be in session until late May. The work does not stop in May either, because in the interim she has DFL caucus and House committee meetings to attend.
Skare admits the job seems daunting and will be a change from her county government experience.
"I have very mixed emotions about leaving the County Board," Skare said, "but I'm also excited about serving as a state legislator. I've gotten to know the (county" staff really well, and I liked working with them. They were an excellent staff."
She said she will also miss the teamwork that has developed among all county employees and the County Board.
"I'm proud of the direction the county has taken," she said. "I have a little bit of regret about leaving the county. ... I've been there a long time."
Since the election, Skare said she has taken several trips to St. Paul to attend orientation meetings to learn about the services provided for legislators; to attend DFL caucus meetings concerning DFL business; and to fill out paperwork for parking, security and staff payroll. She's also been busy meeting with various organizations, from the area which want to establish a working relationship.
Skare said she would like to be realistic in her goals, as she is just a freshman representative, but it does not mean that she will be timid in representing her district.
As she said during her campaign, Skare would like to see the state give more "flexibility or latitude" to local governments in how they execute state mandates.
"There is too much time spent at the local level in paperwork," she said. "Consequently, there is too much time spent at the state level tracking the paperwork."
For example, she said the original 1991 wetlands act required those working in a wetland to show paperwork to about seven different agencies. It has been decreased to three agencies since that time, but Skare is still unhappy with such instances.
"Those kinds of things are crazy," she said. "When you have seven different agencies to report to, that is seven different agencies that have to process the paperwork. I don't know if that is going to be an easy accomplishment, but the message (about people wanting more efficient government) is beginning to come through."
Another task Skare said she would tackle is the preservation of Homestead Agricultural Credit Aid, a form of state aid to local governments. She said HACA is an important asset to local governments because the money can be spent at the local bodies' discretion.
"I would like to make it fairer for all counties. Currently, the HACA formula is based on the wealth of a community, not the need," she said. "Beltrami County receives under a dollar per capita in HACA, but other counties receive more than $100 per capita. That's unfair."
Other concerns will be trying to restore money that has been cut from K-12 education, increasing funding for Minnesota's higher education, and discontinuing classification breaks in state laws.
"I know going in as a freshman it is going to be difficult just to learn the ropes. So I don't want to get hung up on the idea that I have to carry a bill this first session," she said. "I want to work with these different communities, groups and legislators, and tell them what I learned as a local official."
Comments