Wrenshall 2024 Election Guide

KAXE contacted every candidate twice using contact information submitted to the Secretary of State's Office to invite them to participate in our Election Guide.

Candidate responses have not been edited and are published as submitted.

As necessary, our news team added contextual information clearly marked with an "editor's note" and in italics, though responses have not been uniformly fact-checked. With our small team of three, we are unable to proactively fact check every statement made by candidates. But we will make every effort to make note of inaccuracies if they come to our attention.

Please contact our news team at news@kaxe.org with questions or comments or to report any errors.

KAXE's Election Guide only includes candidates in contested races. Visit our full list of who's running for office in Northern Minnesota to see who else is on the ballot.

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Incumbent: No

KAXE did not receive a response from this candidate.

Contributed

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Gary Butala

Incumbent: Yes
Age on Election Day: 68

Where are you currently employed, and what is your role?
I worked at United Taconite as an equipment operator for 47 years

Please share any prior experience that you believe qualifies you for office.
I’ve been involved with city politics being on the city council and serving the last 4 years as mayor. I feel I’m more than experienced with city finances and budgets

Please describe the roles and responsibilities of the office you are running for.
The role of the mayor is to help finance and budget the city services that are provided for the citizens and to make sure that you listen to citizens concerns and make decisions based on the need and viability of the actions necessary but being fiscally responsible along with the health and safety of the residents.

Why are you running for office?
I’m running for office as I feel to finish some goals that the city and council have started and my aim to improve and make residents to be a part of the goals we are trying to achieve to make everyone proud to be a citizen of this community

What are your priorities, if elected? Please describe specific policy goals.
My priorities are to make the necessary approvements to make sure that the citizens here and the ones moving in to have city services that they deserve without trying to raise taxes to do it. Our infrastructure needs repairs as it is aging and needs to be done before it gets too costly. I feel I have the city going in the right direction

Across the region, renters and owners are struggling to afford housing. If elected, what would you do to address the issues of availability and affordability for your constituents?
We as a city council have made things more affordable to build in our community which has been happening with all the new houses being built in the last 2 21/2 years

What effective policies will you support that will prepare your city now, next year and in the future to improve resiliency against climate change?
I will support any policy and changes that are brought forward not impacting the residents financially. Climate change is a big issue that impact everyone whether they believe it or not. But the changes have to be realistic and affordable to not harm cities budgets which is always a big concern. Where will the money come from and how much

High taxation is a concern for many Northern Minnesotans. Please share any specific opinions you hold related to taxation, and how you plan to ensure tax dollars are used efficiently and effectively.
Yes high taxation is a real concern for many including our city portion. People don’t realize that the city portions of their taxes don’t go to the city. The value portion of taxes that we pay on the increase in property tax value on market values according to the State of Mn. Market values have increased. The taxes paid the largest share of your taxes paid go to the County which is about 30% and School Districts 27%
We as a Council have budget meetings to go over where are the areas most needed fiscally and the services we provide. We need to set levies every year on our basic services that we provide to make sure we have enough in the funds budgeted to keep the services viable and extra to keep in the funds in case of emergencies that may arise for making any necessary repairs to keep it from a real costly repair. I don’t like raising the levy but at times it is very necessary as things have gotten more expensive.

How do you plan to improve transparency and trust in government?
I hope to have people trust our and my decisions based on needs. My phone is always available and I’m always willing to listen to residents concerns. We are elected by the people to represent and listen to the people. My philosophy is not to spend money until the city plans for it and has it . The residents are not in the business of loaning morey (by the way of tax increases to pay for actions desired by some.
I am very familiar with how City Government works as I have attended almost every meeting and special meetings since moving here over 20 years ago.
I believe I’m the right person for Mayor. On November 5th I would appreciate your vote to keep the City moving in the right direction

Incumbent: No

KAXE did not receive a response from this candidate.

Incumbent: Yes

KAXE did not receive a response from this candidate.

Contributed

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Steve Studniski/Jeff Frey 218-722-6630 freyphoto

Incumbent: No
Age on Election Day: 56

Where are you currently employed, and what is your role?
Sappi North America

Please share any prior experience that you believe qualifies you for office.
I am currently employed at Sappi Paper in Cloquet as a Maintenance Superintendent. I have been in a leadership role for the last 16 years.

Please describe the roles and responsibilities of the office you are running for.
Provide a voice for the people

Why are you running for office?
My wife and I have attended several city council meetings and we often find ourselves frustrated with how our tax dollars are being spent. I also think more effort could be made to highlight our community in a positive way to bring in new families and possible more businesses. I see a lot of opportunity for growth.

What are your priorities, if elected? Please describe specific policy goals.
Create a community that welcomes new family and businesses

Across the region, renters and owners are struggling to afford housing. If elected, what would you do to address the issues of availability and affordability for your constituents?
If possible lower the fees the city charges to build

What effective policies will you support that will prepare your city now, next year and in the future to improve resiliency against climate change?
Support the businesses in becoming compliant if not already

High taxation is a concern for many Northern Minnesotans. Please share any specific opinions you hold related to taxation, and how you plan to ensure tax dollars are used efficiently and effectively.
I can say I can lower taxes but we need to address the wasted public money

How do you plan to improve transparency and trust in government?
Everything out in the open no special meetings while the public is at work

Incumbent: No

KAXE did not receive a response from this candidate.

Contributed

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Sabrina Weber

Incumbent: No
Age on Election Day: 44

Where are you currently employed, and what is your role?
Cenovus Energy, Rail and Terminal Operations Assistant

Please share any prior experience that you believe qualifies you for office.
As a Rail and Terminal Operations Assistant, I work primarily behind the scenes to keep operations going, and making sure issues are resolved in a timely manner with the proper tools and people. I also serve the City of Wrenshall as a member of the Fire Department as an Emergency Medical Technician and Fire Fighter.

Please describe the roles and responsibilities of the office you are running for.
Ensuring the proper operation of the City of Wrenshall, enforcing necessary ordinances, maintaining expenses within budget, and ensuring the safety of the residents and all who pass through.

Why are you running for office?
I would like to see more transparency from the city council along with making sure that all residents and businesses are being treated fairly.

What are your priorities, if elected? Please describe specific policy goals.
I would like to be able to have transparency where residents and business owners feel comfortable enough to approach the city council and ask questions about current issues and not be given the go-around.

Across the region, renters and owners are struggling to afford housing. If elected, what would you do to address the issues of availability and affordability for your constituents?
I would make sure property values are aligned with nearby communities and offer literature to people about social programs that may be able to help.

What effective policies will you support that will prepare your city now, next year and in the future to improve resiliency against climate change?
I will support policies that make sense for our community as a whole.

High taxation is a concern for many Northern Minnesotans. Please share any specific opinions you hold related to taxation, and how you plan to ensure tax dollars are used efficiently and effectively.
I would make sure that the items in our yearly budget make sense and that there is steady progress on any projects that are in the works. Our tax dollars are the main source of income for our community and the things we do, so being smart about how the money is being spent is crucial.

How do you plan to improve transparency and trust in government?
I plan on being open and honest with the public. I would like for the community to feel comfortable with coming to the council with their concerns with what they see. If a question is asked, I will make sure there is an answer for that individual in a timely manner, if one cannot be provided on the spot.

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Still have questions for the candidates? Contact information for all those who've filed to run for office can be found at candidates.sos.state.mn.us.