North Shore Hwy 61

Grand Marais mayor Sue Hakes will not be running for re-election this year. Instead she is challenging longtime incumbent Bob Fenwick for his seat on the Cook County Board of Commissioners.

“I think the county board needs a fresh approach,” says Hakes.

She believes the county should hire an administrator—whose salary is at least partly paid for with a 25 percent pay cut for county commissioners. Then, when the commissioners have an administrator to handle day-to-day administrative tasks, the County Board could focus on strategic planning to set goals and priorities for county government.

Citing her present elected position as mayor, Hakes believes she is uniquely suited to improve relations between the county and the city, as well as build a better partnership between those two entities and the Economic Development Authority (EDA).

“There are so many things we (county and city) are fighting over. Instead let’s figure out what makes sense for the community and the public,” she said.

As for the EDA, she said: “It needs to work better than it is. I foresee changes, because it can’t keep going the way it is going.”

Hakes says as commissioner she would take a hard look at the county’s dscretionary spending and managing the budget to avoid cutting services or jobs. She would also look into current issues as the subdivision ordinance, calling it “ambiguous,” and the developing septic ordinance, which she fears may have negative effects on homeowners who cannot afford an ordinance-required septic upgrade.

“The ordinance needs to be reasonable for the homeowner and protect the environment,” she said.