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Serving Northern St. Louis County, Minnesota

Four on the ballot for two supervisor seats in Greenwood

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Editor's note: This version of the story has been corrected to note the correct face-offs in the upcoming township election on March 10.

GREENWOOD TWP- Fire Department issues and township spending are two issues at the forefront in the upcoming township election in Greenwood Township.

While Breitung and Vermilion Lake have all uncontested seats on the ballot, Greenwood voters will have a choice for the two open supervisor seats.

One-term veteran Don Doroff is seeking re-election, but is facing a challenge from John Bassing, who unsuccessfully ran in a three-way race won by Rick Worringer last year.

Jeff Maus, who had his first run for office last year, losing to Gene Baland, is facing newcomer John Milbridge for the seat now held by Chairman Tom Aro, who is not running for re-election.

Jeff Maus

Jeff Maus is likely the most controversial candidate on the ballot. A vocal township resident who has been regularly attending town board meetings for years, Maus has been an outspoken critic of certain township policies and of recent changes in the management of the fire department.

“The township needs a change,” he said. “We need more transparency, accountability, and we need to listen to our residents.”

Maus has been verbally attacked by current members of the town board for his decision to file a formal complaint with OSHA, relating to safety issues in the fire department.

“I had brought up concerns about safety within the department,” he said, “and then had actions taken against me.”

Maus, a department member since 2006, was summarily stripped of his duties as one of the department’s captains (a paid volunteer position) during a May 2014 meeting when newly-installed Fire Chief Dave Fazio, who had recently undergone a closed session performance review by the board, said he wished to reorganize the department. In a move that surprised both fire department members and residents, he stated his wish to remove the current department leadership, including the assistant chief, safety officer, captain, and lieutenant - and the request was approved without any discussion by the board.

Maus noted that the OSHA discrimination complaint process was still underway, and that the reason for the complaint was simply to make sure the department was being operated with the safety of the fire fighters and the public as the primary focus.

“We lost a lot of experience with the actions of the current town board,” he said. “We lost a core of experienced members.”

Maus would also like to see the township’s levy decreased, and the township’s reserve fund brought down to the level recommended by the Minnesota Association of Townships, which is around 50 percent of annual spending. He noted the township doesn’t have any liabilities which would require holding over a million dollars in reserve.

“We have insurance on our structures and our equipment,” he said. “And our staff is covered by workmen’s compensation insurance.”

“We need to look at township spending,” he said. “The people need to be heard and the levy needs to be appropriate for our needs.”

Maus has also raised questions on the amount of actual township revenue. He noted the township budget presentations include the levy amount and spending, but fail to account for other sources of township revenue, which at times is significant.

“I want to see more transparency in accounting,” he said. “We need to look at the tax levy amount, amount spent, and total receipts.”

“I believe in the township,” he said.

Maus owns his own construction business. He lives with his wife Carol and twin ten-year old daughters Cassandra and Allison. The couple bought their home 17 years ago and moved to the lake full-time in 2004.

As a licensed home builder, Maus said he has a vested interest in the growth and future of Greenwood Township. He also has working knowledge of zoning laws, budgeting and fiscal responsibility- all things he would put to use as a town board member.

Don Doroff

Don Doroff has served one three-year term on the board.

“I would like to continue to work for the residents insuring a fair and responsible government,” he said.

Doroff said he has been a strong supporter of the re-growth of the fire department and First Responders.

“I am proud to say that with the support of the town board and the work of our Fire Chief Dave Fazio, the fire department has experienced personnel growth in both fire fighter and First Responders.”

He noted the fire department has retained its insurance rating of seven, which confers savings for residents’ homeowners insurance.

“This is the highest rating a department like this can be awarded,” he said.

Doroff grew up in Cook. He and his wife Toni have lived in Greenwood the last 23 years. His background is in transportation, and he has worked as a tax preparation consultant, as well as a bus, limousine and snow plow driver.

“I would like to continue to work to insure fair and responsible government,” he said.

John Bassing

John Bassing is taking his second stab at holding a township office. He is still working as a part-time dentist at the Virginia-based office now run by his wife JoAnne, also a dentist.

Bassing has also been a regular at town board meetings, as well as zoning meetings, for several years.

“We can do much better,” he said, “with both policy and procedures.”

“We need to bring the township reserves down,” he said, “to about what the township spends in a year.”

He feels there are many places where township spending can be reduced.

“I would like to have St. Louis County take over our planning and zoning,” he said. “Our tax dollars are already supporting that department.”

Bassing wants to make sure that town board members understand the limits of their authority.

“The board has the authority to make decisions,” he said. “Bad decisions get made when township officials do not know what their authority is.”

Bassing was upset by the recent decision by Supervisor Gene Baland to have the township attorney draw up an easement for a secondary access to the township property, and then have the contractor hired to do site prep for the new tennis court rough out an access. All the work was done without any discussion by the town board.

Bassing has also criticized the town board for not following Minnesota’s Open Meeting Law.

“I don’t think we respect the law,” he said. “They are just paying it lip service.”

Bassing noted that the town board-appointed committee, for the new comprehensive plan, was holding their first meeting on Feb. 18.

“They have not posted a notice,” he said. “It should be posted.”

When the issue of un-posted committee meetings was raised last December, Town Board Chair Tom Aro said that in the future, all township committee meetings would be posted. The new comprehensive plan committee, which was appointed by the board at their February meeting, is a township committee, and should fall under the posting requirements. He noted that other township residents, including current members of the two planning and zoning committees, have expressed interest in observing the process.

Bassing also faulted current town board members for failing to attend the local Board of Appeal meeting, thus taking away local control over the process for the upcoming year.

“I think it is the mission of the board to conduct township business that is rooted in citizen involvement and that provides quality services in a cost-effective manner,” he said. “That is where I want to get this township. I want everybody’s voice to be heard, and to be heard equally.”

Bassing and his wife JoAnne have lived in the township for 35 years while operating their dental office in Virginia.

“I understand the issues facing the township,” he said.

John Milbridge

John Milbridge grew up in Soudan, graduated from Tower-Soudan High School, but left the area while serving in the Army as a medic, and then as a registered nurse. He and his wife Laurie settled in California, but moved back to Minnesota after John retired from 30 years working in the nursing profession.

Milbridge moved back to Greenwood Township full-time in 2013.

Since moving back Milbridge has become an active member of the VFW Post in Cook, serving as the post’s auditor and as a member of the Honor Guard.

“I started coming to town board meetings,” he said. “They are very spirited. It is democracy in its rawest form.” Milbridge is also serving on the township’s Board of Adjustment.

“We need to develop a more respectful format where people can be heard but the town board can still do its business,” he said.

Milbridge joined the fire department and was trained as a First Responder. He has served in both positions for the past year.

Milbridge would like to see the township develop a small-business friendly environment so businesses like BayView could thrive, he said.

He would like to see the town board adopt a “common sense” budget that takes into consideration the previous years’ spending while putting aside prudent reserves for unforeseen events, as well as having funds for future road repair costs.

“I believe both the fire department and EMS are well-equipped and well-maintained,” he said. “I don’t anticipate any major expenditures.”

After surviving their first winter together in Minnesota, with a cold snap that tested the limits of even die-hard locals, Milbridge is looking forward to settling in with their three new Chihuahua puppies, while Laurie, a veteran teacher, works on her PhD in Educational Administration through an online university.

Greenwood Township