Steve Bradach

Sue Drobac

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GREENWOOD TWP— Voters in Greenwood will have a clear choice on March 11 between former clerk and supervisor Sue Drobac and Steve Bradach, who brings years of experience in city government before moving to the township full-time four years ago. The Timberjay spoke to both candidates and here is what they had to say.
Sue Drobac
Drobac served as town clerk until she resigned the position in 2020 after the town board reduced the position’s hours and salary. She then ran for and won a seat on the town board in March of 2021, but lost in 2024 by a sizable margin to newcomer Lois Roskoski.
Drobac is adamant that giving away the right to vote for clerk and treasurer is a mistake.
“Please vote no on Option B,” she said. “This option has failed twice previously. We should not have these positions controlled by the board. They should be controlled by the residents through a voting process.”
She also said the Board of Audit process needs to be corrected.
“When I was on the board, this was always done in a short meeting,” she said. The current town board failed to approve the Board of Audit at their Feb. 11 meeting and must come to a conclusion prior to the annual meeting on March 11.
Drobac said her time on the board often meant making difficult decisions.
“We had to go through some very tough, but necessary, steps to make the fire department a better environment,” she said. “We had only a few dedicated people on the department who were going on calls. Also, the fire department equipment was in disrepair, which we were able to rectify.”
Drobac said she would like to keep the levy lower than the current board’s levy request for $300,000.
“I believe the levy is way above what it should be,” she said. “This money is from the residents and should be spent with the voting residents in mind.”
While serving previously on the board, Drobac worked on the township’s broadband access issue, tried to improve the ambulance service to include ALS-level care, and worked to support the fire department after the majority of members quit after the department leadership was fired by the town board.
“I would also like to remind residents to go with your own mind in deciding who to vote for in March,” she said. “Don’t let others influence your thinking.”
Steve Bradach
Steve Bradach is a relatively new full-time resident in Greenwood but spent most of his summers as a kid at his grandparents’ cabin on Birch Point. He worked at the Vermilion Club while in college, and shortly after graduating from college used a small inheritance to buy a lot on Isle of Pines.
“My grandfather loved the fish,” he said, “and that’s where I got my addiction – fishing.”
“I couldn’t afford a cabin,” he said. “But I knew I wanted to retire here.”
Several of his siblings and other relatives also own property on the lake.
Bradach’s background includes engineering, construction, realty, government, and retail.
“I’ve always been entrepreneurial,” he said.
Currently Bradach is self-employed, working part-time at Vermilion Land Office as a licensed realtor, doing interior remodeling, and selling outdoor equipment like ice houses through his Vermilion Outdoor Products business.
His has a degree in civil engineering, and he has a master’s in occupational health and safety. He served as the mayor in Biwabik, but after taking a job as a staffer for U.S. Senator Mark Dayton, he moved to a city council position there, which he then resigned when he moved to Lake Vermilion full-time.
Bradach’s wife, who is from Kentucky, is an instructor at Minnesota North, teaching the certified nursing assistant classes in Eveleth and doing outreach throughout the area. She is set to retire this spring. The family has three grown children and four grandchildren.
Bradach said he never intended to become involved in local Greenwood politics, but when he saw the infighting on the board, he decided to run.
“I was a little unsatisfied with the inability of everyone to work together,” he said. “I am hoping to have some unity for once, even if we disagree.”
“We have to learn to compromise,” he said. “If I couldn’t compromise, I wouldn’t have stayed married for over 30 years so far. You need to learn to pick your battles.”
Bradach would like to see the board solve the arsenic water filtration issue.
“I know not many townships provide water,” he said. “But we need to figure out how to make it safe, or else turn it off.”
He also would like to see the town hall kitchen renovated and used again for community gatherings and fundraisers like the spaghetti feeds sponsored by the fire department auxiliary.
He is happy to see the recreation improvements at the town hall, even though he has yet to try pickleball.
Bradach also wants to show continued support for the fire department, as well as for the Tower Ambulance Service.
“If we are utilizing Tower’s ambulance, we need to contribute,” he said, noting he had personally needed that service when he had an accident falling off a high ladder.
Bradach is hoping to see Option B passed by voters.
“I don’t believe it takes away people’s right to vote,” he said. “It puts a burden on the board to hire qualified people… hopefully it won’t become political again.”
Bradach noted that the current system is not working for the betterment of the township.
“I don’t like that these people (clerk and treasurer) feel like they don’t have to comply with the board because they were elected,” he said.
Bradach said he would like to see more details about township spending and reserves discussed at meetings.
“We need to show what services you are getting for your money,” he said. “And we need to set aside money for future capital improvements. We can’t just spend all of our reserves. We need that for cash flow.”
“We need to let people know why we need these reserves,” he said. “We need to decide what we really need.”