Our view / endorsement: Scaia has expertise county needs now

About this: This endorsement was determined entirely by the News Tribune editorial board. With health and human services such a pressing issue right now in St. Louis County - especially the need to protect children who are in danger of being harmed in their own homes - Iron Range voters in District 7 can help by electing Melissa Scaia on Nov. 8 to the County Board.
Scaia is executive director of the nonprofit Domestic Abuse Intervention Program, which is internationally known for its “Duluth Model,” an oft-emulated community approach to combating domestic violence by both holding offenders accountable and seeking help for victims. Scaia, of Hibbing, also was director of Advocates for Family Peace, another domestic violence program. If elected, she’s ready to put her vast expertise and knowledge of this sometimes life-or-death issue, as well as her proven leadership skills, to work full-time for the county, for constituents and for those who are vulnerable and in real need of help now.“I’ve been an advocate for years, and I’m at the point in my life where I feel like I can’t not run, honestly. I just feel that compelled to do it,” Scaia said before the primary in an interview with the News Tribune editorial board. “For me this is the next step in my advocacy work. … My priorities would always be people over bricks. The thing about county government is that, you know, it interacts the most with people. It’s not bureaucrats talking to bureaucrats who then work with people; it’s the people who work with the people: veterans services, social services, county sheriff, the jail … probation, corrections, the roads and bridges.”Scaia’s competition Nov. 8 is Chisholm Mayor Michael Jugovich, who brings a different expertise. He’s a bit of a budget and numbers geek, he said.“Something I’ve had a lot of experience with is working with budgets, with roads, streets. We have bridges. We do all these things that actually will play well with the county,” Jugovich said in a separate interview with editorial board members, also before the primary. “This is a great opportunity for me to expand on what I do.”As impressive as Jugovich’s experience is - he has been mayor 10 years and was a city councilor six years before that - health and human services is a far more pressing issue. In June, the county’s human services director quit, in part, because he felt that investments in his staff were inadequate. In August, county social services workers demonstrated to bring attention to the same issue. Unmet needs in social services are promising a property tax increase for 2017. That’s where Scaia, a policy analyst with a bachelor’s degree in government and a master’s in public administration, can make a real difference. It’s where she holds the edge this election. She’s even well-versed with Iron Range politics after serving as campaign manager for state Sen. David Tomassoni, DFL-Chisholm.“I really, really love my community, and I have a lot of experience in policy. I’m very analytical in my approach. I’ve had some amazing teachers in that regard,” Scaia said. “The bottom line is that this position needs someone who’s analytical. And darn it, it’s time for a woman, too. Frankly, it’s a little embarrassing there are no women (on the County Board). A little bit of diversity in gender would serve us well.”Scaia and Jugovich are vying to replace Commissioner Steve Raukar, who decided not to seek re-election after 28 years in office. Raukar’s pick to replace him in District 7, which covers much of the southwestern corner of the county, including Floodwood, Chisholm and Hibbing: It’s Scaia, he announced before the primary.“One stands out,” Raukar wrote in a letter to the News Tribune in August. “She has earned the respect of her colleagues as a caring, compassionate and tenacious advocate for people. … Scaia has the professional and life experience, coupled with a can-do spirit, to represent all citizens fairly, honestly and equitably.”Especially those citizens who are most vulnerable and most in need of a champion. They need Scaia’s help now as the county works to get its arms around increasing problems related to mental health, substance abuse, out-of-home placement, child protection and more.About this: This endorsement was determined entirely by the News Tribune editorial board.With health and human services such a pressing issue right now in St. Louis County - especially the need to protect children who are in danger of being harmed in their own homes - Iron Range voters in District 7 can help by electing Melissa Scaia on Nov. 8 to the County Board.
Scaia is executive director of the nonprofit Domestic Abuse Intervention Program, which is internationally known for its “Duluth Model,” an oft-emulated community approach to combating domestic violence by both holding offenders accountable and seeking help for victims. Scaia, of Hibbing, also was director of Advocates for Family Peace, another domestic violence program. If elected, she’s ready to put her vast expertise and knowledge of this sometimes life-or-death issue, as well as her proven leadership skills, to work full-time for the county, for constituents and for those who are vulnerable and in real need of help now.“I’ve been an advocate for years, and I’m at the point in my life where I feel like I can’t not run, honestly. I just feel that compelled to do it,” Scaia said before the primary in an interview with the News Tribune editorial board. “For me this is the next step in my advocacy work. … My priorities would always be people over bricks. The thing about county government is that, you know, it interacts the most with people. It’s not bureaucrats talking to bureaucrats who then work with people; it’s the people who work with the people: veterans services, social services, county sheriff, the jail … probation, corrections, the roads and bridges.”Scaia’s competition Nov. 8 is Chisholm Mayor Michael Jugovich, who brings a different expertise. He’s a bit of a budget and numbers geek, he said.“Something I’ve had a lot of experience with is working with budgets, with roads, streets. We have bridges. We do all these things that actually will play well with the county,” Jugovich said in a separate interview with editorial board members, also before the primary. “This is a great opportunity for me to expand on what I do.”As impressive as Jugovich’s experience is - he has been mayor 10 years and was a city councilor six years before that - health and human services is a far more pressing issue. In June, the county’s human services director quit, in part, because he felt that investments in his staff were inadequate. In August, county social services workers demonstrated to bring attention to the same issue. Unmet needs in social services are promising a property tax increase for 2017. That’s where Scaia, a policy analyst with a bachelor’s degree in government and a master’s in public administration, can make a real difference. It’s where she holds the edge this election. She’s even well-versed with Iron Range politics after serving as campaign manager for state Sen. David Tomassoni, DFL-Chisholm.“I really, really love my community, and I have a lot of experience in policy. I’m very analytical in my approach. I’ve had some amazing teachers in that regard,” Scaia said. “The bottom line is that this position needs someone who’s analytical. And darn it, it’s time for a woman, too. Frankly, it’s a little embarrassing there are no women (on the County Board). A little bit of diversity in gender would serve us well.”Scaia and Jugovich are vying to replace Commissioner Steve Raukar, who decided not to seek re-election after 28 years in office. Raukar’s pick to replace him in District 7, which covers much of the southwestern corner of the county, including Floodwood, Chisholm and Hibbing: It’s Scaia, he announced before the primary.“One stands out,” Raukar wrote in a letter to the News Tribune in August. “She has earned the respect of her colleagues as a caring, compassionate and tenacious advocate for people. … Scaia has the professional and life experience, coupled with a can-do spirit, to represent all citizens fairly, honestly and equitably.”Especially those citizens who are most vulnerable and most in need of a champion. They need Scaia’s help now as the county works to get its arms around increasing problems related to mental health, substance abuse, out-of-home placement, child protection and more.