Our view / endorsements: Pick Scaia and Jugovich to advance to Nov. 8

They’re both in positions of leadership already and see their election to the St. Louis County Board as a next natural step in fulfilling desires to give back to their communities and to make their corners of the Northland better places.Chisholm Mayor Michael Jugovich and Hibbing’s Melissa Scaia, the executive director of the internationally known Domestic Abuse Intervention Program, are voters’ best choices to emerge from a field of four and to advance from the Aug. 9 primary election to Election Day on Nov. 8. They can square off to replace County Commissioner Steve Raukar, who’s stepping down after 28 years as representative of District 7, which covers much of the southwestern corner of the county, including Floodwood, Chisholm and Hibbing.
Jugovich can bring to the county the same strong voice that has marked his nearly 10 years as mayor and six years as city councilor. He’s also chairman of the Central Iron Range Sanitary Sewer District and of the Chisholm Economic Development Authority. He has overseen budgets as big as $8 million, he said, and is a bit of a numbers geek. Late at night, when no one else is there, he sometimes sits in City Hall poring over budgets, looking for efficiencies, finding waste.“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. I have the experience,” Jugovich said in a screening interview with the News Tribune editorial board.“I’d like to represent a broader base,” he said of his decision now to run for County Board. “This is a great opportunity for me to expand on what I do.”Middle-of-the-road politically, part of what he always tries to do is compromise, he said.“I do believe that the only way we get anywhere is by working together,” Jugovich said.His priorities include continuing the county’s work to repair roads and bridges and directing more money to health and human services, where social workers are overloaded.“I’ve talked to the social workers. I’ve spoken to supervisors and other people,” Jugovich said. “Their caseloads have increased dramatically. So, in all honesty, how do you service all these people and not have people slip through the cracks? That’s a priority. … The caseloads have increased; the dollars don’t seem to have gone with it.” [[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"2687210","attributes":{"alt":"Melissa Scaia","class":"media-image","height":"467","title":"Melissa Scaia","typeof":"foaf:Image","width":"333"}}]] Scaia knows more than a bit about the needs of social services, the county’s most-spent-on department, after a career in social justice, human services and public safety. Her nonprofit Domestic Abuse Intervention Program 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 also was director of Advocates for Family Peace, a domestic violence program. If elected, county commissioner would become her No. 1 job, she said, though she’d continue to do training and consulting around the globe.“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 told the editorial board. “For me this is the next step in my advocacy work.”With a bachelor’s degree in government and a master’s in public administration in addition to her impressive professional experience, Scaia has a lot to bring to the County Board. Politically, she has been the longtime campaign manager for state Sen. David Tomassoni, DFL-Chisholm.“My priorities would always be people over bricks,” Scaia said. “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.“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. 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.”Chisholm City Councilor Mary Jo Rahja is another candidate whose name will be on the primary ballot next month. She didn’t respond to invitations to meet with the editorial board, leaving the board unable to consider her candidacy. The final candidate is Hibbing School Board member Jeff Polcher, a former steelworker who has worked for the county 28 years as a child abuse investigator and in mental health. For the past two years he has been part of a team of social workers taking on heroin and opioid abuse in St. Louis County.“I come from a family of human service providers,” Polcher said. “I want to be on the other side, where the decisions are made, funding, how many staff, how many assigned to project. What other methods can we try? We have to start … to do something different (to combat drug problems) because right now what we’re doing isn’t working.”They’re both in positions of leadership already and see their election to the St. Louis County Board as a next natural step in fulfilling desires to give back to their communities and to make their corners of the Northland better places.Chisholm Mayor Michael Jugovich and Hibbing’s Melissa Scaia, the executive director of the internationally known Domestic Abuse Intervention Program, are voters’ best choices to emerge from a field of four and to advance from the Aug. 9 primary election to Election Day on Nov. 8. They can square off to replace County Commissioner Steve Raukar, who’s stepping down after 28 years as representative of District 7, which covers much of the southwestern corner of the county, including Floodwood, Chisholm and Hibbing. [[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"2687204","attributes":{"alt":"Michael Jugovich ","class":"media-image","height":"467","title":"Michael Jugovich ","typeof":"foaf:Image","width":"333"}}]] Jugovich can bring to the county the same strong voice that has marked his nearly 10 years as mayor and six years as city councilor. He’s also chairman of the Central Iron Range Sanitary Sewer District and of the Chisholm Economic Development Authority. He has overseen budgets as big as $8 million, he said, and is a bit of a numbers geek. Late at night, when no one else is there, he sometimes sits in City Hall poring over budgets, looking for efficiencies, finding waste.“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. I have the experience,” Jugovich said in a screening interview with the News Tribune editorial board.“I’d like to represent a broader base,” he said of his decision now to run for County Board. “This is a great opportunity for me to expand on what I do.”Middle-of-the-road politically, part of what he always tries to do is compromise, he said.“I do believe that the only way we get anywhere is by working together,” Jugovich said.His priorities include continuing the county’s work to repair roads and bridges and directing more money to health and human services, where social workers are overloaded.“I’ve talked to the social workers. I’ve spoken to supervisors and other people,” Jugovich said. “Their caseloads have increased dramatically. So, in all honesty, how do you service all these people and not have people slip through the cracks? That’s a priority. … The caseloads have increased; the dollars don’t seem to have gone with it.”
Scaia knows more than a bit about the needs of social services, the county’s most-spent-on department, after a career in social justice, human services and public safety. Her nonprofit Domestic Abuse Intervention Program 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 also was director of Advocates for Family Peace, a domestic violence program. If elected, county commissioner would become her No. 1 job, she said, though she’d continue to do training and consulting around the globe.“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 told the editorial board. “For me this is the next step in my advocacy work.”With a bachelor’s degree in government and a master’s in public administration in addition to her impressive professional experience, Scaia has a lot to bring to the County Board. Politically, she has been the longtime campaign manager for state Sen. David Tomassoni, DFL-Chisholm.“My priorities would always be people over bricks,” Scaia said. “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.“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. 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.”Chisholm City Councilor Mary Jo Rahja is another candidate whose name will be on the primary ballot next month. She didn’t respond to invitations to meet with the editorial board, leaving the board unable to consider her candidacy. The final candidate is Hibbing School Board member Jeff Polcher, a former steelworker who has worked for the county 28 years as a child abuse investigator and in mental health. For the past two years he has been part of a team of social workers taking on heroin and opioid abuse in St. Louis County.“I come from a family of human service providers,” Polcher said. “I want to be on the other side, where the decisions are made, funding, how many staff, how many assigned to project. What other methods can we try? We have to start … to do something different (to combat drug problems) because right now what we’re doing isn’t working.”They’re both in positions of leadership already and see their election to the St. Louis County Board as a next natural step in fulfilling desires to give back to their communities and to make their corners of the Northland better places.Chisholm Mayor Michael Jugovich and Hibbing’s Melissa Scaia, the executive director of the internationally known Domestic Abuse Intervention Program, are voters’ best choices to emerge from a field of four and to advance from the Aug. 9 primary election to Election Day on Nov. 8. They can square off to replace County Commissioner Steve Raukar, who’s stepping down after 28 years as representative of District 7, which covers much of the southwestern corner of the county, including Floodwood, Chisholm and Hibbing.
Jugovich can bring to the county the same strong voice that has marked his nearly 10 years as mayor and six years as city councilor. He’s also chairman of the Central Iron Range Sanitary Sewer District and of the Chisholm Economic Development Authority. He has overseen budgets as big as $8 million, he said, and is a bit of a numbers geek. Late at night, when no one else is there, he sometimes sits in City Hall poring over budgets, looking for efficiencies, finding waste.“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. I have the experience,” Jugovich said in a screening interview with the News Tribune editorial board.“I’d like to represent a broader base,” he said of his decision now to run for County Board. “This is a great opportunity for me to expand on what I do.”Middle-of-the-road politically, part of what he always tries to do is compromise, he said.“I do believe that the only way we get anywhere is by working together,” Jugovich said.His priorities include continuing the county’s work to repair roads and bridges and directing more money to health and human services, where social workers are overloaded.“I’ve talked to the social workers. I’ve spoken to supervisors and other people,” Jugovich said. “Their caseloads have increased dramatically. So, in all honesty, how do you service all these people and not have people slip through the cracks? That’s a priority. … The caseloads have increased; the dollars don’t seem to have gone with it.”[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"2687210","attributes":{"alt":"Melissa Scaia","class":"media-image","height":"467","title":"Melissa Scaia","typeof":"foaf:Image","width":"333"}}]]Scaia knows more than a bit about the needs of social services, the county’s most-spent-on department, after a career in social justice, human services and public safety. Her nonprofit Domestic Abuse Intervention Program 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 also was director of Advocates for Family Peace, a domestic violence program. If elected, county commissioner would become her No. 1 job, she said, though she’d continue to do training and consulting around the globe.“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 told the editorial board. “For me this is the next step in my advocacy work.”With a bachelor’s degree in government and a master’s in public administration in addition to her impressive professional experience, Scaia has a lot to bring to the County Board. Politically, she has been the longtime campaign manager for state Sen. David Tomassoni, DFL-Chisholm.“My priorities would always be people over bricks,” Scaia said. “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.“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. 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.”Chisholm City Councilor Mary Jo Rahja is another candidate whose name will be on the primary ballot next month. She didn’t respond to invitations to meet with the editorial board, leaving the board unable to consider her candidacy. The final candidate is Hibbing School Board member Jeff Polcher, a former steelworker who has worked for the county 28 years as a child abuse investigator and in mental health. For the past two years he has been part of a team of social workers taking on heroin and opioid abuse in St. Louis County.“I come from a family of human service providers,” Polcher said. “I want to be on the other side, where the decisions are made, funding, how many staff, how many assigned to project. What other methods can we try? We have to start … to do something different (to combat drug problems) because right now what we’re doing isn’t working.”They’re both in positions of leadership already and see their election to the St. Louis County Board as a next natural step in fulfilling desires to give back to their communities and to make their corners of the Northland better places.Chisholm Mayor Michael Jugovich and Hibbing’s Melissa Scaia, the executive director of the internationally known Domestic Abuse Intervention Program, are voters’ best choices to emerge from a field of four and to advance from the Aug. 9 primary election to Election Day on Nov. 8. They can square off to replace County Commissioner Steve Raukar, who’s stepping down after 28 years as representative of District 7, which covers much of the southwestern corner of the county, including Floodwood, Chisholm and Hibbing. [[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"2687204","attributes":{"alt":"Michael Jugovich ","class":"media-image","height":"467","title":"Michael Jugovich ","typeof":"foaf:Image","width":"333"}}]]Jugovich can bring to the county the same strong voice that has marked his nearly 10 years as mayor and six years as city councilor. He’s also chairman of the Central Iron Range Sanitary Sewer District and of the Chisholm Economic Development Authority. He has overseen budgets as big as $8 million, he said, and is a bit of a numbers geek. Late at night, when no one else is there, he sometimes sits in City Hall poring over budgets, looking for efficiencies, finding waste.“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. I have the experience,” Jugovich said in a screening interview with the News Tribune editorial board.“I’d like to represent a broader base,” he said of his decision now to run for County Board. “This is a great opportunity for me to expand on what I do.”Middle-of-the-road politically, part of what he always tries to do is compromise, he said.“I do believe that the only way we get anywhere is by working together,” Jugovich said.His priorities include continuing the county’s work to repair roads and bridges and directing more money to health and human services, where social workers are overloaded.“I’ve talked to the social workers. I’ve spoken to supervisors and other people,” Jugovich said. “Their caseloads have increased dramatically. So, in all honesty, how do you service all these people and not have people slip through the cracks? That’s a priority. … The caseloads have increased; the dollars don’t seem to have gone with it.”
Scaia knows more than a bit about the needs of social services, the county’s most-spent-on department, after a career in social justice, human services and public safety. Her nonprofit Domestic Abuse Intervention Program 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 also was director of Advocates for Family Peace, a domestic violence program. If elected, county commissioner would become her No. 1 job, she said, though she’d continue to do training and consulting around the globe.“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 told the editorial board. “For me this is the next step in my advocacy work.”With a bachelor’s degree in government and a master’s in public administration in addition to her impressive professional experience, Scaia has a lot to bring to the County Board. Politically, she has been the longtime campaign manager for state Sen. David Tomassoni, DFL-Chisholm.“My priorities would always be people over bricks,” Scaia said. “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.“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. 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.”Chisholm City Councilor Mary Jo Rahja is another candidate whose name will be on the primary ballot next month. She didn’t respond to invitations to meet with the editorial board, leaving the board unable to consider her candidacy. The final candidate is Hibbing School Board member Jeff Polcher, a former steelworker who has worked for the county 28 years as a child abuse investigator and in mental health. For the past two years he has been part of a team of social workers taking on heroin and opioid abuse in St. Louis County.“I come from a family of human service providers,” Polcher said. “I want to be on the other side, where the decisions are made, funding, how many staff, how many assigned to project. What other methods can we try? We have to start … to do something different (to combat drug problems) because right now what we’re doing isn’t working.”