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Serving Northern St. Louis County, Minnesota

Don’t support anti-mining hoaxes

Posted

I went to Bill Hansen’s talk at Tuesday Group, in Ely. One of the many things he said that makes him a terrible candidate for this part of the Iron Range, was that even if copper/nickel mining could be done in a completely, environmentally safe way, he would be against it. He said it was because the miners would be living in man camps with drugs and prostitutes… That’s a hoax.

Modern mining requires computer operators, mill wrights, electricians, environmental scientists, folks with many thousands of dollars worth of training. Once these folks are trained, and experienced in the operation of these hundreds of millions of dollar facilities, management tries to hang on to them. These folks don’t live in man camps. They have families, buy houses, have kids in school. People who know mining, know Hansen’s man camp propaganda is a hoax.

The fact is that the eastern Iron Range (Babbitt, Ely, Tower and Cook) makes up the core of District 3A. There is only one DFL candidate from that core area. Only one DFL candidate who lives in a Range community, and has seen, first hand, what mining means to our schools and communities. It’s Heidi Omerza.

I don’t know why anyone from this core area would vote for someone from paper mill country or someone who lives off the grid at the end of the Gunflint Trail. However, I do know why someone from outside this area would vote for Heidi Omerza. She has been involved in and successful in everything from the PTA, to city council to heading the statewide Coalition of Greater MN Cities. She has worked with and knows all the important players in St. Paul, from the governor on down. She can get things done and bring a common sense perspective to St. Paul. On Sept. 29, let’s vote for Iron Range Common Sense, not anti-mining hoaxes.

Ross Peterson

Ely, Minn.