County commissioner candidates weigh in on key issues ahead of Election Day

Kirsten Wisniewski | September 24, 2024

Early voting has begun in Minnesota, and mail-in ballots will be arriving in Cook County mailboxes in the coming weeks. This election Cook County residents in Districts 2 and 4 will vote for their representatives to the Cook County Board of Commissioners, in addition to a variety of other local races.

The candidates running for the Board of Commissioners are:

District 2: Garry Gamble (unopposed)
District 4: Ann Sullivan (Incumbent), Dean Berglund

WTIP spoke with Gamble individually, and held a candidate forum for Sullivan and Berglund. Listeners had the opportunity to submit questions and make requests for topics they wanted to hear the candidates weigh in on.

WTIP’s Kirsten Wisniewski spoke with all of the candidates. Topics addressed included housing and zoning issues, the cost of living, county spending, and supporting the wellbeing of residents. They also discussed the county’s relationship with the Grand Portage Reservation Tribal Council, the county’s cannabis ordinance, and having difficult discussions during a divisive time in politics. Audio of those conversations can be found below.

District 2 Candidate Garry Gamble