Candidate Details His Goals
Explore Superior remains a neutral reporter of all candidates for public office, and will continue to present their platforms and stances on issues as presented to us without bias.
Jim Paine
The following statement was sent to us by the Jim Paine for Mayor campaign and is reprinted here verbatim. Other candidates are encouraged to send us their platforms and statements as well.
About Jim Paine
- Candidate for Mayor of Superior
- Lifelong resident of Superior
- Graduate of Superior High School
- Veteran of the United State Marine Corps
- Graduate of UW-Superio with degree in History
- Received Master’s degree in Advocacy and Political Leadership from UM-Duluth
- Married to Katie
- Program Director at Duluth Regional Care Center
- Has served on Board of Supervisors for Douglas County for seven years.
Community Involvement
- Active on several committees for the Douglas County Board of Supervisors
- Serves on the Health and Human Services Board
- Serves on the Metropolitan Interstate Council,
- Serves on the Land and Development Committee,
- Serves on the Veteran’s Commission, and
- Serves on the Administration Committee as Chairman
- Vice Chairman of the Douglas County Board of Supervisors
- Former board member of the Young Leaders Fund Board
- Superior Days Lobby Leader and Issue Committee Member
- Member of the Dove Home Healthcare Board
- Member of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul
- Member of ABATE Motorcycle group
- Member of Superior Rotary
- Co-Chair of the 2016 Lake Superior Dragon Boat Festival
- Member of Cathedral Church, having served as a catechist and volunteer.
Why He is Running for Mayor
“I’m running for Mayor because I want to build a city that works for everyone. We need leadership in Superior with the experience, vision, and passion to move our community forward. I have served my country and community my entire adult life and I hope to use this campaign to show my hometown just how hard I’ve worked on your behalf and the vision that I will bring to our city.
This year, the members of the Board demonstrated their faith in me by electing me their Vice-Chairman and I assumed the Chairmanship of the Administration Committee, which oversees Douglas County’s more than $50 million budget.
My story is one of service and community. I grew up in Billings Park and, after graduating Superior High School, I left to serve my country in the United States Marine Corps.
When I returned home, I received an excellent education from UW-Superior where I studied history. UWS was also my introduction to public service. As a student, I served as a student representative in local government, led the first UWS student delegation to Superior Days where we fought for a new academic building, re-founded the Student Veteran’s Club and served as its first President, and fought for the construction of the YellowJacket Union.
Upon graduation I began my career serving people with disabilities at DRCC, a Duluth based non-profit that builds independence for people of all abilities. My wife, Katie and I bought our home near UW-Superior.
I continued my education at UMD, earning a Master’s degree in Advocacy and Political Leadership which focused on public policy. I put this degree to work in my time on the Douglas County Board, where I have served for more than 7 years.
In my time in office as a Douglas County Board Supervisor I have been privileged to serve my community on the Health and Human Services Board, the Metropolitan Interstate Council, the Land and Development Committee, the Veteran’s Commission, and the Administration Committee. This year, the members of the Board demonstrated their faith in me by electing me their Vice-Chairman and I assumed the Chairmanship of the Administration Committee, which oversees Douglas County’s more than $50 million budget.
In addition to my public service, I am a former board member of the Young Leaders Fund Board, Superior Days Lobby Leader and Issue Committee Member, and member of the Dove Home Healthcare Board. I am also a member of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, ABATE Motorcycle group, a member of Superior Rotary, and served as the 2016 Co-Chairman of the Lake Superior Dragon Boat Festival. Katie and I are members of Cathedral Church, where we have both served as catechists and volunteers.”
Paine’s Mayoral Platform
Housing and Development
Superior’s housing stock remains one of the oldest in the state and we have lost major retailers. Housing is the silver bullet for economic development. Increased home ownership improves properties and neighborhoods, which improves municipal revenue and quality of life.
Our community can only grow together. Improving our retail economy creates vital diversity in our economy and supplements our industrial backbone. We have to provide incentives for both housing development and retail growth in addition to our constant efforts to attract industry.
- We will refocus our retail development efforts on small retail, which provides opportunities for our own citizens and has succeeded in other communities.
- We will continue to pursue large development initiatives, including Better City Superior.
- We will pursue mixed commercial and residential districts to attract and retain young professionals. We will emphasize working waterfront and historic districts that attract new residents.
- We will actively target crime and exploitation in vulnerable neighborhoods. We have a duty to improve the lives of all of our citizens. This starts with ensuring basic safety and security.
- We will eliminate blight by offering tax deeded properties at negligible costs to qualified developers and home buyers in order to restore rather than destroy distressed properties.
- We will establish a municipal wi-fi network to attract small business and provide equal access to knowledge and opportunity for every citizen. This will give to our community what public libraries gave us 150 years ago.
Worker’s Rights
Superior’s future will be built by the middle class. Fair wages and safe working environments improve quality of life for working families. Stable jobs are the foundation for strong families. Superior’s median household income is among the lowest in the State of Wisconsin.
Wage growth, especially among lower and middle income families, increases consumer spending. Increasing consumer spending increases our retail economy and provides flexibility for lower income workers while providing opportunities for entrepreneurs.
- We must ensure that the City leads the way by providing competitive wages and benefits to its own employees. This not only sets a positive example but, as one of the regions largest employers, it makes a direct impact on our local economy. It also ensures we retain the best employees.
- We will only award contracts for public work to responsible bidders that demonstrate fair treatment of workers, a high standard of performance, and a record of legal responsibility.
- Project Labor Agreements set fair terms for both the city and project bidders. It ensures workers are fairly compensated for their work and it ensures that the city gets the highest quality work possible.
Our Natural Resources
Superior is cloaked in a beauty that has inspired, defined, and supported our city since its founding. We have a responsibility to ourselves and to posterity to protect and preserve our rivers, wetlands, and forest.
We are part of a multi-state and international partnership that shares responsibility for protecting Lake Superior, our greatest cultural and economic asset.
Our natural resources are our greatest economic opportunity
- We must improve access to our forest, rivers, and Lake Superior to attract visitors and improve the quality of life for our citizens.
- Our undeveloped shorelines are the birthright of the public and, when developed at all, must serve the public good.
- We must remain strong partners in our international harbor. We must work with the state governments of Minnesota and Wisconsin as well as the Federal government to maintain, promote, and improve our harbor. We must also support and improve the satellite industries of our harbor.
- We must partner with the City of Duluth and State of Minnesota in their development efforts along the St. Louis River Corridor and ensure Superior plays a role in a larger outdoor and recreational economy.
Our natural resources are fragile and require our stewardship
- We must continue to fight for strong protections for Lake Superior and inland lakes against invasive species.
- We must fight Emerald Ash Borer and future destructive diseases and parasites with comprehensive solutions beyond simply “cut and quarantine”. We must ensure we protect the beauty of our city by diversifying our plants and trees so our green-scape survives future threats.
- We must limit private development within our forrest and along our shorelines to protect these resources for the public and future generations.
- We must work to proactively protect our water sources with modern, efficient sewage and storm water systems.
Our Historic Heritage
Superior is a historic city. We daily walk in the triumphs of our forebears. Our history defines us and we should protect and honor the work of the past whenever we can.
- We should work with developers to update and refit historic buildings to serve a modern city.
- We should dedicate resources to those people and organizations that research, preserve, and tell our story.
- As we develop and re-develop our city, we should recognize and memorialize those that have served and sacrificed for our community.
Streets and Sidewalks
Our transportation network was designed nearly 100 years ago for a population four times our size. People move through the 21st century in different ways.
- Expanded access to public transportation enfranchises lower income families and provides vital stability to many workers, students, and senior citizens.
- Wide, paved bike and pedestrian paths are inexpensive to build, connect students to schools, workers to jobs, customers to shops and restaurants, and communities to nature. We should start with a cross-city trail between the Millennium Trail and the Osaugie Trail.
- We need to finally create a truck route around the city to make Belknap street safer and last longer.
- We will develop a 30 year transportation plan that maintains our infrastructure in the short term but gradually allows more significant changes in the long term.
Taxes and Fees
Superior’s levy is too high to attract new homeowners and is not competitive with neighboring communities. While restrictions imposed by the state reduce the flexibility of local government to meet rising costs, the City has made poor choices in the ways it raises new revenue.
Fees are regressive taxes that place a heavier burden on working class families. Furthermore, the City is ill equipped to deal with budget crises.
- Fees must be replaced with property taxes, which treat citizens more fairly based on property value rather than charging the same flat fee to high and low income citizens regardless of property value.
- We must establish and fund departmental contingency funds to ensure we maintain vital services during challenging budget years.
- We must continue to work with Madison to restore fair shared revenues and local control of budgets. This is the only way we can effectively reduce property taxes.
Closing Statement by Jim Paine
“This is not a complete vision. My years of public service have taught me that a community vision must be collaborative to be successful. So this campaign will be about listening and learning as much as speaking.
The first and most important lesson I ever learned about politics came from our very successful and respected former County Board Chairman, Doug Finn. He taught me that successful politics is built upon relationships.
I have spent years building successful relationships with County Board Supervisors, City Councillors, business leaders, faith leaders, community advocates, and citizens. These have been more than working relationships. Many of them have become strong friendships.
This is how we build community and it is how I will serve as your Mayor.
I hope you will reach out to me with your questions, concerns, and especially your ideas. Leadership is not a one person job. I need your help.
Monty, “First Dog of Superior” hopeful
More information about Paine’s campaign can be found on his website and his Facebook page.
He also encourages Superiorites to contact him by email or by phone.
In closing, he added “Write or just stop by and meet Monty!” at 1008 N. 17th St.
No disrespect, but I don’t trust anyone who has devoted their life to public office. Public service, maybe. But this young man’s CV screams of someone looking to get elected into a career. We tried the community organizer, didn’t work. We’re going with do-ers now.