CARLTON — When Gary Peterson first ran for Carlton County commissioner, his campaign slogan was, “The people deserve a choice.” Now, 12 years later, he is retiring from his seat with the same slogan in mind.
Peterson announced during the county board meeting Monday, April 22, that he would not seek a fourth term as the representative for the 5th District, which encompasses the western third of the county, including Moose Lake, Kettle River, Cromwell and Wright.
He chose the timing to encourage a wide array of possible successors to run for his seat before the May 21 filing deadline.
“I wanted to do this in time so that people in my district would know that there’d be some good people in my district that would be interested,” Peterson told his fellow commissioners during his announcement.
Jamey Malcomb / File / Duluth Media Group
Peterson, who lives outside Barnum, is a retired social studies professor who spent most of his career teaching in Austin, Minnesota. After retiring and returning home to Carlton County, Peterson decided to put his experience teaching how government works into effect and run a campaign for county commissioner.
During his time as commissioner, Peterson has tried to put his civics lessons into practice. Part of this meant making himself constantly available to his constituents and trying to help solve their problems when he could. It also meant maintaining a sense of civility and open-mindedness while serving on the board, while still voting his conscience.
“I’ve always tried to encourage people and stimulate people to think outside the box, to be creative, to be a critical thinker,” Peterson told the Pine Journal.
As a commissioner, he describes himself as inquisitive and having always tried to take a studious approach to fully understand an issue before voting.
Clint Austin / File / Duluth Media Group
Peterson said much of his focus during his time on the county board was finding ways to creatively cut expenses and bring revenue into the county without raising the property taxes of his constituents. One of his proudest accomplishments was his role in shaping a local option sales tax referendum, which instituted a sales tax to fund the building of the county’s new justice center instead of raising property taxes.
Some of the most important experiences Peterson brought with him to the board were the lessons he learned as a basketball coach. As a coach, every decision he made was met with scrutiny and disapproval. However, he also taught his players how to get along and work together, even if his players disagreed.
“Just because people vote differently, when the meeting is over, it’s over,” Peterson said. “There’s no grudges being held or mad about this or that.”
In the spirit of his original campaign, Peterson is encouraging anyone interested in local government to run for his seat. In his view, a robust field of candidates filing for his seat is the best way to ensure the issues facing his district are heard.
In his retirement, Peterson plans to hunt, garden and manage his land for wildlife, while continuing to referee local basketball games. Because of his history in education, he is considering becoming a substitute teacher in the area.
“Time goes by so fast. It’s amazing how 12 years has gone by just like that,” Peterson said.
