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Local elections are just as important as state and national elections. There are many reasons why local elections get less publicity and promotion or education by local governments.
Check back here later for more information about our local 2026 elections for Ely and surrounding communities.
What’s the filing info on Ely website?
Here’s “current” filing information for the City of Ely 2026 elections as posted on the official City of Ely website. This is a screenshot taken at 9:19 pm on Sunday, May 17, 2026. Yes, the year posted is for 2024. Filing for Ely City elections starts on Tuesday, May 19, 2026!
Why wasn’t 2026 election & filing info posted on the Ely City website back in April 2026?
If you subscribe to the Ely Echo, the City of Ely’s official newspaper, you will see the Notice of filing for the 2026 primary and general election City of Ely, MN on Section 2, Page 4, in their May 19th issue. Apparently, the Echo posted announcements on May 2nd May 9th (2026). Not all citizens in Ely (want to) subscribe to the Ely Echo for financial or political reasons. Maybe less than half. To be in the May 2nd issue of the Echo, City Hall must have been submitted info in April. What’s going on??
Chances are the Ely City Website will not be specific about who’s up for election. You’ll have to go to https://www.ely.mn.us/council and scroll down the page to see when their current term expires. The expiration term date of 12/31/2026, means the seat is up for election this November 2026. That means Mayor Heidi Omerza. That means Council Members Al Forsman, Angela Campbell and Adam Bisbee.
Until the City of Ely posts current information, go to the Secretary of State website.
Look back at posts on our Citizens for Transparency website, you’ll see we addressed issues about appointments too. Here’s from December 2023 when we had just set up the website and were using pages instead of posts. Look on the menu bar for Go See Speak Now! To find the 12/05/2023 original agenda, packet, last minute additions and the approved minutes go to https://www.ely.mn.us/2023-meetings
Most important: Posting of openings for Commissioners whose terms expire the end of January
#13, New Business C: Advertise for Open Committee Seats that the term limits will be expiring or coming due in January 31, 2024. 1) Did you know there were term limits? Do people continually stay on the Commission(s) until some maximum limit? Where is that posted on the official Commission websites, ordinances, or City Charter? 2) Why didn’t City Hall provide a list of those upcoming open (?) positions, sorted by Commission, Committee or Board? Why does Council – or the public – have to search page-by-page, print or write out and then figure who reached their term limit, etc.? 3) Will Council request, indeed demand, an open and fair process to fill those open (??) positions? What are the qualifications, the real ones and not the political ones? Do we really need “experts” and lobbyists or people who think systemically and in the interest of Us the People?4) Will Council address City Hall’s proactive (politely phrased) seeking of a replacement of Commissioner Caruso on Planning and Zoning? Review Part C of the citizens’ recording of P&Z meeting on Nov. 15th. Part C = https://youtu.be/bZLWQTG4xA4 Includes discussions after P&Z meeting was adjourned
P&Z Nov. 15 minutes – Is all this – more length and details – essential? If you have time, compare pages 16-19 in the packet with YouTube recordings listed below. Especially look at 5:23+ time marker on Part A when Council Member Angela Campbell reports. What did she say the citizen requested from Council on Nov 7th? Codes of ethics, standards of conduct, conflict of interest and (finally) open meeting policies. The P&Z meetings only mention open meeting laws. Why didn’t ethics, standards and conflicts make it to the minutes? Why filter or cleanse from the record? This is why meetings need to be recorded and made public. Some individuals within City Hall, Council and Commissions want discussions about ethics, standards of behavior to go away.
If you compare the board members’ backgrounds, skills, knowledge and employment with those on other Ely commissions, you’ll probably notice how the Park & Recreation Board best reflects the whole community. They care about the community they were appointed to represent. They respect each other & are open to questions & different opinions.
Trailhead Building Fiasco
But Park & Recreation (P&R) is being politically punished, precisely because they see themselves as voices of the greater community. Example: “Purview” of Trailhead Building was given to Heritage Preservation Commission (HPC). This was a nasty political decision, not a logical one. If you read minutes of Ely City Council, HPC and P&R over past months, a political fight was occurring. Many P&R Members resigned. Note HPC and P&R minutes are submitted to and posted in Council packets. See https://www.ely.mn.us/council-meetings
Request to Appear 1 – Margaret Egan presented an update on Trailhead Design; later Pam Turnbull joined. Both are co-chairs of the Heritage Preservation Commission (HPC). Excellent job. Good on-point critiques. However, their presentation could be considered a scandalous expose of EXPENSIVE INAPPROPRIATE design and EXPENSIVE INAPPROPRIATE furnishing of the Trailhead Building.
Design and furnishing were not HPC’s fault. Trailhead lobbyists, developers, designers, and installers did not get adequate input from users (building staff & public customers), because there were no commitments to occupy the building. Great opportunity for profiteers.
Who paid and is paying for the mistakes? Taxpayers, grant funders, and those who pay lodging taxes. We pointed out lack of fiscal due diligence https://elyminnesota.com/blog/city-council-dec-17-2024/. There are also several posts about the luxury Trailhead being built as if is were for billionaires in Jackson Hole Wyoming. See https://elyminnesota.com/blog/city-council-dec-16-2025-lodging-tax-trailhead-commission-appointments/
When the 12 photos are posted online at https://www.ely.mn.us/government look at them while Margaret Egan mentions problems and their recommendations. Rich resort towns like Jackson Hole, WY can finance expensive fancy digital displays that break down and software quickly becomes outdated. We’re Ely. We’re the getaway place, relaxing culture, back to simple nature. We like real maps hanging on the wall. When you hear about all the information to be displayed all over, does it sound like there’s a central theme or purpose? Or just cluttered and junky?
Does it sound like the Trailhead is to be used as a Park & Recreation site or a new Chamber of Commerce Building? What was originally presented to Ely citizens and Council? What was presented when funding was requested? And now what with all the expensive “necessary” changes proposed, what’s the REAL theme or purpose?
HPC’s recommendations mean more taxpayer $$, lodging taxes, and grant $$ pouring into the Trailhead Bldg. What’s the priority? Funnel more $$ into an underused building for the Chamber of Commerce or into actual services for people/nature.
Park & Rec’s purview to protect – Be proactive then and now
Request to Appear 2 – Frederica Musgrave asked about the role of Park & Rec in protecting bird habitats and Ojibwe culture. She and Bill Tefft had been addressing natural habitats and zoning since 2023 (Bill Tefft before). What has actually changed? There were no protections set in place after those many presentations.
Now we need them, but it’s too late. A BOA Public Hearing is set for May 20th re Sandy Point on Shagawa Lake.
Sandy Point is an important bird viewing site. Annual bird counting takes place there. The birds do not go to the parking lot, #8 on the map. It’s not just aquatic birds. Birds also go to the trees, land and bushes. Boat launches, construction, human activities and noise disturb bird habitats. One sentence from Sherry Abts’ email was read: “MN DNR and Loon researches state that DISTURBANCE of a SHORELINE is detrimental to Loon families.” What’s Park & Rec’s role to protect the bird habitat?
There was an Ojibwe village at Sandy Point. There’s nothing in Ely’s Comprehensive Plan, Tourism website, or Chamber of Commerce website about the Ojibwe at Sandy Point. Some people say there are burial grounds there. What’s Park & Rec’s role is protecting this site?
This photo from the Ely Winton Historical Society was passed around.
A paragraph from Anton Treuer’s Everything You Wanted to Know about Indians but Were Afraid to Ask was read and two excerpts passed around.
A good land acknowledgment will be local and specific, mentioning by name the tribes who have called the land in that area home. It will also acknowledge historical injustice. And it will make a call to action for the institution or group. I support land acknowledgements because they address invisibility and marginalization of Indigenous people. But the real trick is to make sure we don’t stop there: acknowledgment is a first step, not the end of the journey. If it isn’t followed up with real action, a statement is just performative. We need to work toward equity, inclusion, and empowerment of Native people in everything we do.
Pages 241-242 from Anton Treuer’s book.
Page 252 from Anton Treuer’s book.
Everything You Wanted to Know about Indians but Were Afraid to Ask, Minnesota Historical Society Press, 2023.
Note: Question raised after meeting, “Would Treuer consider signage and plaques as being just a different kind of performative statement?” Furthermore, a sign/plaque identifying Sandy Point as a bird viewing site would not preserve or protect the shoreline or land habitat. It would not improve the lake water quality and clarity. It would not stop human activities: noise, boat launches, tree cutting or shoreline/land excavation when BOA grants variances and Conditional Use Permits.
Youtube recording of 5/13/2026 Park & Recreation Board meeting wondering what role Park & Rec has and wants to take. https://elyminnesota.com/blog/whats-the-purview-of-park-rec-may-13-2026/
Youtube recording of 5/13/2026 Park & Recreation Board meeting wondering what role Park & Rec has and wants to take. https://elyminnesota.com/blog/whats-the-purview-of-park-rec-may-13-2026/
Check back soon for additional information and our response to the new CUP request to be decided by Board of Adjustment (BOA) on May 15, 2026: https://elyminnesota.com/blog/. This link will take you to the last post. To find other Recent Posts, scroll down the right-side of the screen. To search posts by topic or key word, use the search box on the right-hand side of screen. To search posts by category, scroll down the left-side of the screen.
Park & Rec’s purview to protect – Be alert and reactive
During Old Business, a proposed Pickleball site was discussed. Putting in the building would require cutting of trees, putting in new road, parking lot, and doing other land improvements. This is in wooded area near Shagawa Lake. (Pages 47-50.) Does all this natural land need to be disturbed? What City Hall, lobbyists, developers, and real estate investors propose is the easiest and most profitable for them. Their mission is not to preserve and protect nature.
P&R has NO current mission, recommendations or guidelines to preserve and protect natural spaces. Alternatives aren’t voiced. Short Term Goals (1-2 years) in P&R Comp Plan (Page 63): “Continue to Work with P&Z to establish City Nature Preserves, Green Spaces, & expectations for new developments.” Meaning nothing will be in place until 2027-2029? By then, many shoreline & land habitats will be destroyed/disturbed. Variances & Conditional Use Permits (CUP) are almost automatically approved, bypassing original guidelines in place for legit reasons.
Park & Recreation Board Members do not currently understand they have the power to say they want a different location option for Pickleball courts, etc. Until Park & Rec finalizes their sections of the Comp Plan with Planning & Zoning regarding green areas, Park & Rec still has the power to say they want a different location option for Pickleball or whatever development. Not every piece of open green space has to be developed. Until Park & Rec sets up a precedent and continues to insist on nature-balanced guidelines, BOA/Planning & Zoning and Council with approve almost every variance, CUP or development recommendations without giving a hoot about birds or natural areas.
If P&R was renamed Park, Health and Recreation . . . Then maybe the mental, physical & spiritual health needs of the whole community AND nature would be better addressed.
Our main focus = Comp Plan Steering Committee & Ely Economic Development Authority
Here’s the 3-page agenda from 91-page Council packet. Find the packet and last minute changes & additions for at https://www.ely.mn.us/council-meetings or at https://www.ely.mn.us/government. Last minute items might not be posted, so check on the table right inside the Council Chambers’ door.
Spring Clean Up Days are May 15th & May 16th.
Park & Rec Board: Another resignation submitted. Appointment for previously open seat.
Pages 36-43 are about household and business hazardous waste collections
CPSC is requesting a Study Session with City Council on May 26th There April 27th unapproved minutes are below. It seems CPSC doesn’t have clear objectives/guidance. Here’s 3 alternate suggestions:
(1) City Council should have previously and now should consider using their monthly Study Sessions to go over the Land Use and Comp Plan. They have cancelled most of their Study Sessions for the last few years. Council Members were elected by citizens in Ely to represent them. Commissioners were not elected.
(2) City Council should have the GreenTeam and/or the Ely Climate Change Group facilitate discussions about Land Use andComprehensive Plan. The Ely Climate Change Group members on the GreenTeam understand a Comprehensive Plan should include more than just dead things like infrastructure and buildings. For example: our diverse humans and their different needs; balanced and sustainable environment, including animals habitats; serving the needs of those living here; recycling and repurposing that includes buildings; preparing for climate change; reviewing ordinances, zoning and codes to preserve and protect natural and open areas AND to designate cultural and historical sites of Indigenous Peoples who settled here first. Ely has/had signage for rocks but nothing for the Ojibwe.
old signage for Ely Pillow Rock
(3) Have the CSPC, Climate Change Group, and City Council all meet together at least once monthly during previously scheduled Study Sessions.
Read the Ely Economic Development Authority (EEDA) minutes from March 31st posted below.The discussion about updating the EEDA’s website is interesting.
Some of us frequently look at the Date (Data?) and Demographics page for personal research without any interest in developing a business or project. Are those visits counted towards the 120 annual visits? By the way, if you’ve never visited the EEDA website – or if you have – time yourself as to how long it takes you to actually find the Data and Demographics page. Then figure out, based on the data, what percent of the Ely population is 50 years or older.
Look over the last item NEW BUSINESS. The way it’s written up, it’s not clear if $14,000 total was “awarded” or $14K x 3 = $42,000. Or is the “award” 3 x 42K = $126,000. Do each and every one of the Council Members know the actual amount? Do they all know how this was calculated? What the project was? Most importantly, does the public know? The minutes were not written to keep the public informed nor show accountability.
This was originally presented on a “page” instead of an individual “post” on our website back in 2023 when Citizens for Transparency first set up this website. Concerns addressed then still exist.
Note: Further below we have inserted the complete text typed in 2023 that accompanied the YouTube recording of the meeting https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQ0rLsKCMrg and the agenda. These were not included on the original page/post.
November 28, 2023 Joint Study Session (Council with P&Z)
This meeting is a casual working study session about (re) zoning and (re) coding parts of Ely. No actions are taken, just open candid discussions among P&Z, Council, City Attorney and City Clerk. The public can observe. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQ0rLsKCMrg
In 2023, we did not post the agenda or (parts) of the November 28th Joint Study meeting packet. You can find those materials on the Ely City website at https://www.ely.mn.us/2023-meetings
This video is a benchmark educational tool for Tuesday’s participants: Ely City Council, the Planning & Zoning Commissioners, and City Hall…as well as the residents of Ely, MN. Listen to great questions and comments. I was personally impressed with the candor. Candor lets us truthfully identify problems and then agree on the best strategies to resolve issues. These casual Study Sessions are a unique opportunity for us to observe elected officials, appointees and City Hall voicing residents’ and local business’ needs and concerns. Spoiler alert: the Chair of P&Z is not a resident of Ely. Tonight’s (Nov. 28, 2023) Study Session is an informal discussion about current and future zoning, coding, permissible and CPUs (conditional use permits) which will lead to ordinance changes. The current list (those HUGE pages you see the Mayor holding) can be found in Sec. 11.40 of Ely’s City Code https://www.ely.mn.us/ordinances Our list is not completely accurate — listen to conversations. The City knows properties are not zoned/coded correctly. Tonight’s meeting was not for Council to make motions or vote. Candor was expected in their back-and-forth sharing. This is a benchmark video, so you are not aware of individuals from Ely’s Open Communications group attempting to work and meet with P&Z and the City on housing issues (housing options, reasonable costs, locations, zoning, and research findings including but not limited to The Amenity Trap, a report published by Headwaters Economics ). Red lights are not green lights. This is a benchmark video, so think about how the P&Z, the City, and Council Members deal with complicated issues. What are the strategies of the past, present and, more importantly, the future? Is the spinning-wheels (AKA shuffling-papers) pattern working? With limited staff, why are we constantly reinventing the wheel? Will big decisions and smaller ones be based on short-term or long-term effects? Little picture vs. big picture vision? At other City meetings, residents have shared examples of coding/zoning info and maps from other cities – are they discussed tonight? Example: Other cities’ choice of colors for zoning maps. This is a benchmark video, so observe how citizens in attendance are or might be more fully engaged, meaning better comprehend what’s being discussed. The Study Session tonight is intended for open casual discussions among P&Z, Council Members and City Hall. The public may observe. No problem. However, without wasting trees, which and what appropriate materials (could be) provided and/or projected on screens – or in hallway – so all (including citizens in attendance) can visualize concepts, etc.? Yes, we don’t need to waste paper. Only 2 items were projected on the overhead screen for the audience in attendance and at home: the agenda and a section of the permissible and CPU list. The one huge map seen in the front corner was behind Ely’s Planning Administrator. Citizens wanting a more transparent and accountable representative government are now recording Ely’s public meetings. There will be benchmarks as study guides. There will be follow-up videos marking progress. We are also setting up an accessible website for the public where we will discuss Ely Politics. The goal is to migrate forward together. Don’t kill the messengers or fight the messages. Humans are not perfect. Our governments are not perfect. Re(read) the messages, focus on We The People, think smart, fix the problems, and stay transparent. Our Preamble : “We the People…, in Order to form a more perfect Union…” Other Ely benchmarks: Open Public Hearing (meeting was opened and immediately “deleted” by the Chair of BOA) = • Ely MN Open Hearing BOA (P&Z) Nov 15 2023 … Includes citizens comments before and after cancellation. The hearing started at 5:30 pm, October 18th. P&Z mtg started at 6:30 pm. The official City calendar recently removed its posting of the Hearing. The P&Z meeting on Oct. 18th started at 6:30 pm, not 5:30-6:30 pm per recently revised official City calendar. The recording is split into 3 parts. A and B are each approx 30 minutes, Part C approx 8 mins. Part A = • Ely MN Planning & Zoning Nov 15 2023 Part A Includes motions to update Public Hearing procedures and training Commissioners on Robert’s Rules of Order Part B = • Ely MN Planning & Zoning Nov15 2023 Part B Includes discussion on Planning Unit Development (PUD) for next shoreline/campground development requests Part C = • Ely MN Planning & Zoning Part C Nov 15 2023 C Includes discussions after P&Z meeting was adjourned
This was originally presented on a “page” instead of a “post” on our website back in 2023 when Citizens for Transparency first set up this website. Concerns addressed then still exist.
Note: Further below we have inserted the complete text typed in 2023 that accompanied the YouTube recordingand the agenda. These were not included on the original page/post.
Awareness Tools
Citizens for transparency have started recording City Council and Commission meetings. We are using the first recordings as benchmarks, multi-educational tools to observe, review and evaluate our City government. Subsequent recordings will be reviewed for progress towards the goal of a citizen-focused and citizen-based government. Each of these YouTube videos have “study guides” or commentaries below the video.
November 21, 2023 City Council meeting
Cindy Smyka’s presentation on Ely’s Tourism Bureau is outstanding. Time marker 8:15.
Cindy Smyka , Ely Tourism Bureau, from the YouTube recording. This was not posted on page/post in 2023.
This is a benchmark recording by citizen volunteers who are seeking a more transparent, accountable, and accessible city government in Ely, MN. This meeting on November 21, 2023 is multi-purpose educational tool for residents to observe City Council in action. It’s also intended to be used as a mirror for City Hall, City Council Members, and appointed Commissioners to objectively observe and reflect on their own behaviors and beliefs. Are they really for, by and of The People? What does that look like? What could it look like? We have been recording other City and Commission meetings with the same goal. We start with a benchmark and follow up with more recordings. We started documenting City meetings after there were huge protests against the City and “our” Planning & Zoning pushing development of a huge RV Park Campground in a residential neighborhood on Miners Lake. At the Council meeting on Nov. 7th, there was a very candid and upsetting disclosure about what occurred at the Oct. 18th P&Z meeting. On Nov. 7th, Council was requested to adopt codes of ethics, standards of conduct, conflict of interest and opening meeting policies. We are developing a new website, Ely Politics ,to educate residents, local businesses and organizations, City Council, Commissioners, and City Hall on important issues and how politics works (the good and the bad). Humans are not perfect. Governments are not perfect. We want to migrate forward and create a more perfect local government that reflects all the people and our environment. Ely is The Gateway to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. We believe in our Preamble: “We the People…, in Order to form a more perfect Union…” This recording is a benchmark on how City Council operates. What tools in Council Chambers, especially visual ones, are used to help the audience in Council Chambers and at home better follow along and thusly better understand complicated issues throughout the meeting? And also appreciate awesome people, events and businesses here in NE MN. What (non)technical tools are being used — or not — in this benchmark? What is being projected on front and back walls? What is posted inside or outside the Council Chamber, especially maps and charts, for the public to consult (without wastefully printing so many pages)? After watching this recording, maybe Council will repurpose that huge movable chalkboard that has had the same drawing visible to to the public for months (a year now)? This recording is also a benchmark to observe how Council and City Hall welcome, encourage and process input from the residents in the Ely area. Does Council then use this input for deep discussion and actions to fix problems? What happened since the last Council and P&Z Commission meetings? Will controversial issues like the need for codes of ethics, standards of conduct, conflict of interest, open meetings laws, etc., be addressed — skipped over or ignored? Note: Cindy Smyka’s presentation on Ely’s Tourism Bureau was outstanding, informative and full of visuals projected on screen and with printed materials. Listen to questions, comments and motions from Council: Can you tell who they talk to? What new or old issues do they bring up for discussion? When they talk about development in the area, do they start with citizen input (beyond just those appointed people they know), fiscal responsibility, appropriateness of location(s), activities, needs and interests of all citizens? What kind of openness and outreach to citizens does Council make and sincerely want? Talking is not the same as doing. Forward thinking doesn’t just mean having plans for more housing and more tourists. What discussions, steps ordinances, etc. does Council need to consider for “our Posterity,” as mentioned in the Preamble?
This was originally presented on a “page” instead of an individual “post” on our website back in 2023 when Citizens for Transparency first set up this website. Concerns addressed then still exist.
Note: We have inserted the complete text typed in 2023 that accompanied theYouTube recording of the meeting https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jo5rZ1nC0qg . This text was not included on the original page/post.
This benchmark recording of Ely’s Park & Recreation Commission meeting on November 20, 2023 is a multi-purpose educational tool. It is an accessible window into Ely’s Park & Rec discussions, work and contributions to our community. Ely is The Gateway into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA). This recording is a benchmark on how Park & Rec operates. Is the Commission living up to its full potential? Does the Commission realize it is a powerful voice of the community to maintain, preserve, protect and even expand open natural spaces for Nature and for passive as well as active enjoyment? Do they want to stand up (pass motions) or stand back (letting others represent the citizens and Mother Nature)? Listen to each of the Commissioners speaking tonight. This recording is also a benchmark for how Park & Rec welcomes input from the residents and volunteers in the Ely area. Is there sincere, respectful and valued dialogue with the presenters tonight? Does the Commission use this input in their subsequent discussions and actions? Hint: yes, yes, yes. Presenters: (1) Bill Teft – identifying natural and open spaces in Ely; comparing Two Harbors zoning maps and coding with Ely’s. (2) Kathryn Farion – giving Garden Club updates. As with other Ely Commissions, Boards and Committees, … are the attendees (audience in room) able to fully follow along and understand the discussions? What materials were provided? What could be provided or projected on the screens? What maps and documents could be posted inside the City Chambers or in the hallway before/during the meeting, so the attendees could visually see items discussed. Could the agenda and packets be posted online? Where there is a will, there is a way. Finally, Park & Rec Commission meetings are not recorded by the City. There is nothing to (re)broadcast or stream. This recording is the only real public window brought to you by citizens wanting transparency and accountability in government, where the voices of all citizens are heard and respected. This benchmark video will be followed up with more videos marking progress. We are also setting up a website for the public where we will discuss Ely Politics. The goal is to migrate forward. Don’t kill the messengers or fight the messages. Humans are not perfect. Governments are not perfect. Re(read) the messages, focus on We the People, think smart, fix the problems, and stay transparent. Our Preamble: “We the People…, in Order to form a more perfect Union…”
Here’s what was on the original page back in 2023:
Awareness Tools
Citizens for transparency have started recording City Council and Commission meetings. We are using the first recordings as benchmarks, multi-educational tools to observe, review and evaluate our City government. Subsequent recordings will be reviewed for progress towards the goal of a citizen-focused and citizen-based government. Each of these YouTube videos have “study guides” or commentaries below the video.
November 20, 2023 Park & Recreation Commission
About 7 minutes into the meeting, Bill Tefft talks about zoning & coding for natural spaces and open spaces for Park & Rec activities. He speaks later on too. Maybe Park & Rec can get Planning & Zoning via City Council to act, plus maybe expand natural spaces? Kathryn Farion gives Garden Club updates and their future needs. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jo5rZ1nC0qg
This was originally presented on a “page” instead of an individual “post” on our website back in 2023 when Citizens for Transparency first set up this website. Concerns addressed then still exist.
Awareness Tools
Citizens for transparency have started recording City Council and Commission meetings. We are using the first recordings as benchmarks, multi-educational tools to observe, review and evaluate our City government. Subsequent recordings will be reviewed for progress towards the goal of a citizen-focused and citizen-based government. Each of these YouTube videos have “study guides” or commentaries below the video.
November 15, 2023 Planning & Zoning Commission
The P&Z meeting is posted in 3 parts. A and B are each approx 30 minutes, Part C approx 8 mins.
Part A = https://youtu.be/xhphp1iSHoo Includes motions to update Public Hearing procedures and training Commissioners on Robert’s Rules of Order
Part B = https://youtu.be/dn3Z5JCFpcU Includes discussion on Planning Unit Development (PUD) for next shoreline/campground development requests
This was originally presented on a “page” instead of an individual “post” on our website back in 2023 when Citizens for Transparency first set up this website. Concerns addressed then still exist.
This was originally presented on a “page” instead of an individual “post” on our website back in 2023 when Citizens for Transparency first set up website. Concerns addressed then still exist. Agenda & packets for this Open Hearing are apparently no longer available via City website.
Citizens for transparency have started recording City Council and Commission meetings. We are using the first recordings as benchmarks, multi-educational tools to observe, review and evaluate our City government. Subsequent recordings will be reviewed for progress towards the goal of a citizen-focused and citizen-based government. Each of these YouTube videos have “study guides” or commentaries below the video.
November 15, 2023 Open Hearing (canceled)
https://youtu.be/l2eL3P3G7Ks – Development/expansion of huge RV campground in residential area on Miners Lake, Ely, MN. Includes citizens comments before and after cancellation
This was originally presented as a “page” instead of a “post” on our website back in 2023 when Citizens for Transparency first set up this website. Concerns addressed then about notices for open seats on commissions and ethics still exist.
This is a snapshot. Scroll down for working links.
This is a snapshot. Scroll down for working links
Go See Speak Now!
Why attend ? Know before you go . . .
We try to highlight topics of “unusual” interest, point out documents posted, what questions folks should bring to meetings or events, etc.
City Council, Tues., Dec 5, 5:30 pm – Truth in Taxation 6 pm
Hopefully you’ll be able to attend these meetings in City Hall, or watch from home. (Midco 11 and 98.) Counc Link: Council packet. Check the City website again late Tues. for additions. There will also be a separate Truth in Taxation meeting. Link: Truth in Taxation packet. Council will probably convene its meeting, pause for Truth in Taxation, and then continue with the regular Council meeting.
Most important: Posting of openings for Commissioners whose terms expire the end of January
This is Item #13, New Business C: Advertise for Open Committee Seats that the term limits will be expiring or coming due in January 31, 2024. 1) Did you know there were term limits? Do people continually stay on the Commission(s) until some maximum limit? Where is that posted on the official Commission websites, ordinances, or City Charter? 2) Why didn’t City Hall provide a list of those upcoming open (?) positions, sorted by Commission, Committee or Board? Why does Council – or the public – have to search page-by-page, print or write out and then figure who reached their term limit, etc.? 3) Will Council request, indeed demand, an open and fair process to fill those open (??) positions? What are the qualifications, the real ones and not the political ones? Do we really need “experts” and lobbyists or people who think systemically and in the interest of Us the People?4) Will Council address City Hall’s proactive (politely phrased) seeking of a replacement of Commissioner Caruso on Planning and Zoning? Review Part C of the citizens’ recording of P&Z meeting on Nov. 15th. Part C = https://youtu.be/bZLWQTG4xA4 Includes discussions after P&Z meeting was adjourned
P&Z Nov. 15 minutes – Is all this – more length and details – essential? If you have time, compare pages 16-19 in the packet with YouTube recordings listed below. Especially look at 5:23+ time marker on Part A when Council Member Angela Campbell reports. What did she say the citizen requested from Council on Nov 7th? Codes of ethics, standards of conduct, conflict of interest and (finally) open meeting policies. The P&Z meetings only mention open meeting laws. Why didn’t ethics, standards and conflicts make it to the minutes? Why filter or cleanse from the record? This is why meetings need to be recorded and made public. Some individuals within City Hall, Council and Commissions want discussions about ethics, standards of behavior to go away.
Well Being Development is presenting on Tuesday – see pages 3-15 in the Council packet for their power point presentation in the Council packet.
Minutes – Telecommunications Advisory Board (RAB) vs Park & Rec See TAB minutes for Nov 30th (page 22 in the packet). It would be nice if Park & Recreation minutes could be typed up, reviewed and approved by the Park & Rec Commissioners so expeditiously (one day turnaround). As it is now, it takes about 2 months for Park & Rec’s official minutes to get posted publicly in the Council Packet. Is this a scheduling or processing issue? What can be changed?
MN Dept of Health Water Testing Results Item #10 Communications (pages 35-37 in the Council packet).
Item 9, Dept Reports, City Attorney. There’s no documentation, of course, for a closed meeting per MN Statute 13D for Strategy for Ely Supervisors of Other than Essential Employees
To see full agenda and Council 108-page packet posted on City website, go to https://www.ely.mn.us/council-meetings . If you want to comment on something before Council discusses or votes, it is too late. You can still request to appear during Open Forum at the end of the meeting. Check the Council Meetings website just before 5:30 pm on Tuesday for changes or additions. Not all last minute changes and additions are posted online in time for public or Council review. Check the table inside the Council Chambers for printed copies.
The public can email or call ALL of the Council Members and Mayor individually to voice their concerns and suggestions. Contact info is available via the City website https://www.ely.mn.us/council. Unfortunately, printing a one-page list of contact info from this Council + Mayor is not possible for many, most or all of us (?). Also, for some reason, the list is not alphabetical.
In this post, we will focus on 3 things: (1) Drafts of minutes and last week’s April 15th P&Z meeting, (2) Huge City Hall spending and funding requests for financially well connected businesses, and (3) the $$ impact on Ely after our School Board’s vote to go to a 4-day school week. Look for colors.
Glance through the entire 108-page Council packet posted online and then the last-minute changes and additions just before City Council meets at 5:30 pm in Tuesday, April 21st. The minutes and documents contain interesting tidbits. https://www.ely.mn.us/council-meetings
The Council packet posted a few days ago does NOT include draft/unapproved minutes of the last City Council meeting on April 7, 2026. This makes it hard for the public, Council, Mayor, City staff and speakers to review what happened 2 weeks ago should there be corrections. Not having the draft/unapproved minutes, means most of the public won’t know what actually happened on April 7th prior to the start of the April 21st Council meeting. The official Ely city newspaper, The Ely Echo, does not publish Council minutes until they are approved. Not everyone can afford or wants to pay Midco cable franchise fees to watch City Council meetings that are accessible 24/7/365.
Why aren’t the draft/unapproved minutes from the April 7th Council Meeting available in the packet? They are called “draft” or “unapproved” for good reasons. What is different this time?
Not all City commissions, boards, committees or authorities review and approve their minutes before submitting to Council and becoming public record. Not all type “draft” or “unapproved” at the top of their submissions. Check Tuesday’s packet and previous packets for minutes from the various committees. Supposedly, any revisions of minutes after approval are re-resubmitted with corrections. Has anyone ever seen that happen, seen the revisions posted?
There was an embarrassing (to some anyway) vote by Council on a recommendation from a commission that was not really recommended by that commission. If you view the recordings and documents posted on this website, it’s entertaining to see how nobody would directly admit any mistakes were done.
We all know it is too expensive for the City to pay for professionals to transcribe meetings or type up minutes from a recording. Volunteers are understandably welcome to be secretaries for the commissions they serve on. Typing detailed minutes is time consuming and difficult. Often the recorder doesn’t understand the other’s paradigm or philosophy or belief system, especially when they are not mutually shared. There are times, especially on controversial topics, that those writing minutes need to have a special sense of the English language to catch people’s use of nuances, subtleties and disclaimers. Another problem is Ely City Hall wants commission meeting minutes to be simple and short – few details – for a variety of reasons. There are problems with simple and short minutes. There’s a range between too much and too little. Commissions NEED TO review, discuss and correct as necessary their minutes BEFORE submitting to City Council and BEFORE becoming public documents.
Minutes filter info – Public needs 24/7/365 access to recordings
The public needs to understand and witness what happens in all City meetings. So does the Council, the Mayor, and City Hall. Here’s an example in Tuesday’s Council packet. Planning & Zoning submitted unapproved minutes from its April 15th meeting.
Compare what the speaker actually said with the minutes
Important points about what is done or not done in various committee meetings is missing. How can the City of Ely, Planning & Zoning, Park & Recreation, Land Use and Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee, etc. revisit, revise or improve if NOBODY says what’s wrong, what’s INTENTIONALLY excluded? Minutes should pass on useful comments, not filter them out. Some disclaimers and qualifiers are missing from the minutes. The speaker was given a generous 3 minutes. Not all last-minute speakers have hours to prepare crafted and typed out speeches to address ongoing systemic disregard of natural habitats and indigenous land acknowledgments as well as question some of the (missing) details in a shoreline excavation permit. Watch the unfiltered YouTube video and comments about P&Z posted on our website https://elyminnesota.com/blog/youtube-4-15-26-pz-private-beach-club-permit/ and compare with what was reported.
Left-side column above are “minutes” of speaker and P&Z discussion that can be compared with 16:08 – 22:11 time markers on the YouTube recording.
Among other things, notice the P&Z minutes do NOT include the words indigenous, Native American, or First Americans. P&Z and recorder apparently didn’t hear the speaker use these words, didn’t listen. They didn’t repeat any of those words in their discussion. If you can NOT hear, you can NOT claim you listened. Think about how Trump had “Climate Change” and other words deleted from government websites, etc.
The speaker gave more details about how natural spaces and indigenous history, culture and presence have been ignored by Ely. Not mentioned: Neither the Ely Chamber of Commerce nor The Tourism Bureau provide specific info or map about birding places in Ely. Listen to more specific comments about commissions and Comp Plan not recognizing nature, natural habitats for balanced development.
Right-side column above are “minutes” of P&Z discussion that can be compared with 45:45 – 1:26:00 time markers on the YouTube recording.
Scroll down to bottom of this post for more posts about Sandy Point.
Upcoming $$ impact on Ely with 4-day school week
Both Local papers The Ely Echo www.elyecho.com/ and The Timberjay www.timberjay.com cover the ongoing financial problems of our ISD #696 Ely Public School District.
ISD #696 posts agendas and minutes online at https://meetings.boardbook.org/Public/Organization/1352. On Monday, April 13th, ISD #696 voted unanimously to move to a 4-school week starting this coming fall. You’ll notice as of April 20th, the minutes for their April 13th meeting have not been posted, just the agenda. Many people are upset about that decision.
The Library minutes (draft?) from their April 8th meeting gives an insight into how much the whole community needs to step up, examine options, and do something to help the kids, their parents, and parents. 500 students. Imagine the scramble. What will parents do? Send their kids to other private or charter schools? Home school?
Concerned and caring Library staff and the Ely Community Resource Center (ECR) want to step up. They do not have extra staffing, space or money. Same with other social service organizations and businesses.
There is no recommendation/motion posted on the current Council April 21st agenda for the City to help out with finances for staffing, space or educational materials. Chances are Council would vote no anyway. Somehow there has to be a way to indirectly support families and kids. Council won’t ask the ISD #696 to take back their vote and thus keep a 5-day school week? Why not?
There are restrictions to the mixing of City budgets and School District budgets. There are things they can do, things they can’t. Council needs to do some brainstorming Tuesday night. Residents, parents and teachers need to send GOOD DOABLE suggestions to all of City Council, not just to their favorites. Check out www.ely.mn.us/council for Ely City Council contact info. Call or send a mass email.
ISD #696 School Board Information
If you are looking for information about running for the next School Board elections, this is the weblink: https://www.ely.k12.mn.us/school-board-election-information. The webpage needs to be updated. Three current Board Members are up for re-election. See column of the left.
Council will vote to spend 1/3 million $$ on City Hall windows
Except for a few rich and/or well invested individuals, everyone is worried about the direction of our economy. Most people are re-examining their expenses and plans. Most people are reviewing what is essential and what is non-essential. What about City Hall and City Council?
On April 21st, hopefully the tax-paying public and those facing higher costs, higher fees, fewer benefits, and more expenses will hear and be satisfied with explanations for 1/3 million $$ proposed cost for windows in City Hall. How many? Why do they need to be replaced now? Do all of them in RFP need to be replaced now? Notice the memo from the Ely Clerk/Treasurer doesn’t give details about the urgency to replace x number of windows.
For such an expensive project, why would only 2 companies submit bids? Was the RFP (Request for Proposal) written and posted in such a way, so that only a few companies would submit bids? Notice the memo from the Ely Clerk/Treasurer doesn’t give details about due diligence, i.e., why only 2 and not more bids were received.
In the memo from the Ely Clerk/Treasurer, there is no background information which committees or when Council (recently?) recommended this expensive project. These windows apparently were not in bad shape back in 2014.
Memo and bid tabulation came from the April 21st Council packet https://www.ely.mn.us/council-meetings The AI Overview of US economy in 2014 was from a Goggle search on April 20, 2026.
City voting to lobby for funding business with $$ connections
As people throughout the region are discussing federal and state cut-backs and insufficient funding for essential services, including but not limited to public schools, they are questioning what expenditures are essential or nonessential. Funding for infrastructure will be reduced.
Why is the City of Ely lobbying for IRRB funds to be used for the Old Train Depot development project? Why is the City of Ely lobbying for businesses that have good credit and (in)direct access to financing? They are “spin-offs” or closely connected with rich real estate investors and/or developers, including those who own other developed and non-developed or neglected properties and buildings in Ely. Setting up LLC’s are safe protections for them. This website has questioned the Old Train Depot development while Chapman and Sheridan are neglected.
Why isn’t the City focused on helping established small businesses and apartment owners in the City who have leaking roofs and other construction issues? Some are located next to vacant, neglected and possibly unsafe structures. The street-facing fronts don’t look the same as the alley-facing backs.
Below is the Projects Committee webpage which is accessible via https://www.ely.mn.us/boards Projects recommended the City of Ely lobby for funding for the OldTrain Depot/Bearhead Development. The Committee shall make recommendations to the Council of all matters dealing with community projects…Wouldn’t a massive revitalization/renovation of established current SMALL businesses be a “community project”?
There are homes in town frequently flooded by runoff from other homes or streets or underground streams. Their homes were deemed safe to occupy when they bought them. Now they have to come up with their own money to pay for (resolving) problems that originate off their property. Wouldn’t these be essential “community projects”? Why aren’t these types of projects on the Projects agenda and list of priorities? Aren’t Project Committee members aware of these problems in the community?
Are only large projects promoted and sponsored by lobbists, rich real estate investors and developers the only ones that are considered community-based? Projects is to serve as a forum for others to express their views on subjects relating to community projects . . . When was the last time Projects pro-actively announced an open forum for all small business and apartment owners to help create a community-wide revitalization/renovation project?? It is easier for Projects to passively sit and have rich developers and real estate investors come to them for funding they could secure on their own. Who decided the Trailhead Building was something the Ely community REALLY needed? Or the luxury hotel? Or the cannabis dispensary?
The economy is not on an upswing. Regular people are suffering. The City of Ely should refocus its energies, tax-payer dollars, funding sources, and community projects to serve the essential needs of its real community.
Youtube recording of 5/13/2026 Park & Recreation Board meeting wondering what role Park & Rec has and wants to take. https://elyminnesota.com/blog/whats-the-purview-of-park-rec-may-13-2026/
Check back soon for additional information and our response to the new CUP request to be decided by Board of Adjustment (BOA) on May 15, 2026: https://elyminnesota.com/blog/. This link will take you to the last post. To find other Recent Posts, scroll down the right-side of the screen. To search posts by topic or key word, use the search box on the right-hand side of screen. To search posts by category, scroll down the left-side of the screen.
What’s the purview of Park & Rec – May 13 2026
May 13, 2026 meeting agenda & package are normally available via https://www.ely.mn.us/government or https://www.ely.mn.us/parkrecmeetings. Scroll to the bottom for the YouTube recording of this meeting.
If you compare the board members’ backgrounds, skills, knowledge and employment with those on other Ely commissions, you’ll probably notice how the Park & Recreation Board best reflects the whole community. They care about the community they were appointed to represent. They respect each other & are open to questions & different opinions.
Trailhead Building Fiasco
But Park & Recreation (P&R) is being politically punished, precisely because they see themselves as voices of the greater community. Example: “Purview” of Trailhead Building was given to Heritage Preservation Commission (HPC). This was a nasty political decision, not a logical one. If you read minutes of Ely City Council, HPC and P&R over past months, a political fight was occurring. Many P&R Members resigned. Note HPC and P&R minutes are submitted to and posted in Council packets. See https://www.ely.mn.us/council-meetings
Request to Appear 1 – Margaret Egan presented an update on Trailhead Design; later Pam Turnbull joined. Both are co-chairs of the Heritage Preservation Commission (HPC). Excellent job. Good on-point critiques. However, their presentation could be considered a scandalous expose of EXPENSIVE INAPPROPRIATE design and EXPENSIVE INAPPROPRIATE furnishing of the Trailhead Building.
Design and furnishing were not HPC’s fault. Trailhead lobbyists, developers, designers, and installers did not get adequate input from users (building staff & public customers), because there were no commitments to occupy the building. Great opportunity for profiteers.
Who paid and is paying for the mistakes? Taxpayers, grant funders, and those who pay lodging taxes. We pointed out lack of fiscal due diligence https://elyminnesota.com/blog/city-council-dec-17-2024/. There are also several posts about the luxury Trailhead being built as if is were for billionaires in Jackson Hole Wyoming. See https://elyminnesota.com/blog/city-council-dec-16-2025-lodging-tax-trailhead-commission-appointments/
When the 12 photos are posted online at https://www.ely.mn.us/government look at them while Margaret Egan mentions problems and their recommendations. Rich resort towns like Jackson Hole, WY can finance expensive fancy digital displays that break down and software quickly becomes outdated. We’re Ely. We’re the getaway place, relaxing culture, back to simple nature. We like real maps hanging on the wall. When you hear about all the information to be displayed all over, does it sound like there’s a central theme or purpose? Or just cluttered and junky?
Does it sound like the Trailhead is to be used as a Park & Recreation site or a new Chamber of Commerce Building? What was originally presented to Ely citizens and Council? What was presented when funding was requested? And now what with all the expensive “necessary” changes proposed, what’s the REAL theme or purpose?
HPC’s recommendations mean more taxpayer $$, lodging taxes, and grant $$ pouring into the Trailhead Bldg. What’s the priority? Funnel more $$ into an underused building for the Chamber of Commerce or into actual services for people/nature.
Park & Rec’s purview to protect – Be proactive then and now
Request to Appear 2 – Frederica Musgrave asked about the role of Park & Rec in protecting bird habitats and Ojibwe culture. She and Bill Tefft had been addressing natural habitats and zoning since 2023 (Bill Tefft before). What has actually changed? There were no protections set in place after those many presentations.
Now we need them, but it’s too late. A BOA Public Hearing is set for May 20th re Sandy Point on Shagawa Lake.
Sandy Point is an important bird viewing site. Annual bird counting takes place there. The birds do not go to the parking lot, #8 on the map. It’s not just aquatic birds. Birds also go to the trees, land and bushes. Boat launches, construction, human activities and noise disturb bird habitats. One sentence from Sherry Abts’ email was read: “MN DNR and Loon researches state that DISTURBANCE of a SHORELINE is detrimental to Loon families.” What’s Park & Rec’s role to protect the bird habitat?
There was an Ojibwe village at Sandy Point. There’s nothing in Ely’s Comprehensive Plan, Tourism website, or Chamber of Commerce website about the Ojibwe at Sandy Point. Some people say there are burial grounds there. What’s Park & Rec’s role is protecting this site?
This photo from the Ely Winton Historical Society was passed around.
A paragraph from Anton Treuer’s Everything You Wanted to Know about Indians but Were Afraid to Ask was read and two excerpts passed around.
A good land acknowledgment will be local and specific, mentioning by name the tribes who have called the land in that area home. It will also acknowledge historical injustice. And it will make a call to action for the institution or group. I support land acknowledgements because they address invisibility and marginalization of Indigenous people. But the real trick is to make sure we don’t stop there: acknowledgment is a first step, not the end of the journey. If it isn’t followed up with real action, a statement is just performative. We need to work toward equity, inclusion, and empowerment of Native people in everything we do.
Everything You Wanted to Know about Indians but Were Afraid to Ask, Minnesota Historical Society Press, 2023.
Check Bois Forte Heritage Center, Ely library or local bookstore for copies. Also Treuer’s book Ojibwe in Minnesota.
Note: Question raised after meeting, “Would Treuer consider signage and plaques as being just a different kind of performative statement?” Furthermore, a sign/plaque identifying Sandy Point as a bird viewing site would not preserve or protect the shoreline or land habitat. It would not improve the lake water quality and clarity. It would not stop human activities: noise, boat launches, tree cutting or shoreline/land excavation when BOA grants variances and Conditional Use Permits.
Our website posts about Sandy Point
First post about CUP request sent to Planning & Zoning Commission for simple review on 4/15/2026: https://elyminnesota.com/blog/shagawa-beach-club-planned-nothing-for-birds/
Second post with YouTube recording after Planning & Zoning Commission tabled request until May: https://elyminnesota.com/blog/youtube-4-15-26-pz-private-beach-club-permit/
Third post about P&Z summary of Frederica’s speech and follow up discussion regarding Sandy Point., The P&Z draft of minutes was filtered. Minutes were posted within packet for City Council meeting on 4/21/2026. Scroll down to yellow highlight information. https://elyminnesota.com/blog/city-council-14-04-26-drafts-4-day-sch-wk/
Special new philosophical webpage Sacred – What guides us to decide? Are we using a moral gyroscope or moral compass to guide our decisions? https://elyminnesota.com/blog/sacred-what-guides-us-to-decide/
Youtube recording of 5/13/2026 Park & Recreation Board meeting wondering what role Park & Rec has and wants to take. https://elyminnesota.com/blog/whats-the-purview-of-park-rec-may-13-2026/
First post about CUP request sent to Planning & Zoning Commission for simple review on 4/15/2026: https://elyminnesota.com/blog/shagawa-beach-club-planned-nothing-for-birds/
Second post with YouTube recording after Planning & Zoning Commission tabled request until May: https://elyminnesota.com/blog/youtube-4-15-26-pz-private-beach-club-permit/
Third post about P&Z summary of Frederica’s speech and follow up discussion regarding Sandy Point., The P&Z draft of minutes was filtered. Minutes were posted within packet for City Council meeting on 4/21/2026. Scroll down to yellow highlight information. https://elyminnesota.com/blog/city-council-14-04-26-drafts-4-day-sch-wk/
Special new philosophical webpage Sacred – What guides us to decide? Are we using a moral gyroscope or moral compass to guide our decisions? https://elyminnesota.com/blog/sacred-what-guides-us-to-decide/
Youtube recording of 5/13/2026 Park & Recreation Board meeting wondering what role Park & Rec has and wants to take. https://elyminnesota.com/blog/whats-the-purview-of-park-rec-may-13-2026/
Check back soon for additional information and our response to the new CUP request to be decided by Board of Adjustment (BOA) on May 15, 2026: https://elyminnesota.com/blog/. This link will take you to the last post. To find other Recent Posts, scroll down the right-side of the screen. To search posts by topic or key word, use the search box on the right-hand side of screen. To search posts by category, scroll down the left-side of the screen.
Park & Rec’s purview to protect – Be alert and reactive
During Old Business, a proposed Pickleball site was discussed. Putting in the building would require cutting of trees, putting in new road, parking lot, and doing other land improvements. This is in wooded area near Shagawa Lake. (Pages 47-50.) Does all this natural land need to be disturbed? What City Hall, lobbyists, developers, and real estate investors propose is the easiest and most profitable for them. Their mission is not to preserve and protect nature.
P&R has NO current mission, recommendations or guidelines to preserve and protect natural spaces. Alternatives aren’t voiced. Short Term Goals (1-2 years) in P&R Comp Plan (Page 63): “Continue to Work with P&Z to establish City Nature Preserves, Green Spaces, & expectations for new developments.” Meaning nothing will be in place until 2027-2029? By then, many shoreline & land habitats will be destroyed/disturbed. Variances & Conditional Use Permits (CUP) are almost automatically approved, bypassing original guidelines in place for legit reasons.
Park & Recreation Board Members do not currently understand they have the power to say they want a different location option for Pickleball courts, etc. Until Park & Rec finalizes their sections of the Comp Plan with Planning & Zoning regarding green areas, Park & Rec still has the power to say they want a different location option for Pickleball or whatever development. Not every piece of open green space has to be developed. Until Park & Rec sets up a precedent and continues to insist on nature-balanced guidelines, BOA/Planning & Zoning and Council with approve almost every variance, CUP or development recommendations without giving a hoot about birds or natural areas.
If P&R was renamed Park, Health and Recreation . . . Then maybe the mental, physical & spiritual health needs of the whole community AND nature would be better addressed.