‘Punk kid’ retires as commissioner after successful 22-year career

Tom Pagel looks back with pride

When he joined the Isanti County Board of Commissioners in 1982, Tom Pagel was considered a punk kid who wanted to change everything.

He was 33 – half the age of everyone else on the board at the time.

He lived on a lake, not a farm. He’d been raised in the cities.

When he asked for copies of the county letterhead to respond to constituents, fellow commissioner Lloyd Stavem told him straight up, “I don’t know that I want my name on the same letterhead as you.”

It was a rocky start to a 22-year career as commissioner.

Looking back, Pagel laughs and recalls how much he learned from those first board members that he served with: Glenn Johnson, Robert Hupfer (“what a mentor he was”), Frank Weisbrod and Lloyd Stavem.

It was then as it continued to be through the years. “You discuss the issues, and you can disagree,” said Pagel. “When you’re done you still may feel like you don’t agree with the person, but it’s not personal.”

Isanti County Board members have always treated each other with respect despite being from diverse backgrounds, noted Pagel.

Pagel himself was a stay-at-home dad for a time, ran a management company, and worked for Elerby Architects. He now handles investments and has residential property in Florida, Texas and Arizona.

WHAT DOES A COMMISSIONER DO?

It’s not uncommon for Pagel to fence the question: “What does a commissioner do?”

Being a county commissioner is a time-consuming position, according to Pagel. There’s no set schedule. You attend meetings during the day, evenings and weekends – often with an hour notice. You go to funerals and birthday parties, and any other gathering a constituent asks you to attend.

“It’s easy to question what government does, but when you dig a little deeper it becomes apparent that someone has got to do it,” noted Pagel.

To be a good commissioner, you have to be willing to hear both sides of every issue, according to Pagel. You need to be open, and love people.

During his time in office, Pagel sought to be just that sort of person. He showed up at the local coffee shops to hear about the issues. He was open to new ideas and suggestions.

“I never had a horse in the race. There was nothing that serving as a commissioner benefited me personally,” Pagel noted. He wasn’t a large landowner, had no kids in the criminal system, and had no family in the welfare system.

He learned one lesson well. “Anytime you try to control people’s use of what they own, it can be very contentious.”

“I would hope that people thought of me not as a commissioner, but as a fellow resident and citizen, a voice through which they could present their concerns,” said Pagel.

During the last few decades, Pagel was off the board for one term. District lines were redrawn and pitted three incumbents (Page, Weisbrod and Ellsworth Johnson) against each other. Pagel sat one election out, and was then re-elected in 1996.

Pagel was on the board when the first county coordinator, Carolyn Drude, was hired. Previously, the county board itself was the direct supervisor of department heads, and auditor Dennis Bengtson took minutes at meetings. He worked with all four county coordinators since: George Rindelaub (current Stearns County Administrator), Larry Johnson, Robyn Sykes (current Minnesota County Insurance Trust Executive Director), and Jerry Tvedt (who retired Jan. 9, 2009).

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

There are many things the county board has accomplished over the years, but there are a few that Pagel is especially proud of.

In the mid-1990s, a county-wide addressing system was instituted. “That’s been key to improving emergency medical services,” Pagel remarked. As a firefighter and former medic, Pagel recalls plenty of times before the system was installed when they relied on directions from dispatchers to get them where they needed to be. Judy Norman, who passed away last month after a long battle with cancer, was the best, he noted. She knew where every rock and silo was in the county. “Many people have their lives because of her,” he added.

Taking an aggressive stance on welfare fraud, the county hired an investigator to focus on that issue. Thousands of dollars have been recovered since.

Garbage has been a big issue over the years. When the state decreed it was closing all landfills and no more would be opened (a ruling that was later changed), counties were left trying to figure out how to handle trash. Kanabec, Mille Lacs, Pine, Chisago and Isanti joined together to create the East Central Solid Waste Commission. They were allowed to burn or compost garbage. As composing seemed like an environmentally sound option, the commission built a facility and began experimenting with it, recalled Pagel. The project failed because they didn’t realize how much plastic was in the local waste. It was shut down in 1992.

The commission also pushed to eliminate burn barrels. While the effort was supported by Chisago and Isanti counties, the others didn’t stand behind it.

In the late 1990s, the county created the Sentence-To-Serve program for people who have screwed up but are willing to work and give back to the community, noted Pagel. The STS crews have been a huge help, doing everything from cleaning brush for townships to demolishing walls in the county Oakview renovation project.

In 1990, Pagel pushed for the creation of the Rum River Enhancement Fund, believing then as he does now that the Rum River is a huge asset to the county. The fund evolved into an overall park fund, which provided a means for the county to purchase park land. While the system is not elaborate, the land is there, and the county can now develop it.

Pagel has also supported the formation of lake improvement districts. Green Lake led the way, and was followed by Long Lake (where he lives). Lake Francis is in the process of establishing a district. The first district started out contentious, but has been well-received since.

WHAT HE'LL MISS

His plans for the future? “To relax and enjoy the grandkids.” Pagel has recently remarried, has three kids and two step-kids, with eight grandkids and another on the way.

“I’ll miss dealing with people,” he said. But he still intends to show up at local coffee shops to find out what’s going on. He’ll keep organizing the Isanti Pro Fire-Fighter Rodeo, and will continue as a member of the Isanti Fire Department and the Isanti Lions Club.

“Who knows? I might get back into public office someday,” Pagel stated.