Ely mayor trusting mining industry “up to a point,” taxing Minn. skinny, gouged at MSP
Ely mayor putting trust in mining industry "up to a point"
CBS News: Once a big supplier of iron ore to the U.S. steel industry, the mines of Ely closed in 1967 as demand for American steel dropped. Today the town relies on 250,000 tourists drawn to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area every year.
"It's a big part of our community. It's what brings a lot of people here," said Ely Mayor Roger Skraba. But, "Does it produce all the money Ely needs to function? Absolutely not."
And while mining can be a boom and bust industry with a sketchy environmental history, Skraba is willing to take a chance.
"I trust the mining company up to a point," he said. "Up to a point. Like I trust the government up to a point. I have to trust somebody."
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