Glassheim’s goodbye after 30 years on council
June 25, 2012 at 5:15 pm in Grand Forks Herald
After 30 years on the Grand Forks City Council, Eliot Glassheim had his final full day as an active member of the council was Monday. He sat in on a brief Finance/Development Committee meeting. He announced in February he was not to seek re-election. Continue Reading
“Relative to the rest of the state, we’re not growing as fast as we should be”
hmmmmm, you don’t say…..seems we have a mystery on our hands here.
Like or Dislike:
16 
3
Some mystery.
Total lack of fiscal responsibility on the part of the Council, the School Board, and the Park Board.
Too much “low income housing” and not enough push to raise wages.
Importing additional poor people as if we didn’t have enough already.
Corporate Welfare out-of-control.
Taxpayers shoulder the burden.
Hot debate. What do you think?
22 
12
To address two of your points:
1. GF will always have low wages due to its high concentration of service jobs and large pool of college students to work there.
2. Taxpayer burden is increased due to city governments’ thirst for high-ticket projects: Alerus, fitness center, new elementary school, et al. Not to mention an attempt to get a waterpark and new library at citizens’ expense.
Well-loved. Like or Dislike:
22 
7
Shurkey hates people who do not look like, sound like, believe like, and earn like he does. If Tiger Woods is the poster boy for multiculturalism, Shurkey is his antithesis.
Like or Dislike:
4 
7
Oh, come on FN! Why is it that in contemporary discourse difference of opinion now habitually gets characterized as hate? “Atheists hate God.” Management hates unions.” “Americans hate illegals.” This is just ad hominem and inflammatory language.
Like or Dislike:
7 
2
Oh please Gene, give me a break. Re-read Shurkey’s comments. Too much low income housing … Importing more poor people as if we don’t have enough …
These are not the thoughts and sentiments of a community minded citizen with strongly held positions deserving of consideration; they are the words of a bigot & must not be left unchallenged.
Real world example: before the strike many ACS employees were in the middle class. Many also believed as Shurkey does.
Now that they no longer have health insurance (so their doctor won’t see them without a cash deposit) & their buying power & credit have taken a serious hit; many are a tad more sympathetic in their views.
Shurkey is entitled to his/her opinion. He/she is not entitled to its acceptance.
Like or Dislike:
5 
4
Mr. Glassheim is the most enlightened councilman in the history of Grand Forks.
Hot debate. What do you think?
15 
24
Besides being a heck of a nice guy. It’s impossible to dislike him if you meet him. I wish him well and hope he continues in the legislature. Gook luck, Eliot!!!
Like or Dislike:
19 
7
Oh I would disagree. It’s very easy to dislike him. Effortless, in fact. Glad to see him gone.
Like or Dislike:
11 
12
Does “enlightened” mean “free-spending; fiscally irresponsible; spendthrift; lacking in respect for taxpayers”?
The best I can say is that maybe he was better than his replacement. Time will tell.
Like or Dislike:
11 
10
Paved streets would equal free spending in your dictionary.
Like or Dislike:
15 
9
Absolutely not. Fixing the streets is something the City has perpetually failed to address properly.
Even when they pay for street work, they have it done by INCOMPETENT CONTRACTORS, and we wind up with 32nd Avenue crumbling into the sewers. To add injury to insult, they then pay a contractor to fix what should be covered for free under a performance warranty.
Like or Dislike:
13 
5
I didn’t say anything about their competency but only referred to your attitude about spending. It wouldn’t matter how they performed because your favorite pastime is finding flaws with government.
Like or Dislike:
11 
4
That is a joke, his liberalism is one of the reasons GF isn’t as great as it could be. With him gone maybe things will improve.
Like or Dislike:
8 
3
I don’t live in Grand Forks, so I don’t follow things there closely. Please cite two or three examples of Glassheim’s liberalism that were, in your opinion, harmful to Grand Forks. I know a bit about the library and the Alerus, but please help me understand whether you have specifics or you are simply labeling and dismissing.
Like or Dislike:
1 
4
Low wages + Hotel + Restaurant = Civil Slavery… Just simply add it up… Hal Gershman should have been the one to go first..
Like or Dislike:
16 
8
Never happen. Gershman covets being the Doge of Grand Forks.
Like or Dislike:
12 
5
Enjoy your retirement Eliot. Weed a few gardens for Dyan and make her smile.
Like or Dislike:
5 
4
I do not know Mr. Glassheim from Adam and probably would not recognize him in Hugos. The first thing to catch my eye was “retiring after 30 years.” I just spent a month and a half complaining about Mayor Brown and his 12 – now 16 – years. 30 years??!!
I know ND are pathologically resistant to change, but that is ridiculous. Does no one in this state pay attention to history? George Washington quit of his own free will after two terms because he did not want to set a bad precedent. FDR, arguably one of the greatest Presidents of the 20th century scared people so bad they passed a constitutional amendment limiting Presidents to two terms after he died.
Those are just the good guys. What about the Darth Vader’s of the world? J. Edgar Hoover, that paragon of American values and blackmail. The only person whose death garnered more sighs of relief was Osama. Then you have the ultimate half man and half machine that just keeps turning up: Dick Cheyne.
In America it does not matter how good you are. No one should be in office, any office for that long. That is not public service, that is a dynasty, and that is not the American way.
Like or Dislike:
10 
8
flyingnurse, I often agree with you, but I strongly disagree with your comments here. There is a bit of a difference between the president of the United States and a city councilman, a county commissioner, a schoolboard member, etc. These representatives of the people are known personally, in many cases, by the majority of those who vote for them. (That was the point made by those of us who opposed Measure 2.) These people are our friends, neighbors, and sometimes our relatives. They seldom serve out of a desire to wield power or amass a vast fortune. Their service is almost always sacrificial. There are so many people who serve the public in so many ways because they know that if they don’t do it, either no one else will or some narrow-minded ax-grinder will run and undo much, or all, of what they have worked for over the years. Exactly what is the virtue of inexperience?
Like or Dislike:
4 
5
Glen: our difference is one of political philosophy. The founding fathers never intended for there to be a ruling class; an aristocracy. As I said, 30 years is not public service, it is a dynasty.
For how many of his 30 years did the councilman set or heavily influence the council’s agenda? By definition long term politicians wield more power than newcomers. Again, those are the hallmarks of a dynasty.
I do not question his motivations. I question the soundness of a system that allows this to take place.
Like or Dislike:
6 
3
My first attempt was moderated, so I will try again.
I do not know Mr. Glassheim from Adam and probably would not recognize him in Hugos. The first thing to catch my eye was “retiring after 30 years.” I just spent a month and a half complaining about Mayor Brown and his 12 – now 16 – years. 30 years??!!
I know ND are pathologically resistant to change, but that is ridiculous. Does no one in this state pay attention to history?
George Washington quit of his own free will after two terms because he did not want to set a bad precedent. FDR, arguably one of the greatest Presidents of the 20th century scared people so bad they passed a constitutional amendment limiting Presidents to two terms after he died.
In America it does not matter how good you are. No one should be in office, any office for that long. That is not public service, that is a dynasty, and that is not the American way.
Like or Dislike:
8 
7
I already replied to your first post, but I continue. I don’t know Mr. Glassheim personally either, though I do recognize him when I see him. I can only guess where he stands on any particular issue. I am pretty certain, however, that the voters who first elected him to the council as well as those who continued to re-elect him knew him and knew his stances on most issues. So you, who admit you don’t know him from Adam, think it a shame that those who do know him would keep electing him!
Should we have time limits on nurses, doctors, teachers, policemen,…? Eight years and out…?
Like or Dislike:
5 
3
Glen,
In America public service was never intended to be a job. Public service is not supposed to be a career, but unfortunately we have allowed it to become one
Like or Dislike:
6 
2
As governements at all levels have morphed from being the sevants to the masters, the intoxicating promise of power rendered the notion of “service” pretty much a joke.
Like or Dislike:
4 
2
I could not agree more. That is the rationale behind my oft repeated belief that government will never do the right thing of its own free will. It must be forced.
Government is akin to fire. It can cook our meals, be used to make electricity and power our warships. It can also destroy everything in its path (look at CO, AZ, and NM).
Fire is to be used, but corralled. Never trusted, and never left unattended.
Government is much the same.
Like or Dislike:
5 
1
And you’re just talking about elected officials. It’s the nameless bureaucrats that actually run the government, interpret the laws, enforce the regulations. You mentioned Hoover; he was the obvious one. Tens of thousands of them inhabit the halls of power.
Like or Dislike:
2 
4
Flyingnurse, please don’t spell my name with one “n”. I am Glenn, a totally different guy than, Glen.
We are going to have to agree to disagree on the issue of limiting terms. I will agree that there should be limits, as the Constitution has been amended, to a president’s terms. (I’d prefer one six-year term.)
However, to limit the terms of those at the level of a city councilman is illogical thinking at best. Glassheim’s seat on the city council was not a job. His career was not as a city councilman. He faced election and defeated his opponents many times. The voters in his precinct, who would certainly recognize him at Hugo’s, voted for him. For you to say that they should have had to settle for someone else because he was prohibitted from running by an arbitrary time limit is to elevate your opinion over that of the majority of the voters in his precinct.
I agree that the founding fathers never intended for there to be a ruling class, but the founding fathers did NOT place term limits on anyone, representatives, senators, not even the president’s.
Like or Dislike:
3 
0
Glenn,
You are correct that the founding fathers did not place term limits on any office. They did not have to. They did it themselves, voluntarily.
Career politicians are a post civil war invention. Prior to that time many people held the same office for years, but the government was only in session very intermittently. The Civil War changed all that.
The power of the government in general and the Presidency in particular mushroomed because of that conflict. Also, reconstruction in the south and the need to maintain slave labor by another name virtually guaranteed a ruling aristocracy.
We can disagree. That is what these boards are for. You value experience in keeping the trains running on time. I distrust all politicians, including myself (I ran for city council in CA and lost) and those I like.
Fire is to used but never trusted or left unattended.
Like or Dislike:
2 
1