MY BRAIN IS EXPLODING JUST THINKING ABOUT IT!

648. Welcome to the Blog. Today we will have a story or two featuring Mayor Paine, a new regular column called “WELCOME TO TAMPON TIM’S MINNESOTA”. Also, the return of “A MOMENT OF CAITLIN” and much more. Hope you enjoy it.

THERE’S A NEW KID ON THE BLOCK

Got an email the other day about a new website. It’s called Soup Nutz. Here at the Blog we welcome any and all sites that keep our public officials accountable here in Superior. Because if you expect to read some of these stories in the hyper ideological Superior Telegram then you have very low expectations. So check them out and don’t forget the good work we get from our friends at the Duluth Monitor and another good source of information at former councilor Craig Sutherland’s Facebook page. Another one is Fox 21’s own Dan Hanger’s Facebook page. And if you know of any other sites drop me an email and I’ll give them a shout out. As they say “The more the muckier” or something like that. Here are the links:

SOUP NUTZ

soupnutz.net

DULUTH MONITOR

duluthmonitor.com

Dan Hanger’s Facebook 

https://www.facebook.com/dhanger

Craig Sutherland’s Facebook

   https://www.facebook.com/craig.sutherland.771

649. Today I want to start with a story that was published by our friends at the Duluth Monitor on Sept 13, 2024.

Mayor Paine ties Superior Municipal Forest preservation to family land deal

On September 13, 2024 By John Ramos

On July 18, 2024, at the regular quarterly meeting of the City of Superior’s Urban Forestry Tree Board, Mayor Jim Paine reported that he wanted to pursue State Natural Area Dedication for 60 percent of the Superior Municipal Forest—the highest level of land protection available in the State of Wisconsin. “Once you’ve dedicated it … it’s basically permanent protection and nobody can touch it again,” said Paine. “I am vehemently opposed to any development in the forest, ever.”

The city’s negotiations with the DNR include a land deal which involves property owned by Mayor Paine’s extended family members—his uncle, Fred Paine, and cousin (Fred Paine, Jr.). The mayor advised the Tree Board that, although a “perception of a conflict of interest” existed, he, himself, did not stand to gain anything from the deal.

The mayor’s explanation follows:

Mayor Jim Paine: A member of my much more extended family, my first cousin and … his father, Fred Paine, approached me several years ago, because … the property on which their home is, on the St. Louis River, the DNR holds a bird sanctuary easement on it. And it’s not functioning as a bird sanctuary. The DNR has never done any management or development of it as a bird sanctuary. To be perfectly honest with you, I think they were surprised to learn that they had an easement on the property, but once they did learn about it, that is their easement. So it clouds the title, more or less permanently, unless the DNR releases that easement.



The land has already been developed. Most of it has been developed, much of it. And so I approached the DNR on Mr. Paine’s behalf to ask about how a…the reason I got involved, the city was involved in the original deal that locked in the bird sanctuary and sold and developed the land for Mr. Paine. And so he asked the city’s help in resolving the issue. I approached the DNR about releasing the easement, at least on the developed parts of the land. The DNR still would like to keep the easement on the non-developed parts of the shoreline, parts of the land, [which] Mr. Paine agreed to.

In exchange for the easement release, the mayor was proposing that the city replace the DNR’s conservation land with land in the Municipal Forest.



Commissioners asked many questions about what would happen with the Municipal Forest under the new arrangement, but none questioned the mayor’s personal connection. The Tree Board voted to recommend the City of Superior proceed with dedicating part of the Superior Municipal Forest as a State Natural Area.

The Fred Paine property

As you enter the City of Superior via the Bong Bridge, Fred Paine’s property is visible on your right, the lot with the long driveway leading to two homes on the St. Louis River. One home is owned by Fred Paine and the other is owned by Fred Paine, Jr. A large outbuilding is also present on the site.



This property is adjacent to the Belknap Terrace Mobile Home Park and the construction yard for Alliance Steel Construction, both of which are owned by Fred and Nancy Paine.

Fred Paine has reported that he was unaware of the DNR’s conservation easement on the property when he bought it in 1992. He built his home within the easement in 1993, and, in 1995, he towed a barge to the site and grounded it in the shallows of the river, where it remains today. Both Paine’s home and the barge violate the easement. In 2008, Fred Paine Jr.’s home, too, was built on the easement.

When the DNR finds property owners violating conservation easements, they address the situation in a variety of ways. Property owners may be issued a fine or be required to conserve a comparable amount of similar land elsewhere.

In this case, Mayor Jim Paine is extending thousands of acres of the Superior Municipal Forest to the DNR for the release of an easement on the private Paine property.

“Inasmuch as it relates to the Paine easement, [what we’re offering is] much, much, much larger than what they’re losing,” the mayor told the Urban Forestry Tree Board. “I think that’s an acre [affected on the Fred Paine property]. I mean, granted, it’s, like, fish habitat and it’s shoreline, and the [DNR] doesn’t give up shoreline so easy, but they’re getting a lot of shoreline here [in the Municipal Forest].”



The mayor said, “The reason I suggested it, in the context of these negotiations, was—I mean, it’s possible I have an internal bias that I want to benefit Mr. Paine, but the real reason is I would like this forest protected in perpetuity.”

Why involve Fred Paine?

The Monitor emailed Mayor Paine, asking for more details on the Fred Paine deal. The mayor responded via email on Aug. 1, 2024:

Mr. Paine is not a member of my immediate family. I receive no employment or other economic support from him or his businesses. I have no financial interest in his property. He is a citizen of Superior. I therefore have a duty to provide him with the same services and support as any other citizen, so long as my efforts advance the public interest. It is a common and expected practice for the city, including mayors, to advocate and represent individual citizens directly to state and federal agencies. 

Mr. Paine’s concerns relate to land use decisions by the City of Superior. Decades ago, the city owned the land and granted the original easement to the DNR. Later, the city sold the property to Mr. Paine on the condition he develop major portions of the land. Mr. Paine was not aware that the land contained an easement that prevented much of the development, so he believes that the city sold him the land in bad faith.

As this transaction happened in the 1980s, I don’t have all the information, nor do I believe it is the relevant factor anymore. The questions in front of the city which triggered our involvement are basic land use issues. Does the Paine property better serve the city as a developed property or as a wildlife sanctuary? Does the municipal forest merit more long-term protection than it currently receives from local ordinance?

Neither I nor the city council have the power to release the easement on the Paine property. That decision falls solely to the DNR. The city must decide the value of placing the municipal forest into a new easement. The committee members and councilors may consider whether Mr. Paine’s interests are compelling or even relevant, or they can entirely ignore his interest in this matter. I simply have a duty to inform them of his interest and the role I played in these discussions.

After he has been out of compliance with the DNR for decades, the City of Superior is offering to shoulder the cost of resolving Fred Paine’s violations.

The Monitor sent Mayor Paine a follow-up email, questioning why the Fred Paine property was involved in the city’s negotiations at all. “It seems to be Fred Paine’s problem,” we wrote. “The DNR could assess him a fine or require him to replace the easement with property elsewhere, but [we] do not see what responsibility the city has to lift this burden from him. Every one of the goals the city is seeking to accomplish with dedication of the Municipal Forest could be accomplished without involving the Fred Paine property.”

The mayor responded on Aug. 8, 2024: 

I believe my original statement fully answers your question but I’ll try to re-state it more succinctly … You asked why the city is involved with the Fred Paine property. The city is involved for two reasons. First, the City granted an easement to the DNR on city-owned land. The city sold that land for development and has never since replaced the easement. This agreement corrects that mistake and fulfills the city’s original responsibility to provide a habitat preserve.

Second, the city intervened to help Mr. Paine because we help citizens. That is our only purpose. When citizens, businesses, or developers need help, we do everything we can. I’m proud to say we have invested millions of dollars helping Superior residents do everything from plant flowers in front of their home to building major industrial manufacturing plants. Helping Mr. Paine was relatively easy and costs the city nothing more than further protection for land that already enjoys the highest level of protection the city provides. Mr. Paine gains nothing other than land that he has already purchased and that is already developed. The biggest winner in this entire transaction are the people of Wisconsin, who long ago lost a wildlife sanctuary and now gain long term protection for the Pokegema and St. Louis rivers and the surrounding forest.

Years-long negotiation

The City of Superior and the DNR have been in negotiations over the matter for about six years.

According to DNR Public Affairs Section Manager Molly Meister, talks began in 2018. “The DNR reached out to the City in 2018 to address the matter,” Meister emailed the Monitor on Aug. 5, 2024. “The DNR reached out to the City and the landowners in 2019 to request resolution of the matter. Discussions have continued since that time.”

Meister provided us with detailed answers to our questions, which we reproduce here:

The DNR has been working to resolve violations of an easement it holds on property that was originally owned by the City of Superior.

In 1989, the City of Superior granted a conservation easement on land along and part of the bed of the St. Louis River to the DNR as part of the consideration for the DNR discontinuing a bird sanctuary on Barker’s Island. The purpose of the easement is to protect and enhance the lands for fish and wildlife habitat.

a) In 1992, the City conveyed the parcel encumbered by the easement to Frederick L. and Nancy Paine.

b) A residence was constructed on the property in 1993 and several portions of the property have been paved or had vegetation removed. In addition, a barge that now rests on the bed of the river was towed to the site in 1995.

c) In 2008, the Paines conveyed a portion of the property to Frederick A. and Dawn Paine, and an additional house and driveway were constructed …

The DNR holds a variety of easements throughout the state. When encroachments on these easements are discovered, the DNR seeks to make the state whole and can consider a range of options based on the particular circumstances including removal of the encroachment, exchange of lands, or direct payment to account for the diminished value of the easement.

The DNR has not agreed to a full release of the easement on the property, but is not currently seeking removal of the houses. The DNR has considered accepting a State Natural Area dedication on the Dwight’s Point and Pokegama Wetlands State Natural Area, which comprises approximately 60 percent of the Superior Municipal Forest, as a component of potential resolution of the matter. 

The State Natural Area (SNA) program protects tracts of land with important natural features that are predominantly free of human disturbance and contain outstanding examples of biotic communities, geological features, or archeological sites. The Dwight’s Point and Pokegama Wetlands SNA was designated in 1996 through a Memorandum of Understanding between the DNR and the City. Designation is a process which recognizes the conservation values of the land and sets forth management goals, but does not offer additional legal protection for SNAs on land not managed by the DNR.

Dedication is the process by which SNAs are afforded more permanent legal protection at the state level through the recording of Articles of Dedication on the land designed to protect property in perpetuity. The articles are a form of conservation easement held by the DNR which contain legally binding provisions for stewardship, custody, and protection of the natural values of the property. A dedicated SNA must be approved by the governor.

The City and the DNR are presently discussing some combination of a partial easement release, landowner actions, and SNA dedication in order to attempt to make the state whole.

In response to a follow-up query asking why the Paine property was involved in the negotiations at all, Meister responded:

The DNR addresses issues when they are discovered. The DNR did not approve of the development on the easement in question and was not aware that it had occurred until recently.

The City granted the easement to the DNR when the City owned the property; therefore, the DNR considers the City to bear some responsibility for the diminished value of the easement and for making the state whole. Cash payments do not replace the lost conservation values the easement was designed to protect.

As noted previously, the DNR reached out to both the City and the Paines to seek solutions to the encroachment issues. The DNR remains open to a variety of solutions to replace the value of the easement. 

According to the chair of the Urban Forestry Tree Board, Councilor Ludwig, a DNR representative will be invited to the UFTB’s October meeting to “address any questions and concerns” the board had about the Natural Area Dedication process.

Interested parties should set a reminder in their calendar for Oct. 17, 2024, at 4:30 p.m. The Urban Forestry Tree Board meetings are usually held in Government Center Room 204.

A message sent to Fred Paine via the contact form for Alliance Steel Construction, seeking comment for this story, received no response as of press time.

“Funny, I think I've heard this "no conflict of interest" line from the Mayor before...we didn't buy it then, Jimmy, and we don't buy it now either.”

“It’s hard to believe that a savvy businessman just didn’t realize about the easement when he purchased the property. It smells. “

“It does smell and his aunt and uncle also donate $500 each to his campaign–the most allowed by Wisconsin law.” 

“I’ve long thought some of that forest should be rezoned for development. There is no where to build within the city any more. But this is NOT the way to go about it!”

“Lots of the open fields would be great places to grow the tax base. I thought he was against development in “Wild” areas. Oh yea, only when it suits his needs…”



“Paine and his old lady have always had a conflict of interest. Time to boot them both out to the curb.” 

November 8, 2024

Let’s talk about the latest in Superior, Wisconsin, where the mayor’s got a big idea to save the forest. Here’s the pitch: 60% of the Superior Municipal Forest gets dedicated as a State Natural Area, so no one—no one—can ever touch it again. Pretty righteous, right? And here’s Mayor Jim Paine, standing up there saying he’s “vehemently opposed” to any development. But wait… there’s a twist.

Turns out this isn’t just about trees and squirrels. The deal includes land owned by none other than—get this—his uncle and his cousin. That’s right, good ol’ Uncle Fred Paine and Cousin Freddy Jr. have some prime riverfront property with a very inconvenient conservation easement on it. The DNR says it’s supposed to be a bird sanctuary, but it’s got houses, a driveway, and even a barge sitting in the water like a beached whale. So what does the mayor do? He steps in, like any good nephew, to help negotiate a deal with the DNR.



So here’s the mayor’s grand plan: give up your public forest land in exchange for lifting that pesky easement on his family’s property. But don’t worry! It’s a “win-win,” he says. Because his family gets to keep their development, and the rest of you get to sit on your hands and enjoy the “protected” forest land you already had.

Now, maybe I’m old-fashioned, but it sure looks like a case of public land for private problems. Here’s the thing: why should the city step in to clean up Uncle Fred’s mess? The DNR could tell him to fix it himself, pay a fine, or dedicate his own land. But now Superior’s stepping up to solve a decades-old problem the Paine family created—for free! You’re telling me this helps Superior? This is supposed to be “for the public good”? Feels more like a private favor.

This story was exposed, and sourced from the fantastic reporting of John Ramos from the Duluth Monitor.

Footnote: Requests have been submitted to the DNR for all documentation related to this transaction. This information will be made public to ensure that the citizens of Superior can make informed decisions.

Here he goes again. First it was Melissa Hyatt, now it’s possibly his family. He seems to like doing favors for targeted people. And in this case it might be the taxpayers of Superior that have something to lose. Is there a value to the land he wants to give away? If so what is that value? I think giving it away would be inappropriate and perhaps illegal. Why is it everything Jim Paine gets involved with seem to have shady and slimy side to it? Look, I don’t know enough about the process here I really have no knowledge of the process in these cases. So for that reason I don’t want to pass judgment on Fred or Fred Jr. Maybe an investigation would be an option.



I will say that I think John Ramos at the Duluth Monitor did a great job with his article and I think Soupnutz did a good analysis. But you know what tics me off the most?

That’s right. The Fake Superior Telegram and the Fake Duluth Tribune. They both should be ashamed of themselves. They are nothing more than ideological hacks for the Democrat party. This story should have been covered by both papers. Remember how they covered the Kathy Cargill story? They had a field day with it. Several articles.



But this story? Nothing, zero, nada. Are you trying to tell us that this story is not worth printing? C’mon man. Even Joe Biden agrees.

This is Fake News by omission. To not run this story exposes your bias and quite frankly makes you look stupid, foolish, irrelevant and not believable. And to my readers, you luckily now have choices. These two local rags no longer have a monopoly on local news anymore and that’s a good thing. They are not really newspapers, they are political operatives for the Democrat party.

I have outlined in many Blogs how Jim Paine likes to manipulate words, sometimes to enhance and sometimes to diminish the importance of the issue he is addressing. And this story is no exception. Below are some examples of that. 

“A member of my much more extended family, my first cousin and … his father, Fred Paine, approached me several years ago”

My response:

Excuse me Mayor, they are not “much more extended family”. Fred is your father’s brother and his son is your cousin. You didn't just find them after an extended search

 on Ancestry.com.

“I mean, it’s possible I have an internal bias that I want to benefit Mr. Paine, but the real reason is I would like this forest protected in perpetuity.”

My response:

Ya right Mayor “Forest Fairy”. And folks, if you believe that I have a forest in Superior to sell you.

“Commissioners asked many questions about what would happen with the Municipal Forest under the new arrangement, but none questioned the mayor’s personal connection. The Tree Board voted to recommend the City of Superior proceed with dedicating part of the Superior Municipal Forest as a State Natural Area.”

My response:

Of course the Commissioners didn’t question the Mayor’s personal connections and voted for him just like City Council does. All of these clowns should be removed from their positions and that goes for City Council as well. They are all afraid of the Mayor. They fear the repercussions they will receive if they vote against him. I have no idea why they are so afraid to stand up to him but the fact that they are disqualifies them from public service or office. We need people with a spine and a set of balls, not these weak little marshmallow lefties that dominate our current administration. They aren’t doing their job and they are ruining this city. 

“Second, the city intervened to help Mr. Paine because we help citizens. That is our only purpose. When citizens, businesses, or developers need help, we do everything we can. I’m proud to say we have invested millions of dollars helping Superior residents do everything from plant flowers in front of their home to building major industrial manufacturing plants.”

My response:



I am 2,000 miles from Superior and I can smell his bullshit from here. His only purpose is to help citizens? Do you know how many people he has fuck*d in this city? Too many to count. Jim Paine AKA “The Forest Fairy” has probably Fuck*d more residents of Superior in his seven years of terror than any other Mayor of this city in history. When I read crap like that it makes my blood boil. Like I said before, very little “triggers” me but this is one of them. He doesn't care one bit about the citizens of Superior other than a select few. You would have to look very hard to find a lesser life form than him on earth.

In this feature we will run a story that shows you, America, how you dodged a bullet by not voting this incompetent buffoon to national office. We will outline stories that we feel are detrimental to the state of Minnesota but also for the country. Here is today’s story.

  What We Know About Alleged 'Secret Affair' Walz Had 

   with Chinese Communist Party Official's Daughter

Jenna Wang told the Daily Mail and New York Post she had a relationship with U.S. Vice Presidential candidate Tim Walz in China, beginning in 1989. Walz, who was not married then, was part of a group of Americans teaching in China. The relationship was "secret" because Wang had to hide its existence from her father, who was a member of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The Harris-Walz campaign has not commented on Wang's assertions.

• Wang and Walz allegedly broke up because Wang expected a marriage proposal. When that didn't happen, she told media outlets she felt suicidal. She wrote that she remained in love with Walz until 2020.
• In an open letter, Wang stated that her father was a high-ranking member of the CCP "at the local level." Even if her father's credentials are not exaggerated, they would not, based on Wang's own testimony, provide evidence of a nefarious connection between Walz and China, as alleged by opponents of the Harris-Walz campaign.
• As of this writing, Wang was raising money for a "missionary" via a GoFundMe campaign. Via that website, Snopes attempted to contact Wang. In response, a man named Robert Gruber replied from an email address in Wang's name. He did not allow us to speak directly with Wang, but explained to Snopes that they were "in this together."

On Oct. 28, 2024, the Daily Mail and the New York Post both ran stories about a relationship between Democratic U.S. Vice Presidential candidate Tim Walz and a Chinese woman that allegedly occurred between 1989 and 1992.

I really don’t care who he was dating but if Ms. Wang and Mr. Walz had a son would they call him:

SUPERIOR, Wis. – FOX 21 learned Monday that a decades-long manufacturing facility in Superior is shutting down.

8 hours ago

Dan Hanger

Barko Hydraulics is located on Banks Avenue.

Employees found out Monday morning by mail that they are to not return to the office and are terminated Dec. 1.

Barko President Justin Rupar said in the letter to employees that Superior’s operations are being consolidated with a sister plant in Michigan.

Barko has been a leader in heavy forestry equipment manufacturing in Superior since 1963.

One terminated employee told FOX 21 that Barko has been more than a job for her family.

“My grandfather worked there for 40-plus years. My dad’s been there for 20-plus years. I was supposed to hit 3 years December 20th. Obviously, that’s not going to happen,” said Eber.

Barko’s letter said the number of employees being terminated is under 25.

More bad news for the Superior business community today. Especially losing a company that’s been here so long. And to make it worse they are consolidating their operations in Michigan. Without more info I really can’t comment more other than to say we are sad to see them go and wish them well in the future. By the way, as usual I haven’t seen any coverage from the two local newspapers. There is more on this story on the Fox 21 Web page. Here is the link:  https://www.fox21online.com/2024/11/18/decades-old-barko-hydraulics-shutting-down-in-superior/?fbclid=IwY2xjawGpVpFleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHSZ5L0QchhRZqqS7ttUGamoWgdRWUJzDlhLpCHbl0l5cpvMQvPT2PHtgCg_aem_H0of6HpkCLBSnnSIzoZNdg

I know how much you have missed your Caitlin news and I’ve missed writing them. I promise that won’t happen again.

Basketball sensation Caitlin Clark's fans are urging Nike to speed up the release of her custom sneakers.

The 22 year old sports star, who recently completed her debut season as the No. 1 overall pick for the Indiana Fever, was spotted sporting a vibrant pair of Nike Infinity Tour 2 golf shoes during a golfing session with teammate Lexie Hull.

This has led to an outpouring of demands from her massive fan base for Nike to expedite the release of her own basketball shoes, which were promised as part of her $27 million, eight-year deal with the sportswear giant.

Social media was abuzz with fans tagging Nike and demanding "Shoes now!" One fan even suggested that Nike could make millions by selling the shoes, tweeting: "You REALLY wanna make bank, @Nike? In addition to the Caitlin 1s, drop some Caitlin Golfs as well for good measure. You'll thank me later."



One fan accused Nike of tantalizing fans with custom shoes for Caitlin Clark, stating: "CC [Caitlin Clark] custom golf shoes.... they're just trying all the different ways to tease us about her shoe drop. Can Nike stop fumbling."

Clark has been a transformative figure in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). WNBA icon Sue Bird highlighted the 'Caitlin Clark effect' by pointing out the record-breaking viewership numbers since Clark's arrival.

On her 'A Touch More' podcast, Bird commented: "Viewership numbers with Caitlin Clark are astronomical. She brings in all the things. We know this, we've said this. Yes, the games that she's not playing have lower viewership."

In reference to other playoff games not featuring Clark, Bird added: "The WNBA playoffs, where Caitlin's obviously not in it because her team lost are still breaking records from previous WNBA years. These numbers are still really high and still really meaningful."



"Yet, some people continue to flip that... Nobody ever said Caitlin wasn't gonna be a marketing gem, a unicorn."

Sep 24, 2024 

Fortunately, they signed the woman to build a brand around. Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, Caitlin Clark. Instead, in the early Clark Era, Nike's stock has tanked over this span and the CEO just got ousted. By the way, though Clark got famous around 2022, If you want to buy her shoe, you could be waiting until 2026-27. 

WHAT? I can’t wait that long. I need them now and my shoe size is 15 EEE. So Nike I have three words for you.

Well, that’s it for today. See you all on the next one.



Thanks,

Brian