Commissioner reflects on decision to step away

Dick Brenner knows how to win an election. Eight of them, amounting to 32 years on the Carlton County board alone, to go with 17 years as a Cloquet school board member.

"I have a philosophy," he said. "When you run you have to have a visible name and the best way to do that is to put out lawn signs. I had over 500 lawn signs in my district. Particularly, you need to get all the corners."

Brenner also knocked on doors in his district twice each campaign season, receiving sandwiches, cookies and bottles of water from residents who had the time to listen.

Brenner, 85, announced he won't seek a ni...