Business as usual for new county board chair

The Steele County Board of Commissioners’ new chair, Jim Brady, is expecting the coming year to be business as usual.
This is Brady’s second time as board chair. “It’s an automatic rotation, so I’ve made the circle once now,” he said.
Brady was born west of Medford and his district covers roughly two-thirds of the county. A rural district, it encompasses nine townships, Medford and Ellendale. He is currently serving out his second term as commissioner after being elected in 2014.
Born and raised on a farm outside Medford, Brady said he initially had no plans to become a public servant, instead filling his time with farming and road construction work. “Back when they started having budget problems and they were going to grind up roads in the country, and in Deerfield township where I live, there were a lot of people upset about that,” Brady recalled.
“I had back problems from my work and I heard that there was an election coming up for commissioner so I thought maybe I’d try that,” he said. “I campaigned hard and the guy I was running against campaigned hard. I think I went all over the county and talked to just about everyone.”
After spending a summer campaigning throughout the county, and getting to know some of the folks in the south, Brady defeated incumbent Bruce Kubicek in November of 2014. “I asked everyone what their concerns were and what I could do,” Brady said of his time on the campaign trail. “It was an experience and one that I don’t regret at all.”
Looking ahead to this year’s agenda, Brady sees it as business as usual, with some minor road work and highway department projects. One of the main issues remains to be COVID-19, which hangs over decisions like a specter.
Because of this, the board has continued to eye frugal fiscal policies and looked at distributing relief funds swiftly. “We’re keeping an eye on the state incase they distribute less money to the counties,” Brady said.
According to Brady the county is in a good position currently with staff and department heads continuing to work closely to ensure that the county prospers. “The department heads are doing a good job and I think they’re all cued in,” he said.
“We’ve got a super-mix with a lot of different knowledge in different areas and we all have different life experiences and I think we’re pretty representative of the people –our constituents– within the county,” Brady said of himself and his fellow board members.
As a public servant, Brady is aware that there will always be room for some constructive criticism. “Give me a phone call if you want and you can tell me what I’m doing wrong or what I can do better,” he said. “Constructive criticism is great. A guy can’t see everything.”
With a new year ahead of them, Brady and the county board will look to continue to weather the storm of COVID-19 while also continuing on with business as usual in order to keep the county running safely and successfully into the future.
 
 
 
Photo: Commissioner James Brady from the First District was elected Chair of the Steele County Board of Commissioners during the first meeting of the year. Commissioner John Glynn from District 2 was selected as the Vice Chair.