Roger J. Skraba (born November 29, 1961) is an American politician serving in the Minnesota House of Representatives since 2023. A member of the Republican Party of Minnesota, Skraba represents District 3A in northern Minnesota, which includes the cities of International Falls and Ely, and parts or all of Cook, Itasca, Koochiching, Lake, and St. Louis Counties. ^{[1] [2]}

Early life, education and career

Born in Ely, Minnesota, Skraba graduated from Ely Memorial High School and from North Dakota State University with a bachelor's degree in construction management. Skraba served in the United States Army for nine years, attaining the rank of Sergeant. ^[1]

Skraba served on the St. Louis County Board of Adjustment and Planning Commission. He was a member of the Ely City Council and was elected mayor of Ely four times, most recently in 2021. ^{[1] [3] [4]}

Skraba, who was a DFLer before joining the Republican Party of Minnesota, endorsed candidate Jeff Anderson in the 2012 DFL primary to challenge Chip Cravaack for Minnesota's 8th Congressional District. ^[5] After Anderson lost the primary to Rick Nolan, Skraba endorsed Cravaack. ^[6]

Minnesota House of Representatives

Skraba was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in 2022. He first ran for the state House in 2002 as the Independence Party nominee, finishing third behind Republican Tom Porter and Democrat David Dill. He ran again in a 2015 special election after Dill died, and lost to DFL nominee Rob Ecklund. ^[7] Skraba defeated Ecklund in 2022 by 0.07 percent, triggering an automatic recount under state law, after which Skraba was declared the winner by 15 votes. ^{[1] [8] [9]}

Skraba serves on the Capital Investment, Environment and Natural Resources Finance and Policy, and Legacy Finance Committees. ^[1]

Political positions

In 2010, Skraba, a longtime supporter of the mining industry, urged then-Governor Mark Dayton to pick department heads sympathetic to mining projects. ^{[10] [11]} He has criticized environmentalists in the DFL party, saying that northern Minnesota has been hampered by onerous permitting processes for mining. ^[12] Skraba opposed the Biden administration's decision to cancel leases for Twin Metals copper-nickel mine in the region. ^[13]

Skraba, who has worked as a canoe guide, has supported northern Minnesota's tourism industry but said it "does not produce all the money Ely needs to function". ^{[14] [15]} He supported a 2023 infrastructure package that included over $40 million in funding for projects in northern Minnesota, saying it was "a good bill for the Northland". ^[16] He co-sponsored a bill extending unemployment benefits to laid-off miners, which passed the legislature in 2023 with bipartisan support. ^[17]

Electoral history

Personal life

Skraba lives in Ely, Minnesota. He is Catholic and attends St. Anthony's Catholic Church in Ely. ^[1]

Legal issues

In 2010, while mayor of Ely, Skraba was sentenced in federal court after pleading guilty to driving his snowmobile in the restricted Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. He was also sentenced for breaking into a U.S. Forest Service shed and stealing a portable toilet, which he had hidden. ^[21] He was fined $3,630, sentenced to 40 hours of community service, and placed on probation for two years. ^[21] He has previously filed for bankruptcy. ^[12]

References

External links

• Roger Skraba at Minnesota Legislators Past & Present
• Official House of Representatives website
• Official campaign website