Why are issues relating to mining and forestry important to city folks? Hillsider asks County Commissioner candidates for statements

Two candidates are running for District 1 County Commissioner. They are:

Dennis Fink, Incumbent
Frank Jewell

The Hillsider asked two questions of candidates for District 1 County Commissioner:

1. Why are you running? How will your decisions affect the day-to-day lives of people in your district?

2. St. Louis County is a huge county, over 6,000 square miles [It is larger than three of our smallest states: Connecticut, Delaware and Rhode Island]. We have an abundance of natural resources including mining and lumber. Why should people in the core neighborhoods of Duluth be concerned with issues related to mining and forestry?