Roger Skraba

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Roger Skraba
File:Roger Skraba expressway signing.jpg
Member of the Minnesota House of Representatives
from the 3A district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 3, 2023
Preceded byRob Ecklund
Personal details
Born (1961-11-29) November 29, 1961 (age 64)
Ely, Minnesota, U.S.
PartyRepublican
Residence(s)Ely, Minnesota, U.S.
EducationNorth Dakota State University (BA)
Occupation
WebsiteGovernment website Campaign website
Military service
Branch/serviceUnited States Army
Years of service1986-1994
RankSergeant

Roger J. Skraba (/ˈskrɑːbə/ SKRAH-bə;[1] 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.[2][3]

Early life, education and career

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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.[2]

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.[2][4][5]

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.[6] After Anderson lost the primary to Rick Nolan, Skraba endorsed Cravaack.[7]

Minnesota House of Representatives

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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.[8] 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.[2][9][10]

Skraba serves on the Capital Investment, Environment and Natural Resources Finance and Policy, and Legacy Finance Committees.[2]

Political positions

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In 2010, Skraba, a longtime supporter of the mining industry, urged then-Governor Mark Dayton to pick department heads sympathetic to mining projects.[11][12] He has criticized environmentalists in the DFL party, saying that northern Minnesota has been hampered by onerous permitting processes for mining.[13] Skraba opposed the Biden administration's decision to cancel leases for Twin Metals copper-nickel mine in the region.[14]

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".[15][16] 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".[17] He co-sponsored a bill extending unemployment benefits to laid-off miners, which passed the legislature in 2023 with bipartisan support.[18]

Electoral history

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2002 Minnesota State House - District 06A[19]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic (DFL) David K. Dill 10,804 56.21
Republican Tom Porter 4,318 22.46
Independence Roger Skraba 3,945 20.52
Write-in 155 0.81
Total votes 19,222 100.00
Democratic (DFL) hold
2015 Minnesota State House - District 3A Special Election[20]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic (DFL) Rob Ecklund 4,591 63.39
Republican Roger Skraba 1,399 19.32
Independent Kelsey Johnson 1,144 15.79
Write-in 109 1.50
Total votes 7,243 100.0
Democratic (DFL) hold
2022 Minnesota State House - District 3A[21]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Roger Skraba 10,867 49.98
Democratic (DFL) Rob Ecklund (incumbent) 10,852 49.91
Write-in 22 0.10
Total votes 21,741 100.0
Republican gain from Democratic (DFL)
2024 Minnesota State House - District 3A[22]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Roger Skraba 14,443 55.54
Democratic (DFL) Harley Droba 10,779 41.45
Forward Rich Tru 712 2.74
Write-in 73 0.28
Total votes 26,007 100.0
Republican hold

Personal life

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Skraba lives in Ely, Minnesota. He is Catholic and attends St. Anthony's Catholic Church in Ely.[2]

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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.[23] He was fined $3,630, sentenced to 40 hours of community service, and placed on probation for two years.[23] He has previously filed for bankruptcy.[13]

References

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