Remember when cities had actual leaders with vision, backbone, and maybe a functioning clue?

Well, Superior’s got Jim Paine, who stood by while the city’s entire tourism strategy got nuked and replaced with—wait for it—a 2% sales tax comparison.

That’s right, the marketing strategy, endorsed under his administration’s glassy-eyed stare, boils down to:

“We’re 2% cheaper on sales tax than Minnesota.”

You know what else is cheaper? A gas station sandwich. Doesn’t mean you build a tourism campaign around it.

🧾 Mayor Jim’s Big Plan: Let the Council Wreck It, Then Say “Hmm Interesting”

While Council President Lindsey Graskey was busy plagiarizing Duluth’s tourism moves and calling it strategy, what was Mayor Paine doing?

Absolutely nothing.

No veto.
No public pushback.
No alternative plan.
Just a lot of email chains and quiet nods while the city tossed out decades of tourism infrastructure in favor of a tax gimmick.

This is the same mayor who once micromanaged recycling bins but now can’t be bothered to intervene while the city’s dump gets flushed down a storm drain.

🧠 If Inaction Were a Strategy, Jim Paine Would Be a Genius

Jim Paine’s track record on tourism is like watching someone throw darts blindfolded while the dartboard’s on fire:

• Let the Chamber contract die with no contingency in place.

• Supported—a tourism commission that justified killing a visitor center with “we’re like Duluth, but 2% cheaper.”

• Allowed a $600K tourism surplus to sit around like a forgotten gift card.

• Said nothing while a commissioner who doesn’t live in Superior (Bruce Barron) who maybe exposed a financial scandal more twisted than a pretzel at the State Fair.

And let’s not forget: when Bruce dropped a 30-page nuke on Travel Superior’s sketchy accounting, Jim responded like a guy who just got caught asleep at the wheel:

“I believe you’ve made some errors, but the bulk of it looks sound.”

Translation: “I have no idea, but now I’m pretending I do.”

💼 The Buck Stops… Somewhere Else?

Jim Paine has mastered the art of plausible deniability.

• Tourism’s a mess? That’s the commission’s job.

• Contracts falling apart? Talk to the council.

• No marketing plan? Let’s compare sales tax rates and hope no one notices.

• Chamber relationship imploded? Hey, I didn’t do that.

He’s like a magician who disappears whenever anything goes wrong—except no one’s clapping.

📉 Superior’s New Tourism Math: Less Leadership, Less Tax, Less Vision

While Duluth pumps money into real attractions, Superior’s pitch is “come here, it’s cheaper.” That’s it. That’s the elevator speech.

Instead of creating reasons to visit, Superior’s just banking on the idea that tourists will do the math between Wisconsin’s 5% sales tax and Minnesota’s 7%.

You know who notices that? No one.

Except maybe Jim Paine, who seems to think Superior’s charm begins and ends with a line item on a receipt.”