One Moment, Please… Upcoming election, Meet the Candidates

By Jason Sethre

Publisher

Fillmore County Journal

jason@fillmorecountyjournal.com

November 8 is just around the corner. 

Some of our readers may have already received a mail-in ballot.  Before you cast your votes, you may want to wait a few weeks to see what candidates have to say in writing in the Fillmore County Journal.

This past week, letters were mailed to all candidates running for office in opposed elections.  So, if a candidate is on the ballot without opposition, and they are a shoo-in, they did not receive a letter.

For those candidates who did receive a letter, we have invited them to submit a “Meet the Candidate Q & A,” with the following topics presented for consideration.

1. Tell us about yourself.

2. Why are you running for office?

3. What do you hope to accomplish if you get elected?

Each answer cannot exceed 100 words, and the candidates must include their photo.  If you are running for office in our coverage area and you did not receive a letter, please contact us at 507-765-2151 or news@fillmorecountyjournal.com as soon as possible.  All “Meet the Candidate Q & A” submissions are due by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, October 4, 2022.

For the benefit of our readers, we will publish these “Meet the Candidate Q & A” submissions in the October 10, 17, and 24 issues of the Fillmore County Journal.

The “Meet the Candidates Q & A” is always a great way for citizens to get acquainted with their voting options.

A special thank you goes out to Auditor/Treasurers Christy Smith (Fillmore County) and Donna Trehus (Houston County) for assisting with the process of collecting candidate contact information.

Some hotly contested races

Here is the long list of contested races in our coverage area.

State Senate – District 26: Jeremy Miller faces two contenders for State Senator of District 26, Eric Leitzen and Daniel Wilson.

Fillmore County Sheriff: Incumbent John DeGeorge faces former sheriff Tom Kaase.

Mayor of Canton: Current Mayor Cindy Shanks is not running for re-election, after assuming that appointment in July of 2022.  Donivee Johnson and Joshua Nordsving will be vying for votes.

Special Election for Council Member at Large (Canton): One seat open, and three contenders – Jennifer Dowling, Diane Drottz, and Jamie Knutson.

Mayor of Chatfield: Current city council member Pam Bluhm faces off with challenger John McBroom.

Mayor of Fountain: Tammy Danielson will go up against current city council member Ronald Reisner.

Mayor of Harmony: Incumbent Steve Donney faces challenger Sue Olinger.

Council Member at Large (Harmony): Two seats up for grabs.  Michael Himlie, Kyle Scheevel, and Sara Thacher will be facing off for an opportunity to serve the residents of Harmony.

Mayor of Lanesboro: Current Mayor Jason Resseman is running for re-election in a crowded space of candidates.  James Harstad, Pat Shanahan, and Ken Soiney have all thrown their name in the hat.

Council Member at Large (Lanesboro): Two seats available.  Mindy Albrecht-Benson and Chase Bakke, both currently serving on the council, have a challenger by the name of Susan Ritter.

Mayor of Ostrander: Current Mayor Pam Kunert faces challenger Stephanie Start.

Mayor of Peterson: Incumbent Tim Hallum will seek re-election against challenger Chris Stenzel (current city council member).

Council Member at Large (Peterson): Two seats available.  Current city council members Gail Bernard-Boyum and Dave Colbenson seek re-election, with Kristina Grindland entering the field.

Council Member at Large (Preston): Two seats available: Charles Sparks and Flossie Schultz are running for re-election, with Alex Daley joining the crowd for a seat the table.

Mayor of Spring Valley: Mayor Tony Archer faces challenger Ian Meisner.

Council Member at Large (Spring Valley): Current council members Luan Ruesink and Chris Danielson face challenger Justin Mlinar.

Council Member at Large (Wykoff): Two seats available. Caleb Himli seeks re-election with Jeff Hare and Rocky Vreeman also on the ticket.

Special Election for Council Member at Large (Wykoff): One seat open.  Jerico Bushman and Lyle Morey face off.

Kingsland School Board Member At Large: Three seats to fill.  Carmen Anderson, Gary Broadwater, Pamela Freet, and Kyle Rader all want your votes.

Chatfield School Board Member: Three seats available.  David Sovinski and Josh Thompson are the only two people running for election, which presents an opportunity for a write-in campaign.

Lanesboro School Board Member at Large: Three seats, and five contenders.  Kevin Horihan, Trent Olson, Steven Snyder, Steven Storhoff, and Angela Taylor are seeking a seat at the head table.

Rushford-Peterson School Board Member at Large: Three seats available.  Kris Leisen, Jeff Michel, Carl Schollmeier, and Nancy Snyder are on the ballot.

LeRoy-Ostrander School Board Member: Three seats available.  Paul Apenhorst, Dave Farlinger, Chase Huntley, Tim Lewison, Angie Olson, Kyle Stern, and Nick Sweeney are the contenders.

Houston County Commissioner – District 4: One seat, three opponents.  John Anthony Fuchsel, Bob Schuldt, and Bob Scanlan.

City Council (Caledonia):  Two seats available. Three opponents – Brad Rykhns, David Fitzpatrick, and Ryan Stenzel.

City Council (Hokah): Two seats available.  Cory Lorenz, Jerry Martell, Mike Walsh, and Tom Bernsdorf are on the ballot.

Mayor of Houston: David Olson will face Scott Wallace on Election Day.

City Council (Houston): Two seats available.  Three contenders – Steve Westby, Tony Schultz, and Zeb Bauman.

City Council (LaCrescent): Two seats available.  Cherryl Jostad, Leah Misch, and Teresa O’Donnell-Ebner are ready to serve the public.

City Council (Spring Grove): Two seats up for grabs.  Chad Rohland, Heather Edgington, and Stephen Kemp are on the ballot.

Houston School Board: Four seats available.  Six on the ballot – April Wright, Arlin “Pete” Peterson, Mark Swenson, Marissa Bailey, Nicole Johnson, Tara Klinski, and Derek Anderson.

Caledonia School Board: Four seats available.  Derek Adamson, Jon Kochie, Melissa Marshall, Mike Peterson, Seth Louks, and Tim Gunn will be seeking your votes.

LaCrescent School Board: Three seats available, and eight opponents vying for seat at the table.  Bonnie Martin, Chris Humble, Christine Meindel-Wagner, Danielle Martell, Darcey Cody, Nicole Miller, Sarah Byom, and Wade Welper.

Sample ballots published

in the newspaper

For cities, school districts, and county government, since the sample ballots, polling places, and testing of voting systems must be published two consecutive weeks prior to the election, please send us your sample ballots by no later than 5 p.m. on Tuesday, October 18, 2022.  We will publish them in the October 24 and October 31 issues of the Fillmore County Journal.  All election-related notices can be e-mailed to ads@fillmorecountyjournal.com. 

Candidate advertisements

For any candidates wishing to publish an advertisement in the Fillmore County Journal, please make note of a few important items.  All ads are due at our office by 5 p.m. on Tuesdays prior to the next Monday publication date and all ads must be prepaid at the time of ad placement.  Ads can be placed by e-mail at ads@fillmorecountyjournal.com or by phone at (507) 765-2151.  Our office is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Thursday, and 8 a.m. to noon on Fridays.