Filings create election contests

I first started at the Bemidji (Minn.) Pioneer as an intern in the summer of 1996. That would begin six years as a news reporter, sports reporter and copy editor for a small, six-day-per-week daily newspaper in northern Minnesota. I wrote a large range of stories from multiple beats, to features to sports, my favorite being the coverage of the Red Lake Reservation High School basketball team named the Warriors. Here is a collection of my stories from my time at the Pioneer.

July 16, 1996

By Devlyn Brooks

Staff Writer

During the closing days of election filing, there has been a flurry of action involving a number of local congressional and state seats, with few recent filings in county and city elections.

The newest filings for Senate District 4 came July 10 as Republicans Brad Nord and Becky Livermore both filed for the vacant Senate seat. Both live in the Bemidji area, and Nord is currently a Beltrami County commissioner. DFL-endorsed Dave Ten Eyck, a Brainerd-area attorney and resident of East Gull Lake, filed for the same office July 2. All three will be vying for the seat vacated by the resignation of Sen. Skip Finn, DFL-Cass Lake.

Incumbent Roger Moe, DFL-Erskine, will be facing Republican candidate August Ollrich, who filed July 11, in the Senate District 2 race.

There will be a three-person fight for the House District 4A seat currently held by Rep. Bob Johnson, DFL-Bemidji, who will not be seeking re-election after three DWI convictions last year. Beltrami County Commissioner and rural Bemidji resident Gail Skare received the DFL endorsement and filed July 3 for the position.

There is no IR-endorsed candidate, but two Republicans have filed. Bill Lawrence, publisher of the Native American Press/Ojibwe News and a Bemidji resident, filed on opening day, and Jeff Aakhus announced his campaign Wednesday as part of a large filing ceremony on the Capitol steps in St. Paul. Aakhus, a Bemidji resident, lost a close race against Johnson two years ago.

Another highly contested race will involve House District 4B, which is currently occupied by Tony Kinkel, DFL-Park Rapids. Kinkel was the last to file, Monday, in a three-person race. Republican Matt Swenson and Reform Party candidate Henry Krumwiede both filed last week.

Incumbent Edgar Olson, DFL-Fosston, filed for the House 2B seat July 8. No one has filed against him.

Incumbent DFLer Collin Peterson is as yet uncontested in the 7th Congressional District race, and incumbent DFLer Jim Oberstar will be facing Republican Andy Larson in the 8th Congressional District contest.

In Beltrami County races, there has only been one recent filing. Ray Poxleitner of Kelliher filed Monday for the Beltrami Soil and Water Conservation District Area 1 supervisor position. Poxleitner is an incumbent.

There are two county races that have not changed recently. Incumbent District 2 Commissioner Audrey Richardson and incumbent SWCD Area 2 Supervisor Don Krueger are both unopposed thus far. However, three candidates have filed for District 4: incumbent Richard Florhaug, Joe Nipp of Blackduck and Chris Pfeifer of Blackduck. The three have competed before. Florhaug defeated Nipp in the 1992 general election by about 200 votes.

All five Bemidji City Council members up for re-election are running unopposed as of Monday. The incumbents are Mayor Doug Peterson, At-Large Councilor Rosemary Given Amble, Ward 1 Councilor Ralph Zachman, Ward 3 Councilor Gordon Oberg and Ward 5 Councilor Bruce Atwater.

However, all of these races could still change because prospective candidates have until 5 p.m. today to file for the above races.