Some school districts hold elections today

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.

May 20, 1997

By Devlyn Brooks

Staff Writer

Although most school districts have already switched their school board elections to a state-mandated general election date in November, several area districts are holding their last spring elections today before switching.

The law, which was passed several years ago, according to Bemidji schools Superintendent Rollie Morud, will require all school districts to hold elections in November and to have four-year school board terms, which will result in staggered board elections every two years.

Morud said previously almost all school districts held elections in the spring, and therefore those holding elections today are still changing to meet the requirement. Bemidji switched to November elections several years ago.

As some districts are still going through changes, they will have unusual terms as well. For instance, some districts are electing 5 1/2-year terms at the polls today.

Here is a sample of some of the school board races occurring in the region:

• Cass Lake-Bena School District will elect a three-year term and a five-year term, and polls located at the the old high school gymnasium and Bena Community Center will be open from 3 to 8 p.m. Terri Vail, an incumbent, is unopposed for the three-year seat, and fellow incumbent, Sherry Erickson, is also unopposed for the five-year term.

• Bagley School District will be electing two 4 1/2-year terms at a number of polling places, which will be open from 4 to 8 p.m. There are six candidates vying for the two seats. Paula Davis, an incumbent, has spent six years on the board; challenger Stacey Bukoski is currently attending Bemidji State University; Arthur Lang, who lives in rural Mahnomen, reports he has attended two technical colleges in Bemidji and Detroit Lakes; Melva Theis has an associate degree in nursing; Chuck Waibel, the affirmative action officer for the Clearwater County DFL Party, holds a bachelor's degree; and write-in candidate Wendy Fultz is a local First Responder.

• Laporte School District will elect three board members to terms of unreported length, and the polls on the school stage will be open 5 to 8 p.m. Running unopposed for the three positions are current board member Jay Buchannan, former board member Marcia Tysver and John Fallgren.

• The Park Rapids district is electing one six-year term and one four-year term at various polling places, which will be open 4 to 8 p.m. Dennis Dodge, who is completing his second, three-year term on the board, is running against Fred Hofer, a self-employed firewood entrepreneur, for the six-year term. Originally, there were three candidates for the four-year term, but Peter Dombrowski has withdrawn from the race. His name will appear on the ballot, however. David East, who is employed by Itasca State Park, and Frank Schaap, who is a Cass County Social Services supervisor, are the remaining candidates.

• The Blackduck district will elect two seats of unreported length, and the polling booth in the high school will be open from 4 to 8 p.m. Twenty-seven-year school board veteran Pat Gilstad is the only incumbent, and challenger Bob Stroeing is a self-employed logger and construction worker. Dale Compton, who is retired because of a disability, and Mavis Lossing, an assistant manager at Tree Farmer Sales in Bemidji, round out the challengers.

• Kelliher School District will elect two, four-year terms, and the polling booth in the high school gymnasium will be open 5 to 8 p.m. Dave Wuollett, and incumbent, has served three terms on the board, and incumbent Gary Leonhardt owns and operates a beef, hog and wild rice farm. Challenger Marianna Lindberg, a former board member, is a licensed real estate tax assessor, and challenger Gene Erickson is the owner of Erickson Mills Inc. and Erickson Woodchips. The final two candidates are jerry Stensing, a steward forester for the Beltrami and Clearwater Soil and Water Conservation District, and Wendell Krueth, who has been a foster- and adoptive parent for 14 years, and reports to be a guitar dealer.