Cichos reelected, Wolsky and Bergquist elected to Stutsman County Commission

Kathy Steiner, The Jamestown Sun, N.D.
·3 min read

Nov. 9—JAMESTOWN — The Stutsman County Commission will have two new members on the five-member board.

Incumbent Steve Cichos was reelected and newcomers Chad Wolsky and Jerry Bergquist were elected to four-year terms in unofficial election results on Tuesday, Nov. 8. Bergquist and Wolsky will replace Ramone Gumke and Dennis Ova, who did not seek reelection.

With 100% of the precincts reporting, Bergquist had 35.7% of the vote, Cichos garnered 32.2% of the vote, and Wolsky 31.0%.

Also serving on the Stutsman County Commission are Mark Klose and Joan Morris.

The canvassing board will meet to certify the election results at 10 a.m. Monday, Nov. 21, in the commission room. The new commission is expected to begin work on Dec. 6.

Cichos, who was elected in 2018, said employee hiring, retention, pay and benefits are among top issues for the county commission. He said a salary study will be done, adding that employee hiring and retention issues are not unique to Stutsman County but are issues facing all counties and businesses in the state.

"I want to look at our employee benefits, make sure that we're compatible with other businesses in the area and treat our employees fairly," Cichos said.

Cichos also noted roads and federal funding as issues too.

He reiterated what he said in June after the primary election that while the county received some ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) funds, "it's still taxpayer's money so I feel we have to do our due diligence on spending that properly."

Cichos said roads will always be an ongoing issue for Stutsman and other counties in the state.

"That's going to be a continuous battle as costs keep increasing," he said.

Wolsky farms near Kensal, lives in Jamestown and owns Wolsky Contracting, an excavating business.

"I look forward to representing the county's interests at the local, state and federal level," he said. "I am also looking forward to long-range planning for Stutsman County, including managing the county's budget and finances."

Bergquist served as the Stutsman County emergency manager for 32 1/2 years before retiring in 2021. After receiving enough write-in votes to be on the fall election ballot for the Stutsman County Commission, he decided to run for the position.

Bergquist said housing is a primary issue, noting he has served on the Salvation Army advisory board for about 30 years and on the Stutsman County Homeless Coalition for about 12 years. He said the county is "a team player" in the housing issue.

"I really do believe that even though the county commission can't be the total answer to housing they can be part of the answer and I'm hoping that the commission along with the other organizations involved with housing can come up with some solutions to find affordable places for people to live so that we're not hampering the economic development part of what we want to try to do," Bergquist said.

He thanked those people who wrote him in during the primary election and voted for him.

"I will do my very best to follow through with what those — any suggestions that individuals have I'll certainly be listening to them and I'll try to bring those forward the best I can to the commission," he said.

Also reelected in unofficial results were the following:

* Stutsman County Sheriff Chad Kaiser, who received 98.9% of the vote.

* Stutsman County State's Attorney Fritz Fremgen, who garnered 98.7% of the vote.

* Geneva Kaiser will return as director of the Garrison Diversion Conservancy District with 99.5% of the vote.

* Bernard Wanzek received 99.6% of the vote for the supervisor, soil conservation district, Stutsman County Conservation County.

All positions are four-year terms.

The Jamestown Sun was voted the official newspaper for Stutsman County, with 100% of the vote.