Filings closed for area city, county state elections
Jun. 1—The races are set for elections in several area cities, counties and legislative districts, with the filing period having closed Tuesday.
In the race for an open seat for Nicollet County District 4 county commissioner, North Mankato resident Tom Hagen filed Tuesday against North Mankato Mayor Mark Dehen, who had filed earlier.
In 2016 Hagen ran against Dehen for the North Mankato mayoral seat and lost.
In April, Dehen lost a special election for county commissioner to Dave Haack who will serve out the term of Denny Kemp, who died. But redistricting created new commissioner districts and Haack was thrown into a new district with County Commissioner Jack Kolars. Haack, a former county commissioner, did not file to run against Kolars.
Four of the five Nicollet County commissioner races are being contested.
In Blue Earth County, four of the five commissioner districts have just one candidate.
In both Blue Earth and Nicollet counties, there are contested races for sheriff.
Mankato
Mayor
It's a three-way race for Mankato mayor.
John Martin West and Toby Leonard are challenging first-term Mayor Najwa Massad. With three candidates in the race, voters on Aug. 9 will decide in the primary which two advance to the general election.
Ward 1
Councilwoman Karen Foreman is being challenged by Michael McLaughlin in the Ward 1 race.
Ward 1 runs south of Madison Avenue, along East Main Street and across Highway 22 to the east edge of the city.
Ward 3
Kevin Mettler and Don Friend are running for City Council in Ward 3. The ward, which had no incumbent council member when new lines were drawn this spring as part of redistricting, is in the central hilltop area of Mankato.
Ward 3 generally is north of Stadium Road, south of Glenwood Avenue, east of Highland/Val Imm and west of Pohl Road (although it extends as far east as Victory Drive for the neighborhood north of Balcerzak Drive).
Ward 5
Councilwoman Jessica Hatanpa is being challenged by Kevin Bores.
Ward 5 is south of Stadium Road to the south edge of Mankato, running east to South Victory Drive.
Blue Earth County
County Board
Dist. 1
Retired Taxpayer Services Director Patty O'Connor is running in commissioner District 1, which was left vacant by the resignation of Colleen Landkamer.
Dist. 2
Incumbent commissioner Vance Stuehrenberg is running in Dist. 2.
Dist. 3
Former County Attorney Arneson is running against incumbent Commissioner Mark Piepho.
Dist. 4
Commissioner Kevin Paap is running in Dist. 4.
Dist. 5
Commissioner Kip Bruender filed in Dist. 5.
Sheriff
Two longtime sheriff department deputies, Paul Barta and Jeff Wersal are facing off to replace retiring Sheriff Brad Peterson.
Nicollet County
County Board
Dist. 1
Darrell Pettis and Jennifer Andrashko are challenging incumbent Commissioner Marie Drantell.
Dist. 2
David McGuire is challenging incumbent Terry Morrow.
Dist. 3
Commissioner Jack Kolars of North Mankato is running in Dist. 3.
Dist. 4
North Mankato Mayor Mark Dehen is being challenged by Tom Hagen, of North Mankato, for the Dist. 4 commissioner seat.
Dist. 5
Kurt Zins of rural Nicollet is running against Commissioner John Luepke of rural Courtland.
Sheriff
Sheriff Dave Lange is being challenged by sheriff's deputy Marc Chadderdon and Mankato police officer Chad Honetschlager.
Legislature
Dist. 15B
Veteran Rep. Paul Torkelson, R-Lake Hanska, filed for another term in District 15B. On the final day of filing, Democrat Tom Kuster of New Ulm threw his hat in the ring. The district includes New Ulm, Hanska, Sleepy Eye and Springfield.
Dist. 17B
Republican Bobbie Harder of Le Sueur filed for the House seat.
Dist. 17B starts near Gibbon to the west and snakes up to the Shakopee area. It includes Winthrop, Gaylord, Le Sueur and Henderson.
Dist. 18A
Democrat Jeff Brand of St. Peter is challenging Rep. Susan Akland, R-St. Peter.
The district covers Nicollet County with a piece in Blue Earth County around the Mankato Regional Airport.
Dist. 18B
Rep. Luke Frederick, DFL-Mankato, is being challenged by Dar Vosburg, R-Mankato.
The district includes Skyline, Mankato and Eagle Lake.
Dist. 19B
In District 19B, which includes Waseca, Democrat Abdulahi Ali Osman, of Owatonna, is running against Republican Rep. John Petersburg, of Waseca.
Dist. 22A
Bjorn Olson, R-Fairmont, is running against Marisa Ulmen, DFL-Madelia, in District 22A, which includes southern Blue Earth County, eastern Watonwan County, most of Martin County and western Faribault County.
Dist. 22B
Brian Pfarr, a Republican state representative from Le Sueur, faces Democrat Marcia Stapleton of rural Le Sueur. The district includes Madison Lake, Le Sueur, Montgomery and Henderson.
Senate
Dist. 15
Larvita McFarquhar, R-Lynd, is making a primary challenge against Republican Sen. Gary Dahms, of Redwood Falls, in Senate District 15. Democrat Anita Gaul of Marshall also filed Tuesday.
District 15 includes Brown County and stretches into the northwest corner of Blue Earth County.
Dist. 17
Incumbent Glenn Gruenhagen, R-Glencoe, is being challenged by Chad Tschimperle, DFL-Cokato.
The district includes the areas around Gibbon, Winthrop, Gaylord and Henderson.
Dist. 18
Sen. Nick Frentz, DFL-North Mankato, is being challenged by Republican Mark Wright, of North Mankato. The district includes Nicollet County and Mankato and Eagle Lake.
Dist. 19
Sen. John Jasinski, R-Faribault, has filed for another term for Senate Dist. 19, which includes the city of Waseca. Democrat Kate Falvey also filed on Tuesday.
Dist. 22
Sen. Rich Draheim, R-Madison Lake, filed for reelection and has no opponent.
The district runs from the Iowa boarder and angles up around east edges of Mankato and Eagle Lake and includes St. Peter, Le Sueur, Le Center and Montgomery.
To check all candidate filings, go to the secretary of state's site at: candidates.sos.state.mn.us
(For many cities in Minnesota that don't hold primary elections, including North Mankato and St. Peter, the candidate filing period won't come until later in the summer).
