Although the voters in Cook County Commissioner District 2 will see three names on their ballots in the primary election on August 14, only two of those citizens are still candidates. Kelly Swearingen of Grand Marais has withdrawn from the race.
Reached by telephone, Swearingen confirmed that she had decided not to seek election. Swearingen said the decision was not made lightly. “I know I disappointed a lot of people, but after a lot of thought, I decided it would be too much for our family right now. We thought we could make it work, but not this year.”
Cook County Auditor-Treasurer Braidy Powers said Swearingen had not withdrawn in time to not be included on the ballot for District 2. “A candidate only has two days after the filing period to withdraw,” he said. “So her name will be on the ballot.”
The other candidates running for the District 2 seat are incumbent Fritz Sobanja and challenger Garry Gamble.
The News-Herald asked what would happen if Swearingen received enough votes to win in the primary. “That could happen, I suppose,” said Powers, adding that theoretically Swearingen could win the primary and go on to be on the ballot for the general election November 6. She could—theoretically—win the general election to claim a seat on the county board, which she does not want. “At which point the county board would have to appoint someone as commissioner,” said Powers, who said that was a very unlikely scenario.
A candidate forum scheduled for Tuesday, July 24 for District 2 on WTIP radio has been cancelled until the general election in November.
There are still plans for a live candidate forum on WTIP for Commissioner District 4 on Thursday, July 26. Incumbent Jim Johnson has announced that he will not run for re- election. Running for his seat are Gail Anderson, Rick Austin and Heidi Doo-Kirk.
WTIP’s Jay Andersen and Rhonda Silence of the Cook County News-Herald will share the questioning, with the public invited to call in or e-mail questions before or during the broadcast.
Tune in to WTIP at 90.7 Grand Marais; 90.1 Grand Portage; or 91.7 Gunflint Trail on July 26 from 6 – 7 p.m. to hear from the candidates. Questions for candidates may be e-mailed in advance of the broadcast to the Cook County News-Herald at starnews@boreal.org.
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