The primary election contests that perhaps most interest Cook County voters are the local races to narrow the field for county commissioner and judicial seats. Citizens watching the county websitesite on Tuesday, August 10, 2010 had to wait a little longer this year because the procedure for counting absentee ballots has been changed since the 2008 election recount in the Al Franken – Norm Coleman Senate race. All precincts are counted and then the absentee ballots are counted and added in. Election officials said this slowed the count and it was after 10:00 p.m. before the first precinct results were posted. At a little after midnight, all the votes had been counted and the candidates for the November ballot selected.
In commissioner district 3, the candidate garnering the most votes was Lloyd Speck of Grand Marais with 128, followed by Grand Marais Mayor Sue Hakes with 118. Speck and Hakes will be on the general election ballot on November 2, 2010. Out of the running is incumbent Commissioner Bob Fenwick of Grand Marais who was next in the election tally with 79 votes, followed by Grand Marais City Councilor Kay Costello with 45, Keith Kuckler of Grand Marais with 23, Garry Gamble of Grand Marais with 21, and Cathi Williams of Grand Marais, with 14. Another Grand Marais man, James Smith, withdrew from the election after the ballots were printed. He received one vote in the Grand Marais West precinct.
In commissioner district 5, incumbent commissioner Bruce Martinson of Schroeder received the most votes with 255, followed by Lutsen Town Supervisor Diane Parker with 117. Tofte Supervisor Paul James will not be on the general election ballot. He received 88 votes.
Tim Costley of Two Harbors won the 6th district court judicial race in Cook County with 561 votes on the North Shore; however that did not match the regional vote. Garnering the most votes across the district was Mike Cuzzo of Duluth, who received 6,276 to Costley’s 4,787. Both men say they want to be the North Shore judge, citing experience working in Cook County and a connection to the North Shore. The two men will face off on the November ballot.
A race that perhaps surprised some Cook County DFLers was the Democratic ticket for governor, which matched endorsed candidates Margaret Anderson Kelliher and John Gunyou against Matt Entenza and Robyne Robinson and Mark Dayton and Yvonne Prettner Solon. Anderson Kelliher won the DFL endorsement, but not the primary, losing in Cook County by a narrow margin to Dayton. Anderson Kelliher’s votes totaled 475 countywide and Dayton’s, 506. Statewide results duplicated Cook County, with Dayton taking the state primary with 182,638 or 41.32% to Anderson Kelliher’s 175,774 or 39.77%
Republican-endorsed candidate Tom Emmer easily defeated his challengers with 107,537 or 82.45%. Independence party candidate Tom Horner also won the primary with 11,393 or 64.26% of his party’s vote.
Independence and Republican Party candidates Jual Carlson (I) and Dan “Doc” Severson (R) were unopposed in the Secretary of State race, so they will face Incumbent Mark Ritchie (D) on the November ballot. Ritchie defeated Dick Franson with 81.77% of the vote.
The Attorney General race also brought only one candidate from the Independence Party, Bill Dahn. Republican Sharon Anderson lost the primary to Chris Barden and DFLer Leo F. Myer lost to Incumbent Lori Swanson.
Bill Hamm, the DFL challenger to James Oberstar, 17-term US Representative for District 8, was soundly defeated with Oberstar claiming 80.29% of the vote. Oberstar easily won the majority in Cook County, claiming 988 votes out of a possible 1,627.
Oberstar issued the following statement Tuesday evening. “We live in a great country. Only in America is it possible for the son of an ore-miner and a homemaker that worked in a shirt factory to make ends meet to run for one of the highest offices in our republic,” Oberstar said, “I am honored and humbled by the trust the people of Minnesota have placed in me.”
Oberstar will face Timothy Olson of the Independence Party and Chip Cravaack of the Republican Party in November.
The November 2 ballot will include the choices for races that had no opposition or only two candidates, such as commissioner district 1 which will see Incumbent Commissioner Jan Hall of Hovland facing former county attorney Bill Hennessy of Colvill.
County positions on the November ballot will be County Attorney Tim Scannell, Auditor-Treasurer Braidy Powers, Sheriff Mark Falk, and Recorder Dusty Nelms, all unopposed. Three Soil & Water supervisor seats are also up for election, James Hall, David Berglund, and Roger Haertel, all unopposed as well.
Other slates on the general election ballot are yet to be filled. The filing period for the City of Grand Marais, School District 166, and the North Shore Hospital Board are open until August 17.
At press time, Mark Sandbo had filed to run for mayor of Grand Marais and Dave Palmer Jr. and incumbent Bill Lenz have filed for a council seat. Mary Sanders had filed for re-election for school board District 3, but no one had filed for District 1 or 5. All three hospital board incumbents— Sharon Bloomquist, Howard Abrahamson, and Thomas Spence Sr.—had filed for reelection.
For more information on the election or for information on filing, contact the Cook County Auditor’s office at (218) 387-3640.
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