Although township elections are not held until March, the time for citizens interested in running for a town board seat to file is now. The filing period to run for treasurer or supervisor for the townships of Lutsen, Schroeder or Tofte opened January 1 and will close at 5 p.m. on January 15. Each of the townships is holding an election for a supervisor term of three years and a treasurer term of two years.
Lutsen supervisor undecided
In Lutsen, the incumbents are Treasurer John Groth and Supervisor Joe Buttweiler. Contacted by phone, Groth, who has served as Lutsen treasurer since 2004, said he has filed and hopes to continue to serve as township treasurer.
At press time Buttweiler said he was undecided reguarding whether he will run.
To file for office in Lutsen, contact Town Clerk Silviya Duclos at (218) 370-9255.
Schroeder incumbents file for reelection
Both of the Schroeder incumbents— Treasurer Alisha Kangas and Supervisor Tina McKeever—said they would run again. Reached at press time, they each said they had filed their intent to run for re-election at the town meeting on January 8.
McKeever is running for her second term as supervisor. “I would like to keep at it,” she said. “During the first term you are just kind of getting your feet wet.”
To file for office in Schroeder, contact Town Clerk Doug Schwecke at (218) 663-7559.
Tofte treasurer stepping down
Tofte may see a change on its board. Incumbent Supervisor Jim King said he would like to continue his service on the town board and said he would be paying his filing fee at the upcoming Tofte meeting.
Tofte Treasurer Mary Jane Huggins said she is ready to step down. The owner of Tall Tale Yarn Shop in Tofte, Huggins said the shop is keeping her too busy. And, she added, the treasurer position has become much more complicated than when she was first elected clerk.
However another Huggins— Mary Jane’s husband, Bill Huggins— has decided to run for the position. Huggins previously served as Tofte Supervisor and was a member of the school board of School District 166. Bill Huggins said that now he is retired, he feels he has the time to devote to the treasurer position. “I know it’s hard to find anyone to take over,” he said. “So I thought I would give it a try.”
To file for office in Tofte, contact Town Clerk Barb Gervais at (218) 663-7315 or (218) 370-0763.
A non-refundable fee of $2 is charged at the time of filing. Township elections are held the third Tuesday of March. The 2013 election will be March 19.
Get involved in your township
Townships are the original form of local government in Minnesota, established as part of the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 which created the State of Minnesota. The township form of government, a carryover from Europe, served as a familiar building block to develop the state by dividing land areas into 36 square mile units known as congressional townships. Today, the term township generally refers to organized but unincorporated communities governed by a local board of supervisors and created to provide services to their residents. There are 1,790 townships across the state.
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