Lutsen Township needs a supervisor candidate for its town board in the spring election. No one filed for the soon-to-be vacant position as the filing period ended Tuesday evening, January 12. Tofte also has a blank spot on its ballot for the Treasurer office. These positions might be filled by write-in votes. All other incumbents up for election in March in Schroeder, Tofte and Lutsen have filed for re-election. There are no contested races in the three West End townships besides the two write-in contests.
Each of the three townships this year elects one Supervisor to a three-year term on the board and a Treasurer to serve a two-year term. Township Clerks are elected in the even numbered years. The spring elections are March 9 and vote-by-mail ballots will be available from the town clerks prior to the election.
Lutsen
There will be a blank spot for the Supervisor position on the Lutsen ballot in March. Incumbent Colleen Brennan had announced that she would not seek re-election and nobody came forward to file for the position during the December 29 to January 12 filing period. This is in sharp contrast to the previous two Lutsen elections when incumbents were defeated in 2019 and 2020. Brennan has served one year on the board filling a vacant position created when Christine Ordemann, elected in 2018, moved from the township and Elis Walch, appointed to the spot, did not run for the interim position in 2020.
Ashley VanDoren has filed for re-election as Treasurer, a two-year term.
Tofte
Supervisor Sam Crowley is running unopposed for re-election to a three-year term on the township board. Nobody filed for Treasurer, an office now held by Dan Shirley, creating another write-in contest. Shirley had said in December that he was trying to recruit someone to take over the position.
Schroeder
All three incumbents filed for re-election in Schroeder and none drew an opponent. Supervisor Bruce Martinson is running for another three-year term on the board. Lloyd Chase, appointed to the board in November, is running for the two years remaining in the position formerly held by Rick Anderson who moved from the area. And Treasurer Carla Menssen is seeking another two years in her position.
Write-in election rules
The write-in candidate “might” be elected to fill a position because the “winner” must be willing to accept the position. The write-in candidate in an election who gets the most votes can serve the full term if they accept. However, some write-in “winners” do not want the office and refuse to take the position. In that case, the township board appoints a person to serve only until the next election, at which point the office is again on the ballot for the remainder of the term.
Leave a Reply