The filing period for the annual elections in Lutsen, Tofte and Schroeder, the three townships in Cook County, starts on December 29, 2020. That is the first day a person can file their nomination papers for the open positions on the March 9, 2021, ballot. Lutsen will be seeking a new supervisor candidate and Tofte may have a new treasurer candidate. Other incumbents have said they will be seeking re-election. Each township elects a supervisor and a Treasurer. The filing period ends Tuesday, January 12, 2021.
All incumbents whose terms are up in March 2021 were interviewed by phone.
Lutsen
Lutsen will be electing a new supervisor to replace incumbent Colleen Brennan who is not seeking another term. Treasurer Ashley VanDoren will be running for re-election.
Brennan was elected last spring for the remaining year of the supervisor seat that saw a bit of turnover prior to her election. Christine Ordemann was elected to the seat in March 2018 and resigned in May 2019 when she moved away from the town. Elis Walsh was then appointed to the seat but did not seek election. Persons appointed to vacant positions serve only until the next election date at which time voters choose someone for the remainder of the term.
VanDoren was in that situation last spring when she was elected for a one-year term as treasurer after appointed Treasurer Paul Goettl did not run.
Tofte
Tofte Supervisor Sam Crowley will be filing for re-election to a three-year term. Treasurer Dan Shirley said he is trying to recruit someone to take over the position and is undecided about putting his name on the ballot if no one comes forward.
Schroeder
Two Schroeder supervisor positions will be on the ballot and both incumbents say they will be filing. Bruce Martinson will be running for re-election to the three-year term. Lloyd Chase was appointed supervisor in November to replace Rick Anderson who moved away from the area. Chase said he will file for the two years remaining for that supervisor position.
Schroeder Treasurer Carla Menssen says she will run for another term.
Townships hold annual elections each spring. In each town, one of the three supervisors is elected for a three-year term. The town treasurer and clerk are on the ballot in alternate years for two-year terms. These are the only annual elections in the county.
Candidates for the township offices must be a resident and voter in the town. They file an Affidavit of Candidacy nomination paper with the town clerk and pay a two-dollar filing fee. The filing period starts December 29, 2020, and ends at 5 p.m. on January 12, 2021.
Background
An overview of the township positions and their responsibilities can be found on the Lutsen Township website in the Duties section under the Town Business tab. Township Clerk Sharon Hexum-Platzer combines a summary of the statutory definitions for each office with a commentary on how local government actually operates. The information applies to each of the three townships.
Township government is very grass roots democracy. Each town holds an annual meeting on the second Tuesday in March where residents gather to make recommendations for the next year’s town budget and discuss town issues. The voters often cast their election ballots when they come to the meeting and the election results are announced during the meeting.
Residents can follow the happenings of their towns on the web sites each township maintains. Those sites contain dates and agendas for upcoming monthly town board meetings and the minutes of past annual meetings.
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