New commissioners will be joining area county boards: Chippewa County
WILLMAR -- There will be new faces joining the county boards of commissioners in Renville, Pope and Lac qui Parle counties, according to unofficial results from the auditor's offices in the respective counties.
In Renville County, Lamont Jacobson, 50, will succeed Gale Dahlager on the County Board.
Jacobson, a lifelong crop farmer in the county, was making his first bid for county office and topped Sheriff Jerry Agre, who is retiring from his 33-year law enforcement career, 18 of them as sheriff.
Pat Buschette ran a write-in campaign during the final week of the election, but it is not known how many of the 103 write-ins in that district carried her name. She did not meet a requirement to register as a write-in candidate seven days before the election, so consequently the names on the write-in ballots are not recorded unless a recount is conducted.
The unofficial results for the commissioner races by county in the area are as follows:
Kenneth Koenen of rural Maynard won re-election to the seat he has held since 1992.
District 1
Kenneth Koenen, (I), Maynard -- 916
Ron Sherod, Montevideo -- 283
District 2
Jeffrey Lopez, (I) Raymond -- 1,226
District 4
Jim Dahlvang, (I) Montevideo -- 1,025
Richard "Dick'' Larson, 77, held on to the seat he's held for 12 years in a contest with William Graves, 46.
District 2
Richard B. "Dick'' Larson, (I), Willmar -- 1,735
William Graves, Willmar -- 1,372
District 4
Dennis Peterson, (I), Spicer -- 4,508
Sheriff Graylen Carlson, 56, will be hanging up his badge at the end of the year after 33 years in law enforcement, 25 of those years as sheriff, but taking on a new role as a county commissioner. He defeated incumbent Ivey Vonderharr for the seat she has held since winning a special election in 1995.
District 1
Todd Patzer, (I), Marietta -- 805
District 3
Graylen Carlson, Madison -- 475
Ivey Vonderharr (I), Madison -- 412
District 5
Harold Solem, (I) Montevideo -- 804
Incumbent Ron Kutzke held off a challenge to retain his seat.
District 5
Ron Kutzke, (I) Grove City -- 1,274
Russ Peterson, Grove City -- 901
Gordy Wagner and Paul Gerde gained seats on the Board of Commissioners in races without incumbents. Wagner will succeed Jeanne Olson in District 2 and Gerde will succeed Dean Paulson in District 3.
District 2
Gordy Wagner, Glenwood -- 663
Cody Rogahn, Glenwood -- 515
District 3
Paul Gerde, Glenwood -- 687
Everell Barsness, Glenwood -- 587
District 1
Ralph Novotny, (I) Hector -- 1,414
District 5
Lamont Jacobson, Sacred Heart -- 844
Jerry Agre, Sacred Heart -- 732
Write-ins -- 103
Swift County's three incumbents on the Board of Commissioners retained their seats, two of them by generally wide margins. In District 5. Board Chairman Doug Anderson of Kerkhoven held onto his seat with a 63-vote victory over James Falk of Murdock.
District 1
Gary Hendrickx, (I) Appleton -- 289
Allan S. Johnson, Appleton -- 152
District 3
Pete Peterson, (I) Benson -- 906
Cindy Regan, De Graff -- 257
District 5
Doug Anderson, (I) Kerkhoven -- 621
James Falk, Murdock -- 558
District 3
Gary L. Johnson (I), Montevideo -- 982
District 5
Louis H. Sherlin, (I) Canby -- 1,021
(I) denotes incumbent.
