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WILLMAR — When the Kandiyohi County Board meets for the first time in 2023, a new commissioner will be sworn into office.
Dale Anderson was elected to represent District 3 on the board. He defeated fellow candidate Kim Larson 2,227 votes to 1,809 votes. The unofficial tallies reported by the Minnesota Secretary of State’s Office show 55% of District 3 voters cast their ballot for Anderson and about 45% for Larson.
Anderson will be replacing Commissioner Rollie Nissen, who decided not to run for a third four-year term.
"Tonight a lifelong dream has come true for me. I thank every one of you that has had a part in this journey. I am grateful for all the support," Anderson said in a written statement to the West Central Tribune. "I take this responsibility and trust you put in me very seriously and I will do my best to serve my fellow residents of Kandiyohi County with common sense, honesty and integrity. I can't wait to meet new people and get to work."
District 3 covers the northwest quarter of the county, and includes a small northern part of the city of Willmar.
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Anderson has been a lifelong resident of Kandiyohi County, continuing a family tradition of more than 150 years. The family farm in the northern region of the county not only grows corn, beans and small grain but also raises beef cattle and custom feeds hogs. He and his wife have also raised three sons and they now have nine grandchildren.
In addition to farming, Anderson has been on the Kandiyohi Power Cooperative board of directors for 31 years, is a member of the Great River Energy board and is also a current board member of the Kandiyohi County Fair.
Larson is a lifelong resident of the county and owns Dovre Farms in Dovre Township. He has also held the position of environmental ag administrator for Kandiyohi County, was a project coordinator for the Kandiyohi County and City of Willmar Economic Development Commission and taught at Ridgewater College. He and his wife raised four children.
He currently serves on the Dovre Township Board and the EDC Ag and Renewable Energy Committee, and has held various leadership positions with the Minnesota Soybean Growers Association and the American Soybean Association.
"I finished a close second to Dale in the primary and that continued in the general. Dale had a very aggressive campaign that was difficult to match," Larson said late Tuesday. "I wish Dale all the best in his term ahead."
Anderson will be sworn in for his first term as a county commissioner on Jan. 3, 2023, at the first Kandiyohi County Board meeting of the year.
