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BEMIDJI 鈥� Due to the recent redistricting of Beltrami County, all five district seats of the Beltrami County Board of Commissioners will be up for election in November. A total of nine candidates have filed, a mixture of incumbents and newcomers.

The Pioneer reached out to all of the candidates, but did not receive a response from everyone, leading to some entries being more detailed.

Only one candidate has filed for District 1, incumbent Craig Gaasvig.

Craig Gaasvig

Craig Gaasvig is running unopposed for District 1 and was first elected to the county board in 2018. He is a BSU graduate with a degree in mathematics and works as a regional account manager at North Country Business Products.

Prior to his time on the county board, Gaasvig was a supervisor on the Port Hope Township Board for 12 years. He is an active member of several local boards and committees, including the Cass Lake Rural Fire Association, Blackduck Emergency Medical Services Tri-County Board, the Headwaters One Watershed One Plan Committee and the Executive Committee of the Headwaters Regional Development Commission.

He is a lifelong resident of the Bemidji area, and he and his wife Karen have two sons and recently welcomed a grandson.

Gaasvig鈥檚 focus on the county level includes making sure the jail project stays on budget and on schedule, and that the board makes common sense decisions that are in the best interest of the citizens of Beltrami County.

There are two candidates for District 2: incumbent Joe Gould and Adam Bommersbach.

Joe Gould

Joe Gould, 37, is the incumbent and was first elected to the county board in 2022. He is a graduate of BSU and has a master鈥檚 degree in public administration. Gould is a high school social studies teacher for Cass Lake-Bena Public 歪歪漫画s.

Gould has been an active member of the community, serving on several boards, including that for the Bemidji Area Boys and Girls Club, and the now-dissolved Greater Bemidji Area Joint Planning Commission.

鈥淢y priorities for the county include expanding child care, housing and keeping property taxes as low as possible while providing more for mental health services,鈥� Gould said.

Other priorities include supporting small businesses and veterans and securing more bonding and state dollars for county projects.

Gould lives in Bemidji with his wife, Gwenia who currently serves on the Bemidji City Council, and their dog Coya.

Adam Bommersbach

Adam Bommersbach, 35, is a registered environmental health specialist employed by the Minnesota Department of Health. He graduated from Valley City State University with three bachelor鈥檚 degrees in biology, chemistry and health science.

He previously ran for the position in 2022, but didn't make it past the primary election.

鈥淚t is my belief that Beltrami County is a great place to live, raise a family, start a business and pursue boundless opportunities,鈥� Bommersbach said. 鈥淥ur area also faces great challenges鈥� I feel a deep call to serve this community that I care so much about.鈥�

Among the issues important to Bommersbach are mental health, public safety and economic development, and he hopes to bring a sense of servant leadership to District 2 if elected.

鈥淚 want to ensure that every resident of District 2 knows that they are heard and that they matter,鈥� he said.

Bommersbach has lived in Bemidji since 2013 with his wife and three children.

Two candidates have filed for District 3, both newcomers: Kari Howe and Scott Winger. Richard Anderson, who currently represents District 3, did not file for reelection and shared his intent to retire.

Kari Howe

Kari Howe, 65, has been a resident of Beltrami County since 1978 when she moved to attend BSU, and a resident of Bemidji Township since 1995. Now retired, her career was spent in business and community development with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development.

Howe shared that an 18-month intensive rural and agricultural leadership training instilled a desire to serve her community in her when she retired, leading to her candidacy for the county board.

She has been an active member of the community, coordinating volunteers and serving on several local boards. Her focuses as a county commissioner would include transportation infrastructure, strong public safety programs, responsible fiscal management and increasing child care and mental health services.

Scott Winger

Scott Winger, 62, was born and raised in Beltrami County and resides in Grant Valley Township. Winger is a graduate of Bemidji High 歪歪漫画 and attended BSU prior to receiving his degree in law enforcement from the Alexandria Technical Institute.

Winger is a former sergeant of the Beltrami County Sheriff鈥檚 Office, where he retired with over 21 years of experience. He is currently the owner and CEO of Professional Hypnosis Services in Bemidji.

Winger has also been an active community member, serving on state and local boards, including those for the Northwest Indian Community Development Center and Adult Day Services.

鈥淭he timing is right for me to pursue (becoming a Beltrami County Commissioner),鈥� Winger said. 鈥淚 believe that growing up in this county, working for the county and the volunteer organizations I have been a part of have given me the knowledge that will help me make good decisions for all of Beltrami County.鈥�

Winger鈥檚 main areas of focus would be to stop the continued increase of taxes, and potentially decrease them, reduce crime and improve public safety, address infrastructure needs and develop the region鈥檚 industries.

Three candidates have filed for District 4: incumbent Tim Sumner, Frank Duresky and John Wilson Winnett.

Tim Sumner

Tim Sumner is the incumbent, and was first elected to represent District 4 in 2012. He is a case manager at the Red Lake Homeless Shelter and studied at Northwest Technical College in Bemidji. He is also a member of Red Lake Nation.

His work as a commissioner has included supporting road infrastructure, mental health services and deciding the future of the Beltrami County Jail.

Frank Duresky

Frank Duresky, 60, is a Waskish resident and a graduate of Kelliher High 歪歪漫画. He and his wife built and operated North Country Food and Fuel for 15 years, and he was also the owner of RF Dureksy Floor Covering, a union labor subcontracting business, for over 20 years.

Duresky has been an active community member, serving on the Kelliher 歪歪漫画 Board for 20 years, and of those years he spent 16 as its chair. He also served on the Waskish Town Board for two years.

He farms with his son and his father-in-law in the Waskish area.

John Winnett

John Winnett, 29, is a Hines Township resident and a BHS graduate and worked as a union millwright from 2013 to 2017. He has started two businesses, Wilson and Son Field Services with his father in 2017 and Northern Night Optics and Equipment in 2022.

He has been involved in several boards and committees, including the Blackduck Planning Board, Blackduck Chamber of Commerce, Beltrami County Ag Association, Beltrami County Farm Bureau and the Bemidji Chamber of Commerce Business Advocacy Board.

Winnett plans to focus on budget, taxes and improving the lives of his neighbors in District 4. He also looks forward, if elected, to representing District 4 on several committees and boards as a county liaison.

鈥淭his coming year I would be honored to serve District 4 on the Beltrami County Board of Commissioners,鈥� Winnett said. 鈥淭hank you for your support.鈥�

Only one candidate is running for District 5, incumbent John Carlson

John Carlson

John Carlson, 71, is the incumbent and was first elected to the county board in 2022. He moved to Bemidji in 1971 to attend BSU, where he earned a degree in business finance.

Carlson worked as a certified management accountant and owned an insurance agency until 2017; he is currently semi-retired. He lives with his wife in Bemidji, where their two children are also living and raising their families.

From 2011 to 2012 Carlson served in the Minnesota State Senate and remains proud of his time at the capital where he used hard work and consensus building to get 28 pieces of legislation passed.

His focus on the county level is on safety, infrastructure and budget restraints.