歪歪漫画

BEMIDJI 鈥� All five districts of the Beltrami County Board are up for election in November, and now that the filing period has ended, the list of candidates has been finalized.

In District 3 incumbent Richard Anderson is running against challenger Brian Merschman.

Richard Anderson is a retired educator and has served on the Beltrami County Board since he was first elected in 2011, defeating Scott Winger 1,152-960. His most recent reelection was in 2018 when he ran unopposed.

鈥淚鈥檝e enjoyed representing the people that elect me,鈥� Anderson said. 鈥淚 always take the time to listen and return the phone calls of people who have needs or questions about county government.鈥�

Anderson has served on a number of committees for the board and has also been involved in the ongoing Beltrami County Jail feasibility study, something he hopes to continue if reelected.

鈥淲e鈥檙e just getting into it, and I鈥檇 like to be on that to make sure we spend the money in a positive and responsible way,鈥� he said.

As a former township officer, Anderson also believes he has an understanding of the needs of smaller local governments.

鈥淚 was a township officer for close to 40 years, so I really do understand the needs of the townships,鈥� he added.

Anderson also discussed some of the different accomplishments done by the county board, including changing how the county offers its employees health insurance and improving access to specialized mental health care in Beltrami.

鈥淚 like what I鈥檓 doing,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 really believe in county government.鈥�

Brian Merschman is a mechanic with Paul Bunyan Transit in Bemidji and has been a member of the Bemidji Township Board for well over a decade.

鈥淚鈥檝e been on the Bemidji Township Board for many years, since 2005 if I remember correctly,鈥� Merschman said. 鈥淚鈥檝e been involved a lot with government, and I just wanted to move on a little bit further.鈥�

Merschman hopes to bring his experience from the township board and working with organizations like the Headwaters Regional Development Commission to the county board.

鈥�(I want to) be as successful at the county as I have been with Bemidji Township,鈥� Merschman said. 鈥淏e involved with planning, and zoning and elections, pretty much everything that I do now.鈥�