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 4 incumbent Tim Sumner will run against Joseph Neft.

Tim Sumner was first elected to the Beltrami County Board in 2012 and won his third term in 2020 after defeating challenger Danny Anderson 2,588 votes to 1,270.

Sumner is a case manager at the Red Lake Homeless Shelter and studied at Northwest Technical College.

鈥淚 love what I do working on the county board, I鈥檝e always had that passion to want to help,鈥� Sumner said. 鈥淓ven after 10 years I still enjoy what I鈥檓 doing, meeting the people, working hard for my constituents.鈥�

Sumner is seeking reelection in part to continue his work on the board鈥檚 many ongoing projects.

鈥淚鈥檓 running to see that a lot of these projects we鈥檙e currently working on are finished and followed through,鈥� Sumner said.

These projects include efforts to repair roads, improve mental health services, and decide the future of the county jail.

鈥淭hese issues are important,鈥� Sumner said. 鈥淚 believe at the end of the day, whether I win or lose, it鈥檚 important that we see every issue and see how we can move the county forward.鈥�

Joseph Neft is a farmer and trucker from Shooks Township and has been a lifelong Beltrami County resident. Neft is also a member of the Shooks Township Board.

鈥淲e鈥檙e starting to get a lot of growling on taxes and property taxes,鈥� Neft said. 鈥淚t looks like we鈥檝e got to do something to get a handle on where all this money is going to.鈥�

Neft hopes to take a look at the county budget and examine where the money is spent and how to do it more efficiently and effectively.

鈥淪ometimes you have to take a look at the big picture,鈥� Neft said, 鈥渓ook at what the costs are, what are we doing here that鈥檚 costing so much money?鈥�

Neft is also interested in serving on the county board in the interest of his grandchildren鈥檚 and the younger generations鈥� future.

鈥淚鈥檓 starting to get a little concerned about my grandchildren鈥檚 future,鈥� Neft said. 鈥淪o maybe it鈥檚 time to step up to the plate and take a little more interest in what鈥檚 going on and see if we can鈥檛 make a difference.鈥�