ECHO JOURNAL | WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2022
PINEANDLAKES.COM
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ECHO JOURNAL VOTER’S GUIDE
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A VOTER’S GUIDE TO THE 2022 ELECTION
2022 VOTER’S GUIDE INFORMATION We hope you find value in the 2022 Voters Guide, where we share information about area candidates seeking to serve their communities by being elected to city council, school board, county board and legislative seats in the Echo Journal coverage area. This guide features candidates in contested races by including their answers to three questions to help voters decide who to cast votes for at the polls Tuesday, Nov. 8, or via absentee or mail ballots. The Echo Journal reached out to candidates multiple times via email and text to receive as many responses as possible. Because of space
constraints, only contested area races are included in this guide, and candidates were limited to 75-word answers per question. There are no contested races for the Pine RiverBackus School Board. In fact, there are four open seats but only three people filed. The fourth seat will be filled by a write-in vote. Incumbent school board candidates who filed for re-election are Leslie Bouchonville, Wanda Carlson and Ryan Trumble. Katy Botz did not file for re-election. The following area races are uncontested, so these candidates are not featured in the 2022 Voter’s Guide:
PEQUOT LAKES CITY COUNCIL: Ź Mayor: Tyler Gardner (incumbent). Ź City council (elect 2): Dan Ronning (appointed in January 2021), Cheri Seils (incumbent).
BACKUS CITY COUNCIL Ź Mayor: Kurt Sawyer (incumbent). FIFTY LAKES CITY COUNCIL Ź Mayor: Steve Dahlke (incumbent). Ź City council (elect 2): Mark Bradley (incumbent), Jill Radman.
PINE RIVER CITY COUNCIL Ź Mayor: Tamara Hansen (incumbent). MANHATTAN BEACH CITY COUNCIL Ź City council (elect 2): Patty Melby Ź Mayor: Paul Allen (incumbent). (incumbent), Anthony DeSanto Ź City council (elect 2): Steve Amans, (incumbent). Barbara Ann Wannebo (incumbent). BREEZY POINT CITY COUNCIL HACKENSACK CITY COUNCIL Ź Mayor: Angel Zierden. Ź City council (elect 2): Bruce Ź Special election for two-year city Reeve (incumbent), Jim Schneider council term: Steve Jensen. (incumbent). NISSWA CITY COUNCIL Ź Special election city council: John Ź Mayor: John Ryan (incumbent). Chuba. Ź Special election for two-year city CHICKAMAW BEACH CITY COUNCIL council term: Joseph Hall. Ź Mayor: Murel G. Backman LAKE SHORE CITY COUNCIL (incumbent). Ź City council (elect 2): Andrew (Andy) Ź City council: Suzanne L. Henk Stewart, John Terwilliger (incumbent). (incumbent).
PEQUOT LAKES SCHOOL BOARD ELECT 3 Erik Bresnahan • Jacob Thomas Cameron • Brian Hankins • Bryan Held • Mariah Hines Pamela Johnson • Dena Moody (incumbent) • Craig Polchow • Tracy Wallin (incumbent)
Dena Moody (incumbent)
Tracy Wallin (incumbent)
Position sought: Pequot Lakes School Board What are the top issues your school district needs to address? *Reversing the lingering, negative impact the pandemic has had on our students’ learning, achievement, and mental health. *Rebuilding trust between our communities and our schools, administration, and staff. *Offering learning and growth opportunities that meet the specific needs of every student. *Keeping our students and staff safe—physically, mentally, and emotionally. *Maintaining fiscal stability, accountability, and transparency. *Updating the district’s Strategic Plan. *Collaboratively completing our Facilities Study and planning how to proceed from there. How would you address those issues? *Focus on our district’s core values to drive our words and actions—Purpose, Respect, Innovation, Dedication, Excellence. *Be good financial stewards through the fiscallyresponsible use of our taxpayers’ monies, federal and state funds. *Support our schools’ DEIA efforts. *Keep an open-door policy and welcome public comment at school board meetings. *Teaching students critical thinking skills—HOW to think, not specifically WHAT to think. *Keep politics OUT of our classrooms and excellence IN. Why are you the best candidate? Due to my career as a classroom teacher, sports coach, substitute teacher, parent and grandparent of ISD 186 students, and (for the past four years) a director on the ISD 186 school board, I have the experience and expertise needed to be an effective board member. I am compassionate, a respectful listener, believe in open communication and collaboration, and make decisions based on factual information from reliable sources, not my emotions or some political agenda.
Position sought: Pequot Lakes School Board What are the top issues your school district needs to address? Unfortunately, the disrupted learning the last two years has affected our students and their academic achievements and we need to make every effort to ensure our students are on track. We also need to continue expanding the opportunities and resources for students to prepare for life after high school. The upcoming strategic plan and the valuable community input regarding it are an essential tool to prepare for the future of our district. How would you address those issues? Utilizing test score results and continued individualized learning will result in getting students to reach their full academic potential while also understanding this path is not the same for all students. We prepare high school students through continued partnerships with businesses to offer additional internships and mentoring opportunities. We need to utilize our strategic plan to implement future wants/needs yet be cognizant of the ability to fund those within the parameters of our budget. Why are you the best candidate? I am reliable, genuine, honest, kind, a good listener and thoughtfully consider all sides of an issue before making a decision. I also believe in giving back to my community. As a parent, I have a vested interest in the success of our district. I think there is a lot of value in my experience on the board and as an incumbent, I look forward to continuing to serve the residents of ISD186.
Mariah Hines Position sought: Pequot Lakes School Board What are the top issues your school district needs to address? As a candidate running for Pequot Lakes School Board I will be addressing the top issues facing our district. The first issue I’d like to address is a lack of parental involvement and communication between the district and the community. The second issue is our declining academic performance resulting from a shift in focus of academic learning to social emotional learning. How would you address those issues? Our district has shifted from academic learning to emphasizing social emotional learning (SEL). Previously SEL was something mainly taught at home while the school focused on the basics of academics. Our curriculum should reflect academic learning and give parents back the chance to teach about social constructs/behavior. In addition the community including parents and staff should not fear retaliation or being disregarded when issues are brought to the district’s attention, input should be welcomed. Why are you the best candidate? I am the best candidate for this position because I have already established myself as someone that the community can come to with issues. I also represent parents and students. Any decision made by the board will directly affect myself and my family which in turn makes me weigh decisions very carefully, as opposed to a member who no longer has a student in the district and whose decisions will not affect them directly.
Erik Bresnahan Position sought: Pequot Lakes School Board What are the top issues your school district needs to address? As a community there are many issues that we have to face together. The constant push and pull of funding versus spending is something that the school board has to deal with in a fiscally responsible manner. We, as a community, are tasked with maintaining the high standard we have set for educating our children. We need to continue helping prepare all of our Pequot Lakes students to be able to succeed beyond school. How would you address those issues? I would work with the school board and administration to ensure there are adequate yet efficient use of resources for our programs, technology and staff with an eye towards the future. As a board member it would be my task to represent all of our students, their families and the rest of our community while working with the school administration to continue Pequot Lakes high standard of achievement for every student going forward. Why are you the best candidate? If there is a good idea that can help our district, I will stand up for it. Sometimes the best decisions are made by stepping back and assessing an issue based solely on its merit. I take pride in looking at things from all sides before making crucial decisions. The opportunity to represent the Pequot school district is a chance to help make and keep our schools and community the best places they can be.
Jacob Thomas Cameron Position sought: Pequot Lakes School Board. 'LG QRW UHVSRQG
Bryan Held Position sought: Pequot Lakes School Board. 'LG QRW UHVSRQG
Craig Polchow Position sought: Pequot Lakes School Board. 'LG QRW UHVSRQG
Pamela Johnson Position sought: Pequot Lakes School Board What are the top issues your school district needs to address? Long term facilities is a current issue within the district and I look forward to helping the district navigate this long-term vision and planning. Within this, and on its own, safety measures need to be a priority as well. How would you address those issues? Getting community engagement from all stakeholders will be a key factor to address long-term facilities needs and for successful implementation of safety procedures and improvements. Getting local businesses involved along with community members, parents, staff and students to provide opportunities for our students to put skill sets into action and get hands-on experience is vital to strengthening our students’ post-High School options. Why are you the best candidate? I am a community member, parent, and business owner. I see the different perspectives of how decisions impact different stakeholders. I have experience sitting on the board of a non-profit. I am a business consultant with strengths in organizational growth, strategic planning and team building. These are traits that will be an asset for ISD186. I am passionate about ensuring our students have what they need to succeed academically for their future.
Brian Hankins Position sought: Pequot Lakes School Board What are the top issues your school district needs to address? This is a great opportunity to contribute to Pequot Lakes’ students, teachers and administration. I am eager to understand how we continue to ensure, in this ever-changing environment, access to quality education for all students. The School Board is about influencing how to make Pequot Lakes’ Schools the best they can be for all students. How would you address those issues? My approach has always been to ask the hard questions and get facts from experts (administration, teachers, etc.). Then, most importantly, provide meaningful suggestions to make positive change. I have always led with a mentality of, “let’s help drive positive change not just point out the problems”. Why are you the best candidate? My past experience on Boards and Committees has given me the ability to quickly identify the important questions and challenges. I have proven experience in working with different views and coming to a supported outcome. I am excited to support our Students, Teachers and Administration. Go Patriots!