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Lindquist tackles local, county issues [UPDATED]
Published 11:01am Tuesday, April 24, 2012 Updated 11:01am Tuesday, April 24, 2012Rural Dalton resident John Lindquist, who represents District 3 on the Otter Tail County Board of Commissions, knows that his job involves not only helping people in the Dalton area. He also needs to address issues that affect all of Otter Tail County.
Lindquist was at the forefront in helping the county board come up with an answer to address rising water in lakes all around Otter Tail County, including Johnson Lake, east of Dalton.
“It’s nice to see water currently being pumped northward, from Johnson Lake, into the Pomme de Terre watershed system,” he said. “And it’s good to see water releases at other lakes in the county. As a county board, we’ve worked to help people around the county as best we can.”
Lindquist takes pride in helping to watch out for the well being of county residents as a whole. An example is the FCC narrowbanding mandate, which affects Otter Tail County and the entire state of Minnesota. The new system takes effect Jan. 1, 2013.
“The current system is congested,” said Lindquist. “Yes, the changeover is very expensive. But if lives can be saved and emergency response time cut, it will be worth it.”
Lindquist refers to a storm a few years ago in and near the city of Ottertail when emergency calls tied up the current system.
“It was a mess, and responders couldn’t communicate with one another,” he said. “With the new communications system, we won’t have that problem.”
Agreeing with Lindquist is Otter Tail County Sheriff Brian Schlueter, among those heading the changeover to the new narrowbanding system. Schlueter also sees the benefits with improved safety for residents and better communications among first responders.
Lindquist is a retired dairy farmer but still operates a grain farm with his wife, Michelle, in rural Dalton. He served over 20 years on the Dalton creamery board, including 12 years as president. He has been a member of the Dalton Volunteer Fire and Rescue Squad for 38 years and served as chief for over 27 years. Lindquist is a member of the Stalker Lake Sportsmen’s Club and is a past member of the Dalton Lions Club.
He and Michelle have two sons and five grandchildren.
District 3 includes the townships of Aastad, Buse, Carlisle, Clitherall, Dane Prairie, Eagle Lake, Everts, Fergus Falls, Leaf Mountain, Orwell, Oscar, St. Olaf, Sverdrup, Tordenskjold, Trondhjem, Tumuli & Western. Also in the district are the cities of Battle Lake, Dalton, Rothsay, Underwood and Fergus Falls Ward 1, Precinct 2.
His constituents point to Lindquist as a man of great knowledge in many fields, notably agriculture, public safety, the environment and, in the words of one person, “all the important standards of being a solid family man.”
Lindquist has taken his turn as chairman of the five-person county board of commissioners. Other members of the county board are Roger Froemming of Parkers Prairie, Doug Huebsch of Perham, Wayne Johnson of Pelican Rapids and Lee Rogness of Fergus Falls.
