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Four candidates vie for District 5 post
Published Wednesday, August 27, 2008
The lawn signs are out, and four candidates are campaigning for the District 5 county commission post being vacated by the retiring Bob Block. Voters on Sept. 9, during the primary election, will select the final two candidates. The general election is set for Nov. 4.
James Ayres, Lee Rogness, Tedd Steenbock and W. Rick Wilson are competing for the District 5 post that includes representation for most of Fergus Falls on the Otter Tail County Board of Commissioners.
Ayres formerly worked for the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service. Rogness and his brothers have been in the farm equipment business (Interstate Inc.). Steenbock is retired from Mycogen Seeds/Dow Chemical but continues to operate the family farm. Wilson, a member of the Fergus Falls City Council, has a consulting business, Training Resources.
“I see a lot of lawn signs and, as a voter, I need to keep in tune on what candidate is running for which office,” said Fergus Falls resident Pat Schultz. “I know that others feel the same way. Whether it’s county commission or other races, we need to become educated about the candidates and issues.”
Ayres, reflecting on his work with USDA, said he understands the workings of county government and the challenges facing Otter Tail County. He provided input to U.S. Rep. Collin Peterson who chaired the House ag committee as it crafted a new six-year farm bill.
Rogness currently serves on the board of Otter Tail Ag Enterprises, LLC, ethanol plant as vice president. He was on the original steering committee when the plant was in its inception.
Steenbock has served on township boards and has served on the pollution board and Eagle Lake Property Owners Association. He has worked as a Certified Crop Advisor (CCA).
Wilson, in addition to his city council duties, is in his fifth year as a member of the Otter Tail Planning Commission. He has also served on the Chamber of Commerce education committee and the adult education board.
District 5 includes the city of Fergus Falls, excluding Ward 1, Precinct 2.
Comments
The Daily Journal is happy to host community conversations about news and life in Fergus Falls and the surrounding area. As hosts, we expect guests will show respect for each other. That means we don't threaten or defame each other, and we keep conversations free of personal attacks. Witty is great. Abusive is not. If you think a post violates these standards, don't escalate the situation. Instead, flag the comment to alert us. We'll take action if necessary. It's not hard. This should be a place where people want to read and contribute -- a place for spirited exchanges of opinion. So those who persist with racist, defamatory or abusive postings risk losing the privilege to post at all.Posted by Clara (anonymous) on August 27, 2008 at 1:07 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Looks to me like Mr. Wilson is a professional politician.
Posted by FFHSStudent08 (anonymous) on August 28, 2008 at 2:44 a.m. (Suggest removal)
So, are candidates allowed to run for more than one position or what is going on with Rick Wilson?
Posted by GrammarNazi (anonymous) on August 28, 2008 at 9:18 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Mr. Wilson is not running for two positions. He currently holds one, and is seeking a different one.
Posted by meliflower30 (anonymous) on August 28, 2008 at 9:31 a.m. (Suggest removal)
If Mr. Wilson has already sat on the Education board during a time of mass exodus from our district, I'm thinking he is not the one for the job. If we are serious about change than we need to make sure that we don't vote in the same people who have been able to much of nothing for our falling numbers.
Posted by GrammarNazi (anonymous) on August 28, 2008 at 2:39 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Meliflower30: I assume that by "mass exodus from our district" you mean declining enrollment numbers in recent years in the Fergus Falls School District. Mr. Wilson has never been a member of the Fergus Falls School Board. The above article states that he was on the ADULT Education board (NOT the same thing as the FF School Board) and on an Education committee of the FF Chamber of Commerce. The "exodus" you write of is not in any way his responsibility. Furthermore, he isn't running for the School Board anyway; he's running for a seat on the Board of Otter Tail County Commissioners.
By the way, I'm writing this not as a Wilson supporter; as of right now I have no idea who will get my vote for the County Board. I simply don't like seeing all this messed-up "misinformation" posted in these forums. Let's all get our facts straight before we post.
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