It was a late nigtht for the local results as Polk County processed the absentee and mail-in ballots around 11:30 p.m. and the results were released around about 10 minutes later. Incumbents did well with seven of the eight winning re-election. KROX has the results from the Crookston City Council, Crookston School Board, District 1B, Congressional District 7, US Senate, and the Polk County Commissioner races below.
CROOKSTON CITY COUNCIL
WARD 1 –
The incumbent Kristie Jerde won her re-election in Ward 1 by gathering 64 percent of the vote as she beat Bishop Jenson by 115 votes.
WARD 3 –
Incumbent Clayton Briggs won re-election after running unopposed with 349 votes.
WARD 5 –
The Ward 5 race came down to six votes as Derek Brekken beat incumbent Wendy Ault. The two candidates threw their hat in the ring when Joe Kresl moved out of town, and the council selected Ault to fill the seat for the remainder of the term. On Tuesday night, it was close, but Brekken pulled out the win.
AT-LARGE –
The incumbent Morgan Hibma ran unopposed, but last week, Matthew Rosu announced a write-in campaign. Hibma won the race, garnering 93 percent of the vote to win re-election.
| WARD 1 | Votes FINAL |
| Kristie Jerde (I) | 262 |
| Bishop Jensen | 147 |
| WARD 3 | Votes FINAL |
| Clayton Briggs (I) | 349 |
| Write-in | 15 |
| WARD 5 | Votes FINAL |
| Derek Brekken | 259 |
| Wendy Ault (I) | 253 |
| AT-LARGE | Votes FINAL |
| Morgan Hibma (I) | 2,266 |
| Write in votes | 179 |
CROOKSTON SCHOOL BOARD
Seven candidates were running for three openings on the Crookston School Board. After long-time board members Dave Davidson and Frank Fee retired, only one was running for re-election. The lone incumbent, Mike Theis, won re-election by getting the most votes, 1,858. The other two who won a spot on the board were Lorri Capistran and Jaclyn Martin.
KROX was able to get a hold of Theis, and he said he was happy to win re-election and appreciated all the people that ran. He also said the budget for next school year is a top priority. “One of the biggest things will be the budget for next year,” said Theis. “We need to make sure we keep the curriculum up to the standards so our kids graduate and are ready for life.” Theis added that he would like to see more trades classes offered. “Not everybody is going to college,” said Theis. “So we need other areas for kids to succeed outside of the college route, whether it is the trades route or the go into the workforce so they are ready when they hit life.”
KROX also got a hold of Martin, but the recorder didn’t save it, so we will get a hold of her in the morning.
| SCHOOL BOARD (Top 3 will be on the board) | Votes (FINAL) |
| Mike Theis(I) | 1858 |
| Lorri Capistran | 1734 |
| Jaclyn Martin | 1506 |
| Adam Schiller | 1239 |
| Kayse Thompson | 1111 |
| Connie Wilkens | 1030 |
| Malissa Burnette | 718 |
MINNESOTA REPRESENTATIVE DISTRICT 1B –
Current East Grand Forks Mayor Steve Gander will keep the District 1B seat Republican after he received 67 percent of the vote to fill the spot previously held by Deb Kiel, who retired. Gander said it was a big honor. “I am so thankful for all the people who came alongside me and made this happen. Top of the list is Deb Kiel for how well she served our area and all the support she has given to me to make this happen,” said Gander. “Then, all the other folks that got involved in the campaign early on made it go forward, and then, all the people in all the neighborhoods knocked on every door in every town and city in this district. There are so many good people.”Gander said the first year will be one of learning. “The first year will be a huge learning curve. I have served on enough boards, committees, and commissions over my life, and you really want to take some time to get your feed under you,” said Gander. “There is too much taxation, too much regulation, and too much spending in frivolous areas, so we will really have to reign in those things.”
| MN REP 1B | Votes FINAL |
| Steve Gander (R) | 13,939 |
| Mike Christopherson (D) | 6,791 |
| U.S. REP DIST. 7 | Votes (1,289 of 1,329 reporting) |
| Michelle Fischbach (R) (I) | 264,877 |
| AJ John Peters | 111,824 |
| U.S. Senator | Votes 3854 of 4,103 reporting |
| Amy Klobuchar (D) (I) | 1,656,364 |
| Royce White (R) | 1,162,361 |
POLK COUNTY COMMISSIONER RACES
The three Polk County Commissioner races weren’t much of a race as all three incumbents ran unopposed. In District 1, Paul Reese recorded 2,470 votes. In District 3, Gary Willhite had 2,078 votes; in District 5, Mark Holy had 2,313 votes.
| DISTRICT 1 | Votes FINAL |
| Paul Reese (I) | 2,470 |
| Write-in | 68 |
| DISTRICT 3 | Votes FINAL |
| Gary Willhite (I) | 2,078 |
| Write-In | 32 |
| DISTRICT 5 | Votes FINAL |
| Mark Holy (I) | 2,313 |
| Write-In | 22 |
