It was a late night 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. “I was surprised how close it was,” said Brekken. “I am looking forward to doing everything I can for Crookston and definitely get on with the pool, ice arena, and things for kids to do in our community.”
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. “I have a few things. I would like to make sure that we look at the budget, get all our finances in line and make sure we can move forward as a strong and productive community,” said Hibma. “I have a young child myself and I am looking to make sure Crookston will still be a place families choose to live. I know right now we have some hard choices we have to make, but the goal is to make those choices now, make as few choices as needed to make sure we can be in good financial standing so we can keep it a community people want to live in.”
| 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.”
Jaclyn Martin was honored and humbled to be one of the three elected to the board and is looking forward to helping the district. “I think we are a safe school. I think we can be a little safer and I think we can focus more on learning and we are definitely doing that with the cell phone policy. I think that is huge and I love kids being kids again and being social while focusing on learning and making those connections with their peers,” said Martin. “We have that great new facility and we can use that to our advantage and hopefully bring families here and keep families here.”
Lorri Capistran is the third candidate to earn a spot on the Crookston School Board. She was also humbled and honored by the support from district residents and looks forward to serving the district. “I am looking forward to be a parent voice there for our students. I have three kids in the schools, in elementary, junior high, and the high school so hopefully I can bring a unique perspective to the board,” said Capistran. “Obviously I have a lot to learn how the school board works and I am just excited to dig in and get down to doing the work and serving our students and our teachers and our families in our district well.”
| 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 feet 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 |
