Carlton County 2026 Primary Election Guide

Contributed

Age on Election Day: 46

Community: Carlton County

Employment: Carlton County Sheriff's Office - Chief Deputy (Under Sheriff)

Please share any prior experience and education that you believe qualifies you for office.

Leading a Sheriff’s Office demands a leader who understands every area of county operations. Over a 26-year career in law enforcement, I have served as a Patrol Deputy, Investigator, Lieutenant, Undersheriff, and currently, Chief Deputy. As second-in-command, I already manage our daily operations, personnel, and division budgets.

True preparedness means knowing how our entire public safety infrastructure connects. I bring hands-on experience and understanding of our patrol and investigative divisions, 911 dispatch functions, jail operations, and complex records management systems and civil processes; the backbones that allow our office to serve and protect our community.

My practical leadership is backed by a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Minnesota Duluth and a lifetime of dedication to this community, including serving two terms as an elected School Board member, volunteer and basketball coach. I offer the proven administrative expertise and operational depth required to lead on day one.

Why are you running?

From the day I started in law enforcement, leading the Carlton County Sheriff’s Office has been my ultimate goal. I have dedicated my entire 26-year career toward preparing to be the leader that Carlton County deserves.

As a lifelong resident, my investment here is deeply personal. Effectively leading our Sheriff’s Office requires a lifetime of Carlton County connections, trust, and shared history with the people we serve.

Furthermore, the Sheriff must be a proven administrator who thoroughly understands our agency budgets, jail operations, 911 dispatch, records and civil management. Serving as the Chief Deputy and in other various roles in law enforcement, I have spent decades mastering these complex operations.

I am running to combine my executive readiness with my lifetime of community roots to protect our taxpayers, support our staff, and ensure a safe, secure future for the county I have always called home.

Why should voters choose you to advance to the general election?

Advancing to the general election is about choosing the candidate who eliminates guesswork and ensures immediate stability for Carlton County and it’s sheriff’s office. The choice in this primary is strictly about readiness and the future direction of our office.

Right now, our county faces complex challenges. We cannot afford an on-the-job learning curve or operational disruption at the Sheriff’s Office. By advancing my candidacy, our community is choosing a seamless, proven transition. I have already spent years working directly alongside county commissioners, city council members, tribal leaders, our local police department partners and community leaders to keep our public safety operations steady, efficient, and forward-thinking.

Voting for me to advance means choosing a tested leader who can successfully deliver trusted leadership without delay. I am ready to represent all of Carlton County in the general election and respectfully ask for your vote on August 11th.

Name a public leader you admire and explain why.

I admire Ret. Marine Corps General and former Secretary of Defense, James Mattis. I admire Retired General Mattis for his servant-leadership model, a principal where a leader’s primary focus is the well-being, growth, and empowerment of the people they lead. Mattis combined sharp strategy, with an unwavering dedication to his front-line personnel he led, always putting the mission and safety above personal ambition.

This is exactly the standard of leadership I aspire to exemplify and will bring to my candidacy for Carlton County Sheriff. True leadership isn’t about the title; it is about protecting and serving the people who trust you to guide them. Like Mattis, I believe in confident leadership, doing what is right, and ensuring our deputies have the unwavering support and training they need to safely and effectively protect our community. A vote for me is a vote for disciplined, community-focused leadership rooted in real service.

What is the biggest challenge facing the sheriff’s office, and how would you address it if elected?

Addressing our nation and statewide staffing challenges are a priority of mine. We have implemented an aggressive strategy by adjusting our wages to stay competitive, ensuring our staff are compensated fairly for the immense risks and tough work environment they operate in. We made other policy changes to add tangible value to the quality of their work environment.

Next, we found hiring processes that streamline background checks, eliminate unnecessary administrative hurdles, ultimately cutting the time it takes to go from an applicant to being hired. We also continue to bolster and look for ways to engage with our community, both in-person and on social media to show the next generation what serving Carlton County truly means.

Recruiting and retaining top talent isn’t just a county goal, it is a public safety mandate. We require the best of the best as that translates to a safer, more secure community.

How would you build effective relationships with other agencies and offices, including tribal law enforcement, the state attorney general’s office and other county sheriffs?

Effective relationship building is a standard I have spent my entire 46 years in our Carlton County community establishing. If elected, I start day-one with trusted connections with all of our regional partners, and as Sheriff, I will continue to bolster the strength of those vital partnerships.

I am a Fond du Lac tribal member who grew up in our Carlton County community, so continuing to work in partnership with our tribe is a priority. It is imperative that our county works with our tribe seamlessly to ensure all residence are receiving the services they need to maintain safe neighborhoods.

Over the years, our office has also held strong relationships with our attorney general’s office. We have partnered in successful prosecutions, including matters as serious as murder. Successful prosecution of criminals and protecting our community is number one on my list and will continue to be into the future.

How would you seek to address the intersection of mental health issues and criminal justice in calls for service and your jail?

Addressing the intersection of mental health and criminal justice requires innovation and commitment to breaking the cycle of recidivism. In calls for service, my focus is on equipping our staff with as many crisis-intervention tools as possible to safely de-escalate situations and provide care whenever appropriate.

Within our jail, we refuse to settle for the status quo and actively seek out solutions. We sought partnerships with the state’s Direct Care and Treatment pilot program that we continue to advance and continue to work with other mental health crisis resources and teams to better serve our inmate population. We also heavily invested in specialized female justice programming to address trauma and needs of our female population. Rehab doesn’t end at the jail doors, so community and county hand-offs are top priority. Bridging the gap between release from jail and local support systems to ensure long-term stability for our county residents.

Contributed

Age on Election Day: 39

Community: Moose Lake, MN

Employment: Transportation Director Moose Lake Schools

Please share any prior experience and education that you believe qualifies you for office.

Bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice
12 years Police Officer with City of Moose Lake
Several years in business management
Problem solving and Community oriented
Physically and mentally capable

Why are you running?

Carlton County needs new leadership and change. Current Administration uses taxpayer's money to solve problems instead of applying themselves to work and finding solutions. I would be new person coming into the department with new ideas to change the 20+ year stagnant department.

Incident involving criminal charges against myself for community service and the process how the current Carlton County Sheriff, Chief Deputy and Prosecutors are handling it. Being charged for "Temporary theft" ongoing for almost 3 years. (This is a perfect example of how incompetent Carlton County administration leaders are and how they treat others)

Why should voters choose you to advance to the general election?

I will bring new leadership, ideas and innovations to the department
• Review Carlton County Sheriff’s Department 11.5 million dollar budget and cut any unnecessary spending in all aspects of the department.
• Direct transparency within the department, Will not allow nepotism, things won’t be swept under the rug, deputies and citizens in the community will be held accountable for their actions.
• Promote confidence in department and bring back an emergency response team, not relying on St. Louis County.

I am not part of the 20 plus year Carlton County Sheriffs department “good old gang”

I will make positive changes in the Carlton County Sheriff's Department supporting deputies and the community

Name a public leader you admire and explain why.

Darren Juntunen - his experience, extremely knowledgeable in Law Enforcement and a great, capable leader.

What is the biggest challenge facing the sheriff’s office, and how would you address it if elected?

Adjusting the Budget and gaining respect from department members and citizens. I would work and lead by example.

How would you build effective relationships with other agencies and offices, including tribal law enforcement, the state attorney general’s office and other county sheriffs?

Would work closely with all Law enforcement agencies and develop positive relationships with them through problem solving skills.

For the Attorney general's office, going to take a lot of work, not a fan of Keith Ellison and his decision making. Minnesota would be much better with him out of Office.

How would you seek to address the intersection of mental health issues and criminal justice in calls for service and your jail?

State hospitals need to come back to the state of Minnesota to help with these issues.

KAXE did not receive a response from this candidate.