KAXE contacted each candidate at least twice to invite them to participate in our Election Guide, using contact information submitted to the Secretary of State's Office.
Candidate responses have not been edited and are published exactly as submitted, including typos and formatting.
As necessary, our news team added contextual information clearly marked with an "editor's note" and in italics. We will make every effort to make note of inaccuracies if they come to our attention.
Please contact our news team at news@kaxe.org with questions or comments or to report any errors.
KAXE's Election Guide includes contested races in communities with at least 100 people. Visit our full list of who's running for office in Northern Minnesota to see who else will be on the ballot in November.
About these races
The county board is responsible for governing its county, including by approving the budget. Generally, counties are responsible for the following: property tax assessment, tax administration, elections, record keeping, transportation, planning and zoning, solid waste management, environment, parks and water management, law enforcement, courts and health and human services.
County Commissioner District 1 includes the city of Warroad. The incumbent commissioner is Glenda Phillipe, who is not running for reelection.
The sheriff is a county's chief law enforcement officer, tasked with keeping and preserving peace. The current sheriff is Steven J. Gust, who is running for reelection.
The winners of these elections will begin their four-year terms in January.
Click the tabs below to learn more about the candidates
KAXE did no receive a response from this candidate.
KAXE did not receive a response from this candidate.
Incumbent
KAXE did not receive a response from this candidate.
Age on Election Day: 34
Community: Roseau, MN
Employment: LifeCare Medical Center - EMT, Warroad Police Department- Police Officer
Please share any prior experience and education that you believe qualifies you for office.
I have experience in emergency services: EMS (ambulance and emergency room), Police, and Search And Rescue. I've worked as a Corrections Officer for Tri-County Community Corrections. Volunteered for the area: Warroad Area Rescue Unit EMT, DNR Firearm Safety Instructor, RCSO mounted posse, and RHS FIRST Robotics. Most of my public service has been in Roseau County and NW MN. I left the area for two and a half years, to obtain more skills and experiences, then returned to better serve the community that I call home.
Why are you running?
To end the good old boys club (the nepotism and how staff embers are treated differently based on their affiliations), update agency policies, seek grants to assist with agency costs, ensure all shifts are filled and covered, improve staff member mental health, improve community relations, improve transparency with the community and other agencies, obtain trainings and resources to assist with how we respond to mental health crisis. Ultimately the Sheriff's Office is not meeting the standard in law enforcement. We need someone who can do the job and put the effort in to provide for the community.
Why should voters elect you?
This is a four year plan. I’m not looking to become sheriff and keep the office as long as I can. At this time, my main goal is to get the Sheriff’s Office to meet the standard of law enforcement. Once someone comes along that will continue to improve the office, I will step down. I will do my due diligence to improve transparency, community relations, policy improvements/updates, crime victim advocacy, staff mental health, staff training, the agency hiring process, and how we promote staff. I will also ensure all shifts are filled, even if I have to fill them myself. We have many shifts that are not filled. This leaves 1-0 deputies on at times. I will train deputies to provide first responder medical care. I will also hold monthly community meetings, seek and obtain grants to assist with agency funding, and regularly utilize social media for community relations.
Name a public leader you admire and explain why.
I wouldn't say I admire a public leader. Different areas have different needs and I need to calibrate for the community I serve and limitations I face.
What is the biggest challenge facing the sheriff’s office, and how would you address it if elected?
Right now, the biggest challenge is that we have deputies and other staff members that have never worked anywhere else. Some don’t understand how agencies need to be operated in order for them to be successful. Currently, the consensus is: in order to be promoted or obtain advancements, you need to be part of the good old boys club. That promotes poor behavior amongst staff and overlooks qualified staff members. Throughout the years, this mentality has caused many issues within the sheriff’s office and mistrust with the community and other agencies.
Please describe your stance on local law enforcement coordinating with federal immigration authorities.
Ultimately, the federal government enforces federal law. Interfering with federal law enforcement will bring criminal charges to all who are involved. We will not hinder their operations. Minnesota Peace Officers are not allowed to partake in immigration enforcement. If there is an instance where demonstrators are being unruly, during a federal operation, then the Sheriff is responsible, according to MN statute 387.03, to keep and preserve the peace. In that instance I will be involved with only keeping the peace. If there is a federal judicial warrant then we will be require to hold an individual, regardless of it being immigration related or not.
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?
Involve other agencies in what our agency is planning and doing. We need to include them in efforts on reducing crime and enforcing the laws. Many law enforcement agencies should be working together to provide more coordination for area needs and specialty services. There also needs to be more exercises and trainings involving more than just law enforcement. This includes EMS, fire departments, mental health workers, hospitals, and schools.
How would you seek to address the intersection of mental health issues and criminal justice in calls for service and your jail?
Just like everywhere else, we need more training and services to address mental health issues. Law enforcement encounter many folks who are dealing with mental health issues every day. I would like to work with the county and state to determine what resources are available and how we can implement them within the jail and community. We need to reduce the stigmatisms that cause folks to not seek help. There needs to be more cooperation between mental health experts and agencies that respond to folks who need assistance. Mental health is a growing issue throughout the country. I will continuously work with mental health services and the crisis team in order to keep up with the demands and needs of the community.
Still have questions for the candidates? Contact information for all those who've filed to run for office can be found at candidates.sos.state.mn.us.
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