KAXE contacted every candidate twice using contact information submitted to the Secretary of State's Office to invite them to participate in our Election Guide.
Candidate responses have not been edited and are published as submitted.
As necessary, our news team added contextual information clearly marked with an "editor's note" and in italics, though responses have not been uniformly fact-checked. With our small team of three, we are unable to proactively fact check every statement made by candidates. But 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 only includes candidates in contested races. Visit our full list of who's running for office in Northern Minnesota to see who else is on the ballot.
Lacy Armstrong
Incumbent: No
KAXE did not receive a response from this candidate.
Craig Bower
Incumbent: No
KAXE did not receive a response from this candidate.
Jim DeVries
Incumbent: Yes
KAXE did not receive a response from this candidate.
Lucas Hisgun Sr.
Incumbent: No
KAXE did not receive a response from this candidate.
Tim G. Olson
Incumbent: No
Age on Election Day: (Field left blank)
City/Township of residence: Mahnomen
Where are you currently employed, and what is your role?
Retired Teacher
Please share any prior experience that you believe qualifies you for office.
I have 30+ years in public education as a teacher, coach and athletic administrator. I am a huge supporter of public schools, their students, families and educators. I have worked in five different districts and have seen some wonderful things from schools/school boards and have also seen some schools/school boards that were very lacking. It is those experiences that I bring and will add a positive impact to our school board.
Please describe the roles and responsibilities of the office you are running for.
School board members provide guidance/assistance/leadership to the efficient operation of all schools within the district.
Why are you running for office?
With my 30+ years of experience in public school education, I feel I have a great amount of insight /knowledge to offer our local school district. I look forward to the opportunity to make decisions to enhance opportunities for the students/employees and families of our local schools.
What are your priorities, if elected? Please describe specific goals.
Continue to maintain quality facilities and programs, (be they curricular, co-curricular or extracurricular) for our entire pre-k thru high school. Make resources available to the faculty and staff which will allow each to maximize student success. We will also be hiring a new superintendent before the beginning of the start of the 2025-26 and I look forward to being a part of that process.
What do you believe are the biggest challenges facing your district, and how do you plan to overcome them?
Student success, graduation rates and enrollment.
High taxation is a concern for many Northern Minnesotans. Please share any specific opinions you hold related to taxation, and how you plan to ensure tax dollars are used efficiently and effectively.
Taxes are a necessary evil to provide a quality and safe school environment. Public schools are the centerpiece of Minnesota’s small towns/communities. An efficient and smoothly run local school district is a huge factor in rural communities and community pride. And without tax dollars, a school district has a very difficult task of operating/functioning at the highest level.
How do you plan to improve transparency and trust in your school board?
An effective school board needs to be open to input from members of the community, school employees and students. Transparency between all parties is an absolute must to achieve the goals of any public school district. During my 30+ years in education, I have welcomed input/opinions from community/family members. I have always been and will continue to be accessible to all stakeholders throughout the school district.
Kimberly Scott-Neisen
Incumbent: No
KAXE did not receive a response from this candidate.
Todd Steinmetz
Incumbent: No
KAXE did not receive a response from this candidate.
Traci Turner
Incumbent: Yes
KAXE did not receive a response from this candidate.
John Paul Weaver Sr.
Incumbent: No
KAXE did not receive a response from this candidate.
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.
