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.
Mayor
Brian Holmer
Incumbent: Yes
KAXE did not receive a response from this candidate.
Mike Lorenson
Editor's note: Mike Lorenson reached out to KAXE regarding a filing error, resulting in him not receiving the Election Guide invitations. We've agreed to include his responses for this reason.
Incumbent: No
Age on Election Day: 51
Where are you currently employed, and what is your role?
Digi-key, Senior Manager in the IT department.
Please share any prior experience that you believe qualifies you for office.
I have had a seat on the council for the past 6 years. I have a strong management background with a heavy focus on budgeting.
Please describe the roles and responsibilities of the office you are running for.
The city of Thief River Falls has a weak mayor system, meaning that the mayor does not have any more authority than other members of the council. However, as a mayor there are some leadership responsibilities that will come into play.
Why are you running for office?
I want to make sure that the people of the city are being heard. We have failed in this area and I feel we are in need of a change.
What are your priorities, if elected? Please describe specific policy goals.
Communication, and building back trust with the people. Focus on city halls to keep the community in the loop as to how we are doing as a city, as well as to allow them to voice their concerns.
Across the region, renters and owners are struggling to afford housing. If elected, what would you do to address the issues of availability and affordability for your constituents?
The inflation we've all experienced has been tough on everyone, including developers. Over the past few years, it's significantly impacted homebuilding, and we've fallen short of our goals for over a decade now. This has led to a serious housing shortage in the city, driving up home prices and making both new builds and existing homes unaffordable for many, especially those on entry-level salaries.
We need to get creative in addressing this challenge. Here are a few ways we can do that:
Workforce Housing Programs - Partnering with local businesses, particularly larger employers, to create workforce housing programs should be a top priority. This could involve grants or employer-assisted housing programs to ensure employees can afford to live where they work.
Continue Exploring Community Land Trusts (CLTs) - We've already seen success with a few homes built through a CLT, which helps stabilize housing costs by separating land ownership from the homes. This allows people to buy homes at lower prices, while the land is owned by a non-profit or city entity, preserving long-term affordability. We need to expand our efforts in this area and continue working with developers on similar models, potentially knocking $100,000+ off the price of a new home.
Incentivize Affordable Housing Development - I would advocate for incentives such as tax breaks (TIFs) or reduced fees for developers committed to building affordable housing, ensuring we increase the supply of homes within reach for more residents.
Leverage Government Aid - I will work closely with the State to secure additional funding (When available) to help the city to build more homes and alleviate the strain on the housing market.
With a focused, creative approach, we can address housing affordability, create more opportunities for residents, and ensure our city remains attractive for everyone, regardless of income level.
What effective policies will you support that will prepare your city now, next year and in the future to improve resiliency against climate change?
I will work with our state officials to make sure that goals are realistic on what can be achieved vs. what we have been given lately. I will also fight to make sure the renewable energy we are producing through our current hydropower infrastructure counts towards our goals.
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.
We are below average for the city’s share of property taxes. The county, however is on the higher end. This is primarily due to some of the larger projects they have taken on. I will continue with the rest of the council to keep our tax burden as low as possible. Explore options of sales tax in the future. Even a .005% city tax would help bring down the stress on the community.
How do you plan to improve transparency and trust in government?
We need to set up town hall meetings to allow people to come together with the city and make sure that there are no questions or concerns with how things are being handled by the council. We need to have sub committees with public input on how all branches of city are doing.
City Council At-Large
Jason Aarestad
Incumbent: Yes
KAXE did not receive a response from this candidate.
Doug Bergman
Incumbent: No
Age on Election Day: 68
Where are you currently employed, and what is your role?
Digi-key packaging and pastor of community Bible church
Please share any prior experience that you believe qualifies you for office.
Business experience for many decades
Please describe the roles and responsibilities of the office you are running for.
All responsibilities of the council are to be done as a whole. They are to address problems of basic policy and act as a liaison between the city and the general public. The council member is responsible to participate in all meetings.
Why are you running for office?
I desire to bring greater fiscal responsibility and great scrutiny in the use of taxpayer money
What are your priorities, if elected? Please describe specific policy goals.
Look for obvious waste or over-spending and eliminate it.
Across the region, renters and owners are struggling to afford housing. If elected, what would you do to address the issues of availability and affordability for your constituents?
Work to make sure that city government smallest possible imprint on the building of homes. This includes keeping property taxes as low as possible and regulations as few as possible.
What effective policies will you support that will prepare your city now, next year and in the future to improve resiliency against climate change?
If you are referring to man-made global warming or cooling, it is a hoax. If you are referring to the four seasons, then one should spend according to need.
Editor's note: According to the vast majority of peer-reviewed studies, science organizations and climate scientists, climate change largely caused by human emissions has contributed to global warming and extreme weather events.
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.
Every spending item must have a specific purpose that will help the community at large. I will vote against all wasteful spending.
How do you plan to improve transparency and trust in government?
Be honest and available to everyone and be a public as possible about all council business.
City Council Ward 2
Julie Bolduc
Incumbent: No
KAXE did not receive a response from this candidate.
Cainan Langlie
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.
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