MAY TOWNSHIP — The Cass County Board declined to require a deputy running for sheriff against his boss to take a leave of absence at the request of the county attorney.
County Attorney Ben Lindstrom presented his recommendation to commissioners Tuesday, May 19, at their meeting in a packed May Town Hall in rural Motley. He argued Deputy Aaron Ammerman violated policy by failing to notify the Board of his intention to run.
“‘Intentions’ means you tell people before you’re gonna go do some big public announcement,” Lindstrom said. “And that gives you, a board, as a body, the opportunity to say, ‘Do we think this will create issues?’ ... When it’s not done, it deprives you of that capacity.”
Ammerman, a Cass County deputy for 22 years, announced his run for sheriff May 11 on social media and in news releases to local outlets. He filed to run on Tuesday, the first day of the two-week filing period. Sheriff Bryan Welk, who has worked in the office for 28 years, announced he would seek a second term on Thursday, although he did not file Tuesday.
The Cass County personnel policy requires employees to notify the County Board in writing if they intend to run for an elective county office. This notification allows the Board to determine if the candidacy would have a negative impact on normal operations in the employee’s department, and if they should be required to take a leave of absence as a result.
Lindstrom further cited an incident of what he called “unbecoming conduct” related to critical comments Ammerman allegedly made about the sheriff months earlier while on the job.
Commissioner Neal Gaalswyk said he worried about the optics of the Board intervening in the sheriff election, adding the Board has no oversight of other county elected officials.
“Forcing a candidate ... who is running against an incumbent sheriff, who everyone knows has a good relationship with his Board, the optics of that aren’t very good, and I don’t think the politics of that are very good,” Gaalswyk said.
“And so Ben [Lindstrom], while I respect you and your work and our relationship, I have to say on this case, I think it would be better if we let the sheriff be the sheriff and run his office.”
Gaalswyk, a retired Crow Wing County sheriff's captain, noted in his experience, deputies running against the sheriff have chosen to take leaves to have time to campaign and avoid acrimony within the office.
“Mr. Ammerman hasn’t asked me for advice,” he said. “If he were to ask me for advice, what I would say is, ‘It would be a good idea to take a leave of absence.’”
None of the other commissioners commented. Gaalswyk made a motion thanking the county attorney for bringing the matter to the Board’s attention while declining to act, which was approved unanimously by the four-member Board. One seat remains vacant after the death of Commissioner Rusty Lilyquist.
Ammerman, who was in the audience accompanied by dozens who showed up in support, called the Board’s action “justice.”
“We have so many things going on in this county that the county attorney can be doing, not just following county policy and trying to dive into that and try and tamper with an election because he’s friends with the sheriff,” Ammerman said. “That’s my personal belief.”
In a Friday interview — the day the Board agenda was posted online with Lindstrom’s request — Ammerman said he planned to inform commissioners when he officially filed to run. He described the action as a political smear he believed was linked to a misconduct complaint he filed against Welk. He said he was under oath to not discuss the details of that January complaint, which he said is still being investigated. It is the reason he’s running for sheriff, he said.
“Frankly, I'm at the point now where I'm like, ‘You can fire me. I'm running, and I'm not leaving. I'm not going away,’” he said Friday.
Lindstrom told the Board he brought the request because of his role in managing risk for the county. Asked in an interview after the meeting to respond to Ammerman’s claim of political motivation, Lindstrom said, “I’m not involved in any complaint he’s made against Sheriff Welk. I mean, certainly running against him is kind of a complaint.”
Welk did not attend Tuesday’s meeting. In an emailed statement Wednesday morning, the sheriff said the actions of the county attorney were taken independently and without his knowledge.
“The complaint filed against me is without merit and appears politically motivated, as the individual involved is now a candidate for sheriff,” Welk stated. “I will not discuss the details of the allegations, in order to protect the privacy and rights of my staff — a responsibility I take very seriously. My focus remains on serving the public and supporting the dedicated employees who make our community safe and effective, and I will continue to lead with integrity and fairness.”
‘Unbecoming conduct’
As for Ammerman’s alleged “unbecoming conduct,” Lindstrom relayed comments he said he overheard in January after Sheriff Bryan Welk met with Leech Lake Tribal Chairman Faron Jackson Sr. and Attorney General Keith Ellison.
The meeting focused on an officer-involved shooting in November 2025, during which a Cass County deputy was shot and wounded, and the apparent shooter — who was later identified as the foster son of Jackson — was killed by another deputy. Ammerman told another employee that those officials should have been turned away, according to Lindstrom. Lindstrom relayed this situation to Welk the next day in a letter.
“When you have a high-emotion incident like that where somebody was shot and killed, and then you have a deputy who is in uniform in a public forum criticizing his management to other people ... for me, it was an important issue to bring to the sheriff’s attention,” Lindstrom told the Board on Tuesday.
Ammerman said his statements were misconstrued. He said he referred to only Ellison, not Jackson, in his comments, and it was Ellison he criticized. He said Ellison showed up without an appointment, and he felt like the attorney general should have been made to wait for that reason.
“We want to be as open as possible, but I'm kind of troubled by people that think that they're important because they're a politician, and they can just show up whenever they want and just expect to have the red carpet rolled out for them,” Ammerman said.
The letter Lindstrom wrote to Welk in January was among the documents initially supplied to the Board in the agenda packet, along with Lindstrom’s request for Board action, two local stories on Ammerman’s candidacy announcement and screenshots of Ammerman’s campaign website.
Later Friday, the packet was updated to include four more documents: Ammerman’s notification of running for sheriff; two letters from attorneys with Ammerman’s union, Law Enforcement Labor Services; and a January email exchange between Welk and LELS Staff Attorney Tony Spector.
The union letter dated May 15 requested the inclusion of the other documents and calls the allegation regarding Ammerman’s conduct false, adding Welk did not open an investigation in response to Lindstrom’s accusation. The other union letter, dated Jan. 16, requested the sheriff to take no investigative or disciplinary action in the matter.
“The timing and framing of the County Attorney's letter are also concerning. Deputy Ammerman has recently engaged in protected activity by filing a misconduct complaint,” Spector wrote. “Against that backdrop, the sudden elevation of a benign workplace comment into an allegation of ‘unbecoming conduct’ raises a serious inference of retaliation. Even the appearance of retaliatory motive exposes the County and the Sheriff’s Office to significant legal risk.”
This year's election
Welk began as a dispatcher, later serving as a deputy, sergeant, lieutenant and chief deputy for former Sheriff Tom Burch.
"I have been doing the work, standing with our community, and leading with the judgment and dedication this office requires," Welk's announcement stated. "As I run for reelection, I am committed to a positive campaign focused on achievements, service, and results, highlighting the work we have done together to make our county safer, stronger, and more united."
Ammerman has worked in the boat and water division, emergency response unit, road patrol and court security.
"If elected Sheriff, I will continue to build on the strong foundation of professionalism, accountability, and service that the Cass County Sheriff’s Office represents," Ammerman's announcement stated. "My goal is to lead with integrity, support the deputies and staff who serve our community every day, and work closely with residents to address the challenges we face together."
Ammerman is also a School Board member for Northland Community Schools in Remer. His term is set to expire in January 2027.
Ammerman said he and Welk attended high school and law enforcement training together. They have known each other for 35 years.
Lindstrom has served two terms as county attorney, and his seat is also up for election this year. He said Tuesday he plans to run again.
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