District 1 county board candidates answer questions

• Gerald Johnson

Gerald Johnson
• Bonnie Huettl

Bonnie Huettl

Talk about it

To help readers reach a more informed decision on Election Day, the Echo Press sent questionnaires to all the candidates who are running for Douglas County commissioner.

The responses for the districts that held a primary on August 14, Districts 2, 3 and 4, have already been published. The newspaper will now be printing the responses from the other two districts, beginning with the District 1 race between challenger Bonnie Huettl and incumbent Jerry Johnson.

Candidates were limited to a 500-word response to five questions selected by the newspaper. Here are the responses from District 1:

BONNIE HUETTL

1. Please provide background information (occupation, how long you’ve lived in the area, education, family, etc.).

My husband Hardy and I chose to move to Douglas County in 1997. We have two grown, married children that have blessed us with four grandchildren. Currently I am retired but doing volunteer work.

Determined after leaving my career to give back to my community, I have worked with the United Way’s grant selection group, with the District 206 Adult Education Roundtable and currently am president of several local organizations. Also, for the past seven years I have attended a majority of the county commissioners’ board meetings as well as county planning and zoning meetings.

My professional experience includes: city of St. Paul’s Planning and Economic Development Department; appraisal manager of Minneapolis mortgage lending institution; office and store operations manager for a chain of retail stores, and a small business owner for 22 years.

2. Why did you decide to run for county commissioner?

I have the passion, knowledge, experience and time, enabling me to be a strong leader for Douglas County.

My experience with managing many projects as well as my abilities to organize and prioritize will serve me well as a commissioner. I love challenges and believe I am qualified and ready to serve.

3. How would you “grade” (A, B, C, D or F) the current county board and is there anything it could be doing better? Be specific.

“B.” In the seven years I have observed decision making at the county, in general, it has been acceptable. However, when some tough decisions emerged, it appeared there could have been better leadership, including better vision into the future.

At times, with inadequate future considerations, decisions were made that resulted in unplanned future costs. For example, the new county jail and law enforcement center.

There also seems to be a lack of desirable cooperation between the county and other units of government that needs improvement.

Citizens deserve to know what business and decisions their elected officials are involved with, even when they cannot attend meetings. The answer to this is the video recording and broadcasting of county meetings. I will work to make this occur.

4. What separates you from the other candidates? List any traits, qualifications or skills you have for the position.

Through my volunteer positions I have connected with leaders, both in the Minnesota Legislature and other prominent leaders from around Minnesota in helping to establish a stronger voice for Douglas County.

I can bring new perspectives to the county board that will enable thinking beyond the norm.

As our county grows, there will be increasing pressures on the budget plus increasing demands for services. Creative new thinking will be needed. My business work experiences involved a diverse climate of personalities, which affords me the proven abilities to find common ground, negotiate under difficult circumstances and always remain focused.

Whether a person is a farmer, an in-town residential owner, a lakeshore owner or a renter, all have the same goal: To make Douglas County the best place it can be.

5. If elected, what would be your number-one priority?

Better management of long term gains versus what can turn out to be short term savings. With the increasing demand for government services and the costs of services escalating and typically outpacing available revenues, an improved balance is necessary. I will work tirelessly to achieve this end.

GERALD JOHNSON

1. Please provide background information (occupation, how long you’ve lived in the area, education, family, etc.).

Lifetime resident, born and raised in Douglas County. Mother, Nadine, resides in Evansville. Married to Cheryl for 43 years. Three kids, six grandkids. Graduated from Evansville High School and Staples Vo-Tech. U.S. Army Vietnam veteran.

2. Why did you decide to run for county commissioner?

I believe that I was elected 8.5 years ago to represent District 1 with a fair, conservative vote on the Board of Commissioners. I have been accused of being “slightly” bullheaded about some budget and building issues. Getting the best bang for the buck doesn’t have a “go along to get along” answer.

3. How would you “grade” (A, B, C, D or F) the current county board and is there anything it could be doing better? Be specific.

If I would grade the present board with an A, it would mean that I was happy with every decision. I’m not. Flunking the board would say I was unhappy with every vote. I’m not always. The grading system for the board will happen in November and is the only grade that counts.

4. What separates you from the other candidates? List any traits, qualifications or skills you have for the position.

Over 140 years of family history in Douglas County have imprinted the need to keep Douglas County a good place for my kids, grandkids and someday, great-grandkids to live.

My work history of farming, a tour of duty in the Army in Vietnam, doing construction work and township assessing, driving snowplow for the township, 13 years on the Urness Town Board and 8.5 years on the county board have given me the experience to do this job.

5. If elected, what would be your number-one priority?

My number-one priority is still the budget, which affects each taxpayer in Douglas County.

Al Edenloff

Al Edenloff was born in Alexandria and later moved to Parkers Prairie where he graduated in 1979. While in high school, he wrote sports stories for the Parkers Prairie Independent. Al graduated from Moorhead State University with a degree in mass communication and started at the Echo Press as a summer intern in 1983. He worked as a reporter until 1990 when he was named editor. He's earned several writing and reporting awards from the Minnesota Newspaper Association (MNA) and the National Newspaper Association. He was presented with the Minnesota News Council's Journalism Accountability Award and is a three-time winner of the MNA's Herman Roe Editorial Writing Award. In his spare time, Al enjoys golfing, fishing, biking, watching sports, cooking and reading mystery novels.

Tags: local news, news, election, commissioners