by Dennis Dalman
The Stearns County Board of Commissioners has decided there will be a special election to fill the seat District 4 Commissioner Leigh Lenzmeier resigned from recently.
The special election will take place Aug. 12. However, if more than two candidates file for the position, a primary will be held on that day (Aug. 12). The winning candidates in the primary will then face off in the Nov. 4 election.
Prospective candidates for that position can file for the election from May 20 until June 7.
There are five commissioner districts in Stearns County. District 4 includes part of west St. Cloud and all of Waite Park.
At the county board meeting, the four commissioners voted 3-1 to schedule the Aug. 12 election. Commissioner Tarryl Clark voted against the proposal, saying that early date would not give candidates enough time to campaign widely so prospective voters could get to know them and their viewpoints.
Lenzmeier served on the Stearns County Board of Commissioners for 34 years, the longest term in the history of that board. About 18 months ago, Lenzmeier began to suffer from health problems and was living in an assisted-living facility located in Wright County. He “attended” county-board meetings via video for the past year or so.
At the May 6 county-board meeting, the four commissioners approved a resolution praising Lenzmeier for his many years of work on the board.
The four current county commissioners are Tarryl Clark, District 1; Joe Perske, District 2; Chairman Jeff Bertram, District 3; and Vice-Chairman Steve Notch, District 5.
Leigh Lenzmeier
