By Christina Killion Valdez
Post-Bulletin, Rochester MN
As change swept the nation in the presidential race, the Olmsted County Board held strong.
Incumbents Judy Ohly, Paul Wilson and Jim Bier all beat challengers for their seats. Mike Podulke ran unopposed in reclaiming his spot in District 1 for a second term.
The re-election of all the board members is an affirmation of the work of the board, said Wilson, a 14-year commissioner. Yet, he said, it is time for change. The change doesn’t need to come through a change in leadership but rather by changing how things are done, he said.
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A pending statewide budget shortfall in the billions of dollars, Wilson said, will have an effect on the county.
"We all know that there are things we believe in that we can’t do," he said.
And while the budget crisis will be something the board has to deal with for many years to come, Wilson stayed positive.
"There’s a new time before us," he said, with changing demographics at home and in the world economy. "There are a lot of opportunities on the local level."
As the president of the Association of Minnesota Counties, Wilson said he wants to continue building the state-county relationship.
The relationship between the state budget shortfalls and the priorities of the county is what Bier said he’ll be watching in his third term.
"It’s going to be a tough year," Bier said.
It was a good thing that the county board remained intact after the election, he said.
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"It shows our county board, at least, has been cognizant of what’s going on," he said. "And we’re aware of what needs to be done and what priorities need to be set."
"My priorities have been laid out for me," and the budget is front and center, Ohly said.
Ohly, who serves on nearly two dozen local committees and groups, said she will continue to work on a long list of projects, which includes fighting for clean water and air, improving Lake Shady, moving ahead with changes at Graham Park, finding homes for the homeless, and working on the county’s relationship with the state and local governments, she said.
"We’re all working hard to make positive changes," she said.
Olmsted County Board
District 3
Paul F. Wilson...4,177
Ann L. Haddorff...2,091
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District 5
Jim Bier...4,713
Tom A. Tweite...3,475
District 7
Judy Ohly...6,556
Terry Throndson...4,704
