Winger wins Beltrami County Board seat; Gould and Sumner reelected

BEMIDJI — Scott Winger says he intends to make some noise at the state level once he takes his seat on the Beltrami County Board of Commissioners.

Winger will join four incumbents on the board on Jan. 1. He defeated Kari Howe for the District 3 seat in the Nov. 5 election, garnering 2,769 votes, or 60%, to Howe's 1,813 votes.

Winger will succeed the retiring Richard Anderson as District 3 commissioner.

Meanwhile, incumbents Joe Gould and Tim Sumner won reelection in Districts 2 and 4, while Craig Gaasvig and John Carlson were unopposed in Districts 1 and 5.

Winger says the state of Minnesota needs to send more funds Beltrami County’s way.

“My intention is to just be kind of a squeaky wheel and bug them until they give us some money,” he said in an interview on Wednesday. “With all the mandates the state puts on us and says we have to do, they need to start kicking us some money. I know it’s still our tax dollars, but it’s also tax dollars from places that have a lot more money.”

He gave an example of $20 million that the state appropriated to Ramsey County for the completion of what he called “one little stretch of road.”

“Part of that money comes from Beltrami County,” Winger said. “They need to reciprocate that by giving us more money to help us out.”

Winger, who worked more than 21 years for the Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office, said one of the main issues he heard during the campaign was the high crime rate in Beltrami County.

“What can we do to help law enforcement get the tools they need to make a difference here?” he asked. “But it’s not just a law enforcement thing. Poverty affects crime, so how do you do something to help with that when we don’t have the money? I want to push the state harder for assistance.”

He added, “I’m not a politician. I don’t flower stuff up. I just lay it out there. If you like what I say, so be it. But I think everybody deserves to know the real story.”

Gaasvig, who has served District 1 since 2019, received 4,035 votes.

Gould received 2,244 votes, or 68.9%, to defeat Adam Bommersbach with 990 votes.

"I am deeply grateful and humbled to have been re-elected as your County Commissioner," Gould wrote in a post-election statement. "This election has shown how vital it is that local government continues to work on issues like child care, housing, and workforce recruitment — challenges that directly impact the quality of life here in northern Minnesota."

Sumner, who trailed challenger Frank Duresky early, received 2,666 votes, or 63%, after the Red Lake-area precincts came in to help him retain the seat he has held since 2012. Duresky tallied 1,579 votes.

Carlson won the District 5 seat in 2022 and will serve his second term having received 4,187 votes.

All of Tuesday's winners will begin four-year terms on Jan. 1, 2025.

Gaasvig, 55, works as a regional account manager at North Country Business Products. Prior to his time on the county board, Gaasvig was a supervisor on the Port Hope Township Board for 12 years. He is an active member of several local boards and committees.

Gould, 37, was first elected to the county board in 2022 and is a high school social studies teacher for Cass Lake-Bena Public Schools. He has been an active member of the community, serving on several boards, including the Bemidji Area Boys and Girls Club and the now-dissolved Greater Bemidji Area Joint Planning Commission.

Winger, 62, was born and raised in the Bemidji area, graduated from Bemidji High School and has worked in a variety of career fields. He has worked as a mechanic and is currently the area manager for a non-emergency medical transportation company. He is also an instructor for Minnesota’s Specialized Transportation Services and owner/CEO of Professional Hypnosis Services LLC.

Sumner, 40, has been the District 4 representative on the board since 2012. He is a case manager at the Red Lake Homeless Shelter and studied at Northwest Technical College in Bemidji. He is also a member of Red Lake Nation.

Carlson, 71, moved to Bemidji in 1971 to attend BSU, where he earned a degree in business finance. He worked as a certified management accountant and owned an insurance agency until 2017; he is currently semi-retired. From 2011 to 2012 Carlson served in the Minnesota State Senate.