Races to be decided Tuesday

Brainerd School District residents will head to the polls Tuesday to vote between 10 candidates for four school board seats.

Staples-Motley School District voters also will cast ballots for seven candidates running for three open seats, and Staples city residents will vote for mayoral and city council races.

Voters in the Aitkin and Wadena-Deer Creek school districts will vote on operating levy referendums.

In the Brainerd School District, the polls will be open from noon to 8 p.m. Tuesday. Voters will be asked to elect three school board members for three four-year terms and one board member for a special two-year term. Four-year candidates include Howard Brewer, Nancy Cross, Todd Froemming, Tom Haglin, incumbent Ruth Nelson and Chris Robinson. Two-year candidates include James Hunt, Theresa Knierim, incumbent Bob Nystrom and Tom Peterson.

Voters in the Staples-Motley School District and in the city of Staples may vote between noon to 8 p.m. at several combined polling sites Tuesday. Seven school board candidates are running for three four-year terms. Candidates include Brad Anderson, Carrie Beachy, Frank Odell, Brian Smith and incumbents Roy DiGiovanni, Mary Freeman and Barb Schmitt. Staples mayoral candidates for the two-year term include incumbent Chris Etzler and Terry Minnick. There are four candidates for three open Staples City Council four-year seats: Mike Isenberg and incumbents Roy Miles, Joel Quance and Rob Schmieg.

Absentee ballots are available 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday at the Staples-Motley School District office, except for Staples city residents who may get an absentee ballot from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday at Staples city offices in the Government Center. Absentee ballots from the city will have both the school board and city races on them.

Wadena-Deer Creek School District residents are asked to vote for two operating levy referendum questions from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday in the Wadena-Deer Creek High School Memorial Auditorium. The first question asks to revoke the existing $101.17 per pupil levy, which expires in 2011, replacing it with a $650 operating levy to be used to fund the "basics" - math, reading and science curriculum. The second question asks for an additional $150 per pupil for technology to support curriculum covered by passage of the first question. The first question must pass in order for the second question to pass.

A $100,000 property now paying $21.04 annually for the existing levy will pay $135.21 annually if the first question passes and $160.22 if both questions pass. A tax calculator is provided at the district's Web site, www.wdc2155.k12.mn.us, for those who would like to find out how their home or property would be affected by the proposed levy increase.

Absentee ballots are available at the district office Monday.

Aitkin School District residents will head to the polls from 1-8 p.m. Tuesday to vote on renewing a 6-cent operating levy. Polling sites include Aitkin High School, Palisade School and Glen-Kimberly Town Hall. The operating levy would remain in effect for another 10 years. The levy allows the district to access additional equity revenue through its levy using the state funding formula to generate $110,000 a year - or about $81 per student.

A homeowner with a $100,000 property pays about $12 a year - $1 per month - for the 6-cent per pupil operating levy.

JODIE TWEED may be reached at jodie.tweed@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5858.