3 Becker County Board seats are on the ballot this year

DETROIT LAKES

— Three of the five Becker County Board seats are on the ballot Tuesday.

In Commissioner District 3, the candidates are Phil Hansen and Terry L. Mackner. Incumbent District 3 Commissioner John Okeson is retiring at the end of this year and did not file for reelection.

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Mackner, who owns an excavation company On Highway 34 east of Detroit Lakes, did not participate in a candidate forum and declined to respond to a questionnaire from this newspaper. He ran for the same seat in 2020.

Hansen, 56, is chairman of the Lakeview Township Board, previously served on Detroit Lakes Development Authority and now serves as a manager on the Pelican River Watershed District Board, and on the Becker County Recreational Advisory Committee.

He and his wife, Dianna, have three grown children — Hope, Jillian and Ross.

Hansen is also a trustee for North Dakota State University, and he serves as a board member for the nonprofit Impact Foundation, which supports Giving Hearts Day and Lend-A-Hand Up in this area.

Hansen ran for Minnesota Senate in 2012 and is a member of Zion Lutheran Church in Detroit Lakes. He enjoys gardening, officiating youth sports and traveling.

In District 4 the candidates are Donald Skarie and incumbent Richard Vareberg.

Vareberg, 61, of Detroit Township, is married with three children. He is the owner-operator of Vareberg Backhoe Service, an excavation company. He is a devout Christian and attends Summit Church.

He belongs to and supports the National Rifle Association and the Boys and Girls Club, according to his responses to a questionnaire from this newspaper.

His hobbies include ice fishing, traveling and spending time at the lake.

Skarie is a lifelong resident of Detroit Township, where he and his wife, Pam, raised six children and have 10 grandchildren. He graduated from Detroit Lakes High School and NDSU in Fargo with a bachelor’s degree in animal science.

“Our family operated Skarie Turkey Farm for 44 years and currently own Lakeview Greenhouses and Lakeview Catering,” Skarie said in a questionnaire from this newspaper. “Our kids work in agriculture, education, human services, finance, and custodial work, which gives us a broad range of perspective and appreciation. My hobbies include hiking, snowshoeing, downhill skiing, and traveling in the mountains.”

Prior to serving on the County Board from 2011-2020, Skarie served on several boards and organizations in the community, including the Detroit Township Board, Becker County Fair Board, Trinity Lutheran Church Council, Minnesota Turkey Growers Association, Becker County Zoning, Floyd Lakes Association and Detroit Lakes Optimist Club.

In District 5, the candidates are Jack Heisler and incumbent Barry Nelson.

Nelson decided to run for reelection because “I thoroughly enjoy working with people and finding solutions. The support and encouragement that I have received to run for another term has been overwhelming,” he said earlier in a questionnaire from this newspaper.

“I believe my experience as commissioner is invaluable, with my best traits being able to listen and work towards solutions. I use difficult decisions and times to learn from and help guide the next issue that comes before me. Every difficult experience makes us stronger and better to handle the next one.”

Along with being county commissioner, Nelson farms corn, soybeans and wheat, and the family grows pumpkins, squash and gourds for their roadside stand.

“We live in Lake Eunice Township on Eilertson Lake, which is across the lake from my great grandparents’ (Guy and Inga Eilertson) homestead,” Nelson wrote. “In my spare time, I enjoy cheering on our kids in their sporting events, spending time at the lake, boating, and traveling with my family. We belong to St. Peter’s Church, where we have many friends and family.”

Heisler, of Maple Grove Township, graduated from Waubun High School and went on to spend over 27 years as a wildlife manager for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Minnesota, Iowa, Washington, Utah and North Dakota.

He now works for the White Earth Nation in the Natural Resources Division.

He said he has been actively involved in the communities he lived in throughout his career. “It seemed everyone knew ‘Big Jack.’ I belong to a habitat organization, Pheasants Forever, and was on the board of directors with them in Marion County, Iowa,” he said earlier in a questionnaire from this newspaper.

He enjoys spending time with family and friends, being outdoors hunting, fishing, snowmobiling, Harley riding, walking or swimming and playing music.

In the Becker Soil and Water Conservation District, all three incumbent supervisors — Michelle Andresen, Travis J. Schauer and Tony Beck — are running unopposed.

Bowe covers the Becker County Board and the court system for the Tribune, and handles the opinion pages for the Tribune and Focus. As news editor of both papers, he is the go-to contact person for readers and the general public: breaking or hard news tips, story ideas, questions and general feedback should be directed to him.