Nelson, Vareberg, Hansen win Becker County Board seats

DETROIT LAKES

—

DETROIT LAKES

—The final unofficial results are in for the three Becker County Board races.

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Incumbent Commissioner Richard Vareberg squeaked by challenger Don Skarie by seven votes – Vareberg won 1,756 votes to 1,749 votes for Skarie, or 50% to 49.8%, with eight write-in votes in the District 4 race.

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.

In District 5, Incumbent Becker County Commissioner Barry Nelson defeated challenger Jack Heisler, 2,396 votes to 1,126 votes, or 68% to 32%.

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.

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.

Lakeview Township Chairman Phil Hansen defeated Terry L. Mackner 2,191 votes to 1,782 votes, or 55% to 45%, to win the District 3 seat on the Becker County Board. The seat is now held by Commissioner John Okeson, who is retiring from the board at the end of the year.

Hansen, 56, 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.

Mackner owns an excavation company on Highway 34 east of Detroit Lakes. He ran for the same seat in 2020.

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.