Stearns County holds election for open board seat

Voters across Minnesota will head to the polls Tuesday to cast ballots in local city, county and school board races. 

In the St. Cloud area, two candidates are vying for an open seat on the Stearns County board. One of them would be the state’s first Somali American county commissioner, according to the Association of Minnesota Counties.

Leigh Lenzmeier held the District 4 county commissioner seat for 34 years. He resigned in April, after his wife raised concerns about his cognitive decline. 

Six people filed for the District 4 seat, which represents the city of Waite Park and south St. Cloud. Amin Ali and Bob Johnson received the most votes in the August primary election.

Ali is a 39-year-old youth soccer coach, community advocate and housing program director. At a campaign kickoff event in July, he stressed his work advocating for the community.

"I have walked alongside families looking for homes,” he said. “I have coached people looking for purpose. And I have listened to neighbors looking for a fair chance. I have also seen the possibilities when we get engaged."

Ali wasn’t available for an interview. In his campaign kickoff speech, he listed his top priorities as public safety, jobs, youth opportunities and housing.

Voter turnout for the special primary election was very low. Just 7 percent of registered voters cast ballots.

Still, some see Ali's primary win as a sign of the growing civic engagement and political participation of the city’s East African immigrant community. Roughly 6 percent of St. Cloud residents claim Somali heritage.

"It's more of a community that's realizing its power to organize and vote and have a voice in the local decision making, especially at the local level,” said Abdi Daisane, a Somali American resident of St. Cloud who’s been a candidate for the Minnesota House.

To win the Stearns County commissioner seat, Ali will have to defeat Johnson, the second highest vote-getter in the primary. At 76, he’s a longtime resident with well-established community connections.

Johnson was executive director of CentraCare's Heart and Vascular Center for 23 years. He also led the Paramount Center for the Arts in St. Cloud for nine years and served three terms on the St. Cloud City Council.

"I think the common theme, actually, is purpose and service,” Johnson said. “I love the idea of helping people with things. I love the idea of problem solving and people working together."

Most people are more familiar with their local city council, Johnson said. County government can be more obscure but is fundamental to people's lives, he said.

"Public health, for example, is really important,” Johnson said. “Child protective services, the sheriff's office, the county attorney's office, the people who work in environmental services. We have 125 lakes in Stearns County, and we want them to be clean and in good shape."

Many local government bodies have become increasingly partisan, reflecting national politics. But the role of county commissioner is supposed to be nonpartisan. 

That appeals to Johnson, who said he takes a moderate approach to most issues and looks for common ground.

"I think people should be able to find 80 percent agreement most of the time,” he said. “I think extremes in either direction don't do people much good. It just causes more division."

Johnson cited affordability as a key issue. More than half of St. Cloud's residents are renters, many because they can't afford to buy a house, he said. And he’s worried about the impact of people losing their food assistance due to federal cuts.

"Now we're talking about an additional food insecurity issue, kids going to school hungry, parents having to work more and not being home with their kids, whatever the case may be,” Johnson said. 

The new commissioner also will help guide the county's largest construction project to date: a new justice center and jail outside of downtown St. Cloud. County voters approved a sales tax last year capped at $325 million to fund the project.

The winning candidate will fill the vacant commissioner seat through the remainder of Lenzmeier’s term, which ends in December 2026.