The Free Press, Mankato, MN

Election News

November 8, 2006

Newcomers nab spots on Waseca School Board

By Nick Hanson

WASECA — Three newcomers, SkiAnn Christiansen, Jorge Diaz and Mike Gehloff, were elected to seats on the Waseca School Board and incumbent Joe Hoehn was the victor of a close battle for the fourth open seat.

Spurred by the recent firing of well-known coach Tink Larson by the School Board, a group of Waseca-area residents called Time for a Change in Waseca rigorously campaigned to fill four open School Board seats with new faces this fall, drawing statewide attention.

Three incumbents ran against four challengers. Time for a Change endorsed three of the challengers and one write-in.

Christiansen received 17.54 percent of the votes; Diaz 15.79 percent; and Gehloff 15.66 percent.

Hoehn got 1,961 votes, or 11 percent of the vote, barely winning the seat from their write-in endorsement Todd Zimmerman and incumbent Craig Watje. Watje got 1,821 and Zimmerman grabbed 1,771. “We didn’t go four for four. We came up short,” said Scott Beckmann, a member of Time for a Change. “We didn’t accomplish our goal. It’s disappointing.”

Beckmann said he’s especially upset about the return of Hoehn.

The Waseca School Board spends a small amount of time dealing with athletic issues, so Hoehn and the other incumbents found it frustrating Time for a Change was so concerned about the issue.

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