Open positions in November

The following local positions are expected to be open in the November election.
Koochiching County Board
Filings open: July 1
• The District 5 position is a four-year term currently held by Mike Hanson.
• The District 3 position is a four-year term currently held by Kallie Briggs.
International Falls City Council
Filings open: Aug. 26
• The mayor position is a four-year term currently held by Shawn Mason.
• The Councilor at Large position is a four-year term currently held by Tim “Chopper” McBride.
Ranier City Council
Filings open: Aug. 26.
• The mayor position is a two-year term now held by Ed Oerichbauer.
• The councilor positions currently held by Dan Kloseck and John Walls will be open. The two positions are both four-year terms.
Littlefork City Council
Filings open: Aug. 25
• The mayor position currently held by Jerry Anderson is a two-year term.
• Three councilor positions will be open for four-year terms. The positions are currently held by Loren Lehman, Rob Polkinghorne and Shane Williams.
Falls School Board
Filings open: Aug. 25 Four positions will be open. Robin Baumchen, Gerald Bolstad and Mark Lassila hold three of the positions currently. The three positions are four-year terms. A position currently vacant will also appear on the November ballot. The vacant position is a two-year term.
Littlefork-Big Falls School Board
No positions are open in the upcoming November election.
Koochiching County board news notes
• The Koochiching County Board unanimously approved Tuesday the rezoning from open space zone to manufacturing for property owned by Ron Peterson south of Highway 11 and west of the railroad tracks.
Peterson had also applied for a conditional use permit, but the Planning Commission agreed that not enough information had been submitted for the permit.
Peterson told the county board that he was disappointed about the process he went through to receive information about filing for a permit.
The Planning Commission is attempting to make the process easier to understand for applicants, Commissioner Chuck Lepper told the board.
• The board also unanimously approved rezoning 80 acres south of Highway 11 east of Gold Shores from an agriculture/forestry zone to a recreational/residential zone.
The applicant for the rezoning, Boundary Waters Land and Timber, which is owned by Bruce LaVigne, has indicated it is considering creating a subdivision.
The county board supported developer LaVigne, calling him “a model for development in the area” when one member of the audience was concerned the development would adversely impact the area.
• The board was given notice of the hire of Rebecca Schultz as a financial worker in the Department of Community Services.