LOCAL ELECTIONS SET FOR APRIL 9
Races include Fransen-Walter for Freeman mayor, Gering-Lachman for Ward I, Jacobsen-Wanninger for Ward 3; Andersen-McCune-Sayler for 2 spots on Freeman School Board; and Gossen-Pankratz-Tieszen-Schmidt for 2 spots on Marion School Board
Registered voters living in the city of Freeman and the Freeman School District will head to the polls Tuesday, April 9 for a joint city/school election, and voters living in the Marion School District will also decide a school board election there.
CITY OF FREEMAN
There are three races in the city of Freeman.
Cody Fransen is challenging incumbent Michael Walter for mayor. Walter served one term as Freeman mayor in 1992-94 and is completing his second consecutive two-year term. Fransen is a former city employee.
Erin Lachman is challenging incumbent Charles Gering for a council seat in Ward I. This will be the third election for Gering, who first won a seat on the council after defeating Tom Stolp in April of 2011 and was defeated by Gary Block by three votes (56-59) in April of 2015. Six months later Gering was appointed to return to the council following Block’s resignation and has served ever since.
Terry Jacobsen and Shelly Wanninger are both running for a council seat in Ward 3. Jacobsen is looking to return to the council after two years away; he was appointed to his seat in 2016 and served until choosing not to seek re-election in 2022. Tabitha Schoenwald was then appointed to fill that vacancy, which has been empty since she resigned late last year.
The other upcoming vacancy at the Freeman City Council table is that of Steve (Charly) Waltner in Ward 2. The incumbent is the only one to turn in a nominating petition and will automatically begin another term this summer.
FREEMAN SCHOOL BOARD
And for Freeman School Board, three candidates are vying for two spots. Incumbents Emily Andersen and Doug McCune and challenger Chris Sayler have all filed nominating petitions and will be on the ballot April 9. Andersen, who is president of the school board, and McCune are both completing their first three-year terms.
Sayler has been on staff at Freeman Public since returning to his home community in 2008 but resigned from his teaching and coaching position — effective at the end of the school year — earlier this month.
MARION SCHOOL BOARD
Two incumbents are being challenged by two others seeking terms on the Marion School Board and will face off in the April 9 election.
Scott Tieszen, the current board president, and Jared Schmidt, the current board vice-president, will face challengers Kyle Gossen and David Pankratz.
As will be the case with all upcoming races, The Courier will give all candidates on the ballot an opportunity to compete a Q&A that will be published in the March 28 edition as way to help inform voters.
Those who are not registered have until 15 days prior to April 9 to do so. Absentee ballots will also be available starting March 25; those should be obtained from the local government office for which each election is being held, according to Hutchinson County Auditor Diane Remmers.
NO ELECTION IN MENNO
No election will be necessary in Menno.
For city council, Amber Cross (one-year term) and George Cokens (two-year term) are the only ones to turn in petitions for the two vacancies in Ward 3. Cokens is an incumbent and the other councilor representing Ward 3 — John Huber — is not seeking another term.
Jerry Fischer in Ward 2 and Darrell Mehlhaf as mayor both turned in nominating petitions for re-election and are not being challenged. Both are two-year terms.
The city of Menno will have a vacancy in Ward 1 that will have to be filled by appointing; incumbent Scott Simonsen chose not to seek another term.
And there will be a new face on the Menno School Board when it reorganizes the second week of July. That’s because the only one to turn in a nominating petition is Jackie Vaith, who will take the seat currently held by Tim Freier.
Freier was first elected to the Menno School Board in April of 2022.
