MINOT – Jason Olson is the newest member of the Ward County Commission. Olson, Minot, and John Fjeldahl, Berthold, were the top two vote getters in Tuesday’s election for two spots on the commission.
Fjeldahl and Olson each received 29% of the vote, 8.318 to 8,253. Fjeldahl, an incumbent, was elected to the commission for the fifth time. Newcomer Olson, Minot’s former chief of police, was making his first run at public office. The two opens seats on the ballot were Fjeldahl’s and John Pietsch’s. Pietsch decided not to run for re-election.
Others in the field were former commissioner Alan Walter and Lance Makeeff, both of Minot, who finished third and fourth respectively.
“I wanted to get involved in public service again and bring my conservative values to the commission,” said Olson. “I’m interested in keeping taxes low and seeing what the county can do to get involved in economic development. It’s critical that the local economy continues to grow and that we promote Ward County and Minot for business development.”
Commissioners are elected to four-year terms. Terms that will expire in 2024 are those of Chairman Jim Rostad and commissioners Howard “Bucky” Anderson and Shelly Weppler.
