Beltrami County DFL Elects Delegates, Fills Executive Committee Vacancies

Val Field will represent Beltrami County as the Congressional District 8 and state central committee delegate after the Beltrami County Democratic-Farmers-Labor Party convened March 21 at Oshkiimaajitahdah in Redby, where more than 100 people gathered to elect delegates and fill vacancies on the party's executive committee.

Lin Ward, Joel Ward and Beltrami County Commissioner Joe Gould were named alternates to Field for the CD8 and state central committee seat.

The convention also seated an 11-member executive committee: Randy Burg, Susan Kedzie, Kaleena Kutsev, Ken McBride, Chuck Meyers, Kristin Neises, Roy Nelson, Vicki Ross-Rhoades, Sally Swenson, Joel Ward and Lin Ward.

Beltrami County carries an allocation of eight delegate votes to the DFL state convention, according to the Minnesota DFL's delegate allocation document adopted in September 2025. The convention elected Winston Allen, Lorena Cook, Susan Kedzie, Kaleena Kutsev, Brent Mason, Roy Nelson, Eugene Standing Cloud and Tharen Stillday to fill those seats. Beth Drost, Austin Korczak, Greta Lien, Chuck Meyers, Kristin Neises, Jonathan Fleischer, Stephen Smith and Michelle Windey were selected as alternates.

Before the business of electing delegates began, the convention paused for a moment of silence marking the 21st anniversary of the Red Lake High School shooting.

Notable attendees included Bemidji City Councilors Lynn Eaton and Gwenia Fiskevold Gould, Bemidji Area School Board of Education member Ann Long Voelkner, Minnesota House District 2A candidate Reed Olson and House District 2B candidate Emily Thabes.

The Beltrami County DFL's next gathering is the Minnesota Senate District 2 endorsing convention, scheduled for Saturday, April 18, again at Oshkiimaajitahdah in Redby. Registration opens at noon, with the event starting at 1 p.m. Delegates there will vote whether to endorse candidates for the November election, including a nominee for Minnesota Senate District 2 and candidates for House Districts 2A and 2B.