Otter Tail County races draw filings for commissioner, sheriff and attorney
Otter Tail County voters will choose between two commissioner races and a sheriff matchup, but county attorney and three Soil and Water seats drew only one or no filings.
Three of Otter Tail County’s most visible local offices drew head-to-head races, giving voters real choices for county commissioner and sheriff while leaving other seats unchallenged or empty.
The filing list showed Jeff Gontarek and incumbent Wayne D. Johnson in District 2, Robert “Bob” Lahman and Jim Stewart in District 4, and Terry Frost and Reed Reinbold for county sheriff. County attorney drew a single filing, Michelle Marie Eldien, while David L. Johnson filed alone for Soil and Water Supervisor District 1 West. No candidates were listed for Soil and Water Supervisor District 2 East, District 3 East, or District 2 West.
Minnesota’s filing period for federal, state, judicial and county offices ran from May 19 through June 2 at 5 p.m. County candidates had to file an affidavit of candidacy and pay a $50 filing fee, or turn in a petition with at least 500 signatures in place of the fee. In Otter Tail County, filings were accepted at the Elections Office, 510 W. Fir Ave. in Fergus Falls.
The race pattern matters because the county commissioner board is where tax rates, road priorities, budgets and many day-to-day services are set. Otter Tail County is divided into five commissioner districts, and each commissioner serves a four-year term. Johnson, whose mailing address is listed as Pelican Rapids, currently holds District 2. Lahman’s District 4 term is listed as expiring in January 2027.
The contested seats could also affect the board’s political balance heading into 2027. With Districts 2 and 4 both on the ballot, voters in those areas will decide whether to keep incumbents Johnson and Lahman or hand the seats to Gontarek and Stewart. The sheriff’s race between Frost and Reinbold will shape who oversees law enforcement across the county’s towns, lakes and rural townships.
The election calendar now moves toward absentee voting beginning June 26, early voting from July 24 to Aug. 10, the primary on Aug. 11 and the general election on Nov. 3. For Otter Tail County voters, the most consequential choices are already clear: two commissioner seats, the sheriff’s office and whether the county attorney race stays uncontested.
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