Minnesota and North Dakota Voter's Guide

Forum Communications Co., in collaboration with the League of Women Voters of Minnesota and of North Dakota, is providing this voter guide to help keep you informed ahead of the 2024 election.

  • Learn where candidates running for office in your community stand on the issues.
  • Build your ballot before voting. Print or email the information to use as a reference when you actually vote.

We do not save your information; it will be lost when you leave this page. Only candidates that appear on your ballot will be listed. Additional information may be available for your area so be sure to scroll to the bottom of the page for other voters’ guides.

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Voter Guide

Rice Lake City Mayor

The mayor is usually the head of the city and may represent the city in front of other government bodies. They also can preside at council meetings and appoint city workers. A mayor usually has a role in proposing a city budget which influences services provided to residents and can veto ordinances proposed by the city council.Voting in local elections is important - learn more here: Why Vote for Mayor

Click a candidate icon to find more information about the candidate. To compare two candidates, click the "compare" button. To start over, click a candidate icon.

  • Candidate picture

    Suzanne Herstad
    (NP)

  • Candidate picture

    Darrel D Johnson
    (NP)

Biographical Information

Why are you the best candidate for this position? (750 characters)

If elected, what will your top three priorities be and why? (500 characters)

If elected, what strategies will you use to ensure transparency, accountability and ethical conduct in city government under your leadership? (500 characters)

How will you engage with residents to solicit feedback, involve them in decision-making processes, and ensure their voices are heard? (500 characters)

How will you approach public safety and community policing to ensure the well-being of all residents? (500 characters)

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I have been on the council since 2015. I have been involved in the infancy of our new city. I know all the issues that our city has accomplished and are currently facing. I have already been mayor since April 3, 2023. I am dedicated to my community and will do everything that I can to protect the uniqueness of our city. This includes standing up against legislation from the state that is attempting to remove local zoning. I do this by being involved in public comment periods and speaking with our elected. I am passionate for families that are attracted to our community as a place to live, raise your family, work, or retire. I bring a healthy balance of business to our city in areas zoned for this use while protecting our rural nature.
1- Slight levy decrease. Since 2018 our taxes have gone up despite LGA money. It’s time that we provide property tax relief. 2-Protect neighborhoods and rural nature. I live here so I can have a garden, raise chickens, free from traffic and clutter . I enjoy living in a quiet neighborhood. I want this for all of us in the northern portion or the southern portion of Rice Lake. 3-Remaining attractive for moderate planned commercial growth. Growth is exciting but it has to be planned and paid for.
We are now able to televise our meetings through Zoom. Due to new software used by the city we are able to get meeting minutes into our website for review by the public. They can also view the agenda items prior to the meeting. Being ethical can mean conducting business and not break any laws. To me being ethical also means doing the right thing even when no one is watching.
I now have a Mayor Facebook page. I would like to use this more often to allow citizens to contact me. I have my cell phone out publicly for folks to contact me. If folks are willing to meet with me I find this an opportunity to understand other points of view.
We have a contract with the County to provide a deputy. It is important to provide a safe community. This deputy patrols all areas of Rice Lake but also focuses on certain problem areas where complaints come from. Our deputy attends our public gatherings such as Neighborhood Night Out, so the public can meet them. The council reviews monthly reports from this deputy to keep some oversight. We have made this deputy available to the public by providing an office space at our city hall.
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The League of Women Voters of Minnesota and North Dakota crafted the questions sent to the candidates in the Spring of 2024. They reached out to candidates based on contact information in their public candidate filings. Candidates with email addresses were invited and reminded with emails. Candidates with only mailing addresses were sent a letter. Candidates with phone numbers received a phone call as well.

Candidate responses are published as they responded and have not been edited, except when responses were longer than the given character limit. In those cases, the responses are truncated.

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