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.
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Voter Guide

Anoka County Commissioner District 1 (Special Election)

The county s key policymakers who ensure that citizen concerns are met, federal and state requirements are fulfilled, and county operations run smoothly. County Commissioners oversee the administration of the county, set the county budget, and participate in county long-range planning. Services that they oversee include a wide variety of social service and welfare programs as well as certain public health programs and capital improvements. Learn more about the day in the life of a county commissioner in this video from the Association of Minnesota Counties. (https://www.mncounties.org/meetings_and_education/day_in_the_life_of_a_minnesota_county_commissioner.php)A candidate forum for this race is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ct30SRXvJLA (or check out LWVMN s 2024 Candidate Forum page).

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

    John Heinrich
    (NP)

  • Candidate picture

    Betsy O'Berry
    (NP)

Biographical Information

If elected, what will your top three priorities be and why? (750 characters)

How would you ensure election laws do not create barriers to Minnesotans’ freedom to vote while also ensuring safe and secure elections? (500 characters)

What do you see as the biggest challenges to mental health and social services in your county, and how would you address them? (500 characters)

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Campaign Website http://HeinrichforAnokaCounty.com
Contact Phone 763-267-5055
Facebook (Full URL) http://www.facebook.com/john.heinrich.771
Campaign Email johnheinrich@live.com
1) Support for Law and Order. Fund and support our law enforcement to ensure Anoka County is able to recruit, train and maintain top talent. 2) Roads and Infrastructure. Serving on the State Transportation Committee in the legislature has given me the knowledge and ability to be a fantastic advocate for our infrastructure funding needs. I have worked in the asphalt and concrete industry for over 20 years. Proper oversite and investment will be a major priority. 3) Taxes. It's not government's money, It's yours. Keep taxes low and keep Anoka County a place where small business and families can thrive.
Anoka County can be a leader in election confidence and security. We need to consistently identify possible weaknesses or vulnerability in our election process and address those concerns. Everyone wants their vote to count and everyone deserves transparency in our process.
Human Services makes up a very large portion of the Anoka County budget. Balancing the needs of our community with the realities of a budget requires strong oversight to ensure our tax dollars are invested wisely and people are cared for. I'm proud of the volunteering and the hard work being done in our community to address our homelessness, addiction and mental health challenges. Supporting our community organizations will always play a large role in ultimately helping our fellow neighbors.
Campaign Website http://www.betsyo.org
Contact Phone 612-867-6441
Facebook (Full URL) http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61559291985249
Campaign Email betsy@betsyo.com
1. Forward Thinking - we need to plan for population changes so that our infrastructure is ready. My emphasis is to do things right the first time so we don't need to do them over - or maintain roads, bridges and buildings endlessly. 2. Transparent - You have the right to know what your county government is doing and have the opportunity to voice your decisions. A perfect example was the July 9th addition of an agenda item to vote on the site of the new jail. The public was not notified until hours before the meeting - which is not acceptable. 3. Collaborative - We need to work together with our residents, cities, and legislators to preserve each city's identity while ensuring a high quality of life for our residents.
With same-day registration, the opportunity to vote early and no-excuse absentee voting, Minnesota has already removed many barriers to voting. I think we need to make sure voters are educated about the many safeguards in our systems to make sure everyone who is eligible to vote has easy access to the information they need to make informed decisions and vote. If you walk through the procedures followed by our election judges, you begin to understand how safe and secure elections are in MN.
Unfortunately, mental health challenges are still stigmatized, making people reluctant to seek the help they need. We need to continue to educate our residents about mental health and we need to encourage students to enter the mental health field to give us the resources we need to build resiliance in our population. We also need to make sure that those who need social services get the help they deserve by reaching them where they are and letting people know what is available.
Powered by League of Women Voters Education Fund

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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