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.

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Voter Guide

Blue Earth County Commissioner District 3 (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)Watch a candidate forum for this race recorded on October 8, 2026.

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

    Jack Considine (Withdrawn)
    (NP)

  • Candidate picture

    Dave Karge
    (NP)

Biographical Information

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

How would you balance safe and secure elections with voting access? (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)

What approach would you take to delivering county services while managing the cost of delivering those services? (500 characters)

What role, if any, do you think the county board plays in immigration enforcement? (500 characters)

How do you plan to interact with constituents to best understand the needs of the county? (500 characters)

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telephone 5073404509
Campaign Email johnfloranceconsidine@gmail.com
By default the top 3 priorities will be SNAP,Medicare and Medicaid. The funding cuts from the federal government will be extremely challenging for county boards to deal with over the next couple of years. Outside these three related issue there is the problem of tasks being given to county governments with no corresponding funds to accomplish these tasks. This is referred to as “unfunded mandates “ . The state and federal governments can not continue to pass on tasks to the county then not pay for them. The solution will require the county board to be very creative! Not something that is sustainable!
I have complete confidence in Minnesota’s election procedures. Minnesota has led the nation in voter turnout and that is something I am personally very proud that the state continues lead in. Minnesota voter registrations have been carefully scrutinized over and over. The number of ineligible voters is extremely small. Ironically most of the time it has been people that have turned their lives around after committing a felony in their youth. People who are trying to be part a of community.
Any solution must be a statewide solution. In the 1980’s Minnesota spent approximately 4% of the budget on mental health issues. This was during a time when the state operated a number of large state hospitals. As the hospitals closed promises were made that the money would follow the patients into the community. This never happened, as of 2020 it was down to 1.5%.

There is a need for more resources. More in patient beds and wraparound services are needed first and foremost.

A zero base budgeting program would help, by reviewing the service plan’s yearly goals and outcomes to see what works and what doesn’t. Having staff stay current in their areas of expertise would help with updating improvements in each area and bring innovation to the programs
If there is a dangerous individual local sheriff departments should assist, but only in an emergency situations. The federal government is charged with this responsibility and should not be putting their responsibility on the County or local authorities to do their jobs. It can create a tension between local law enforcement and the very people they have sworn to serve and protect.
I have taken a great deal of pride in how accessible I have been to my constituents in the past. I will continue to do the same in the future. People approach me on a regular basis and have continued even when I have not been in office.
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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.

VOTE411 is brought to you by the League of Women Voters Education Fund and League of Women Voters of Minnesota Education Fund. The League of Women Voters does not support or oppose any political party or candidate for office.