.jpg)
LAUREL — It looks like the city of Laurel will have some new leadership next year.
As of 4 p.m., Tuesday, City Council incumbents June Koester and Jeff Erwin had not filed for re-election.
Incumbents had until 5 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 17, to file for office.
This will open two seats up for the C0uncil. Anyone not currently serving in an elected office that wishes to run for city council has until March 2 to file a petition with the Cedar County Clerk’s office.
Laurel voters will also get the chance to decide who will guide the Laurel-Concord- Coleridge School Board this year.
Four seats are open on the Laurel-Concord-Coleridge School Board, but so far only three people have filed paperwork to run for those seats.
Board President Jay Hall and board member Bryan Pippitt are the only incumbents who have filed to retain their seats.
Political newcomer Paul Garcia also filed for one of the open school board seats.
Scott Taylor, who was up for re-election, resigned from the board in January due to health issues. Grant Settje is also up for re-election but had not filed with the County Clerk’s office by press time.
Voters will have some decisions to make when it comes to determining who will guide the Randolph City Council next year.
As of Tuesday afternoon, four people have filed for the two open City Council seats.
Incumbent Daniel Korth filed for re-election Friday, joining fellow councilman Aaron Nielsen, who filed in January. They are being challenged by Alicia Van-DeWalle and Janelle Biernbaum.
Mayor Dwayne Schutte has also filed for another four-year term. No one has yet filed to run against him.
Two of Randolph’s three school board members up for re-election have decided to seek another term in office.
Randolph School Board members Lucas Miller and Sandy Owens have both filed paperwork with the Cedar County Clerk to seek another term in office. Long time board member Paul Schmit has indicated he does not plan to seek another term on the board, however.
Neb. District 40 Senator Barry DeKay is also up for re-election this year. DeKay, of Niobrara, was first elected to office in 2022.
District 40 represents Cedar, Knox, Holt and Antelope counties. The district also encompasses most of Dixon County and the northern part of Pierce County.
DeKay currently serves as the chairman of the Agriculture Committee. He also serves on the General Affairs Committee and the Natural Resources Committee.
Two people with Cedar County ties have thrown their hats in the ring to seek the governor’s office.
Randolph native Sheila J. Korth-Focken is also running for office. She has filed as a Republican to face Gov. Jim Pillen in the May primary election.
Former state senator Lynne Walz is seeking the Governor’s seat on the Democratic ticket. Walz is married to Hartington native Chris Walz.
Anyone wishing to vote in the May 12 primary election has until April 26 to register to vote if they do so by mail, online, or at a State DMV office.
Anyone wishing to register in person at the County Clerk’s office, can do so until the end of the work day on May 1. These same deadlines apply for anyone wishing to change their party affiliation.
The Secretary of State’s office reports there are currently 5,731 registered voters in Cedar County. Of those, 4,019 are resistered as Republican and 889 are registered as Democrats. There are 767 Cedar County residents registered as Non-partisan or Independent. Records from the Secretary of State’s office indicate there are 628,052 registered Republicans in the state and 338,124 Democrats. Another 19,622 people are registered as Non-partisan or Independent.
Other Cedar County Election News
People seeking village board seats will not appear on the primary election ballot, and thus have a later filing deadline.
For village offices, incumbents have until Monday, July 15, to file for re-election. New candidates have until Thursday, Aug. 1, to file.
Belden Village Board members up for election this year are: Janice Wobbenhorst, Chris Aldrich and Robert Patefield. None have yet filed for another term, however.
Two people have filed to replace Dave McGregor as Cedar County commissioner. McGregor announced earlier this year that he will not seek re-election.
Current Cedar County Road Department employee Kelly Hammer and former Hartington City Council member Tim Burbach have both filed for the seat.
