The deadline to file for elective office in one of the many Rice County Townships is today. 
At least one seat will be on the ballot in thirteen of the 14 county township boards. Those in Bridgewater Township will vote on two of the board’s five supervisor seats as both Kathleen Kopseng and Thomas Hart have announced their intentions to stand for re-election.
The treasurer’s seat will be voted on in all but one township. In Forest Township, the treasurer is an appointed position, and not an elected one.
Candidates for town board must:
• Be eligible to vote in Minnesota
• Not have filed for another office in the upcoming primary or general election
• Be 21 years of age or older upon assuming office
• Have maintained residence in their district for at least 30 days before the general election
Candidates must file with the town clerk, who should be contacted to learn when and where they are accepting affidavits for candidacy. As yesterday was the Martin Luther King, Jr. Federal holiday, many of the filing offices were closed. However, the offices must be open from 1-5 pm today.
In addition to completing an affidavit for candidacy, candidates must pay a $2 filing fee.
Township elections will be held Tuesday, March 14.
Pursell supporting restoration of felon voting rights
With two full weeks in the State House of Representatives behind her, Representative Kristi Pursell said she is starting to settle into her
The first-term Representative said she is benefiting quite a bit from some of the overview presentations that have been made to her committees by the corresponding governmental department. For example, she serves on the House Education Finance Committee. That committee meets three times each week, and requires quite a bit of work, but for good reason.
“I have a lot of reading; a couple 100-page packets about how education finance works in the state. The formula, the per pupil [basic] formula, is really complicated.”
The Education Finance Committee will be a key player in Governor Walz’s plans for a comprehensive education bill this session, especially when it comes to designating money from the state’s $17.6 Billion budget surplus.
Pursell also sits on the House Elections Finance and Policy Committee, which has already passed a pair of bills. Pursell said one bill was to iron out statutory language allowing pre-registration of 16- and 17-year-olds to vote. The other would restore the voting rights to individuals convicted of a felony once they are released from incarceration, rather than their completion of a sentence, including probation.
Pursell said, the law as it stands right now leaves those serving probationary sentences disenfranchised.
“Minnesota has the highest rate of folks who [deal with this]. First of all, a lot more infractions qualify as a felony, and we [sentence], I think, maybe the lowest time behind bars for those folks, but the longest probation [periods]. Sometimes decades.”
According to the House of Representatives website, Minnesota is currently one of 16 states where any probation, parole or supervised release must be completed before a person’s voting rights are restored. Policies vary across other states, however, at least 21 states restore voting rights once a person has completed their incarceration term. The committee heard what Pursell called “moving” testimony from several individuals, including former Representative Raymond Dehn, who himself is an ex-felon.
The House website indicated that the bill could affect as many as 50,000 Minnesotans.
Pursell also serves on the House Environment and Natural Resources Policy and Finance Committee and is the Vice Chair of the House Agriculture Finance and Policy Committee.
Jeff Johnson’s full conversation with Representative Kristi Pursell can be heard here
Council will discuss grant application, attracting commercial industrial business
And the Northfield City Council will meet tonight in the Council Chambers in City Hall. 
Prior to the regular meeting, the council will meet in closed Chambers to receive a security briefing. Several security upgrades have been made to the Council Chambers over the last year, and with two new members on the council, an updated briefing is in order.
When the regular meeting does get underway, the council will hear a presentation from Chief of Police Mark Elliott as he reviews police activity from the fourth quarter of 2022. They will also hear a presentation from the Zero Waste Advocates of Minnesota regarding “No Mow May” in the City of Northfield.
The Council will then consider approval of a Redevelopment Grant Application to the Department of Employment and Economic Development. The city will seek a grant from DEED to help cover up to 50% of the qualifying costs of the 5th & Water Streets Redevelopment project.
They will also consider a motion ordering an Alternative Urban Area-wide Review process for the Northwest Development Area. As the city has a stated goal to increase its commercial industrial tax base, this review has been proposed by Xcel Energy, who will fund the process as a means of attracting new commercial industrial businesses.
Finally, the Council will consider a resolution of support for the Mill Towns State Trail bonding request.
As always, the city and the council are asking to hear opinions and comments from the public. Anyone who wishes to do so is invited to come to the meeting and address the council on any topic they see fit. Those wishing to voice their opinions without addressing the council should email their councilors directly or post a comment through the eComment button on the “Agendas” section of the City Council website.
Tonight’s meeting will begin at 6:00.
Rich Larson is the KYMN News Director. Contact him at rich@kymnradio.net
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