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Star Herald profiles candidates for Rock County Commissioner Races in Districts 1 and 3

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The third of four candidate profiles on the contested races in Rock County appears in today’s Star Herald.
Last week we focused on the school board races in Luverne, Adrian, Ellsworth and Hills-Beaver Creek.
In the Oct. 6 edition featured the contested mayoral races in Hardwick and Beaver Creek along with the two candidates vying for the North Ward alderman for the city of Luverne.
The general election is Nov. 8.
Candidate profiles will be in these upcoming editions:
Today: Districts 1 and 3 Commissioner races.
Oct. 27: State Senate and House of Representatives races.
 
1.) List experiences that will be helpful in fulfilling the position duties if you win the Nov. 8 general election.
2.) What do you think are the primary challenges facing your community and how will you lead the county through these challenges?
 
 
Darrel Van Aartsen is running for the District 3 County Commissioner position. He and his wife, LaDonna, live in Clinton Township and have three grown children, Brent, Jonathon and Mark.
1.) First and foremost I am a lifelong resident of Rock County. I love where I live and care about the condition, safety and quality of life we have to offer here in Rock County.
I also volunteer a lot in my county and stay connected to a wide variety of people in doing so. I hear what they think. I believe we can accomplish great things when we all work together.
I have owned and managed my own business for the last 25 years. Prior to that, I worked alongside my dad, who taught me a lot about integrity and having your word mean more than pen and paper.
I have been on many different boards and held leadership positions such as deacon and elder in my church, Rock County Historical Society, 4-H leader, youth group leader and facility expansion chairman of our church, to mention a few.
2.) I don’t believe there are any major challenges at this time.
I do, however, think we could be more proactive in caring for the needs of our county. According to the state we have some of the worst roads in the state. Law enforcement seems to be something we need to keep a close eye on. We live in a safe community, but let’s not take that for granted. We need to make sure our sheriff’s department has the equipment they need to do the job. These are a couple of things. Commissioners handle a lot of things throughout the county.
If you have concerns, I would want to know about them. If elected don’t be afraid to talk to me, no matter which district you may live in. PLEASE VOTE on Nov. 8. 
Gary Overgaard is running for the District 1 County Commissioner position being vacated by retiring commissioner Ken Hoime of Kenneth. Overgaard and his wife, Emily, live on a farm in Vienna Township.
1.) •1970 Luverne High School graduate; BS Degree in Animal Science from South Dakota State University in 1974.
•1975 to 1977 instructor in the Lamb and Wool Program at the Pipestone Vo-Tech School; assessor for Kanaranzi Township 1975 to 1980; 1985 to 1987 worked with Rock County Extension Office doing farm financial analysis during farm crisis and filled in as county Extension director; 1989 to 2002 worked as multi-peril and hail crop adjuster; last 36 years DeKalb/Asgrow seed dealer; lifelong crop and livestock farmer.
•Served two terms on Rock County Extension Committee; past chairman Southwest Minnesota Regional Extension Board; served on farm services county committee; president, Minnesota State Suffolk Sheep Association; past president of Rock County Pork Producers and Farmers’ Union Coop Oil Board of Luverne and Lismore; member Five Star Co-op Board; past chairman Vienna Township Board; member of county, state, national corn and soybean growers and Rock County Rural Water System since 1979; 40-year member Rock County Fair Board; Rock County Fair 4-H sheep superintendent; served on Minnesota State Fair 4-H Livestock Committee and as state fair 4-H sheep superintendent.
2.) Over the past six weeks I have visited with officials in six townships, four city councils and two fire departments in District 1. The primary concerns that they have are roads and bridges, fire protection and the availability of EMTs.
With the current downturn in the ag economy, it is going to be critical to be able to keep up with the necessary funding to address these concerns. I will attempt to use a common sense approach to resolve these issues without burdening the taxpayers.
I hope that the voters would agree that we need to maintain an ag presence on the county board and I believe that I am the best candidate to fill that position.
Greg Burger is seeking election to the District 3 County Commissioner position. He and his wife, Janet, live in Luverne. They have three grown children, Jennifer Thone, Luverne; Melissa Cunningham, Spencer, Iowa; and Ryan Burger, Sioux Falls, ­ and seven grandchildren.
1.) Experiences: The last 25 years of my banking career was spent as the chief executive officer of two community banks in Minnesota. Both banks were approximately $165 million in asset base. Both were considered highly concentrated in providing financial services to farmers in different types of farming operations. Both institutions employed 28 to 35 individuals ranging from lenders to customer service personnel to tellers and backroom operation staff.
During these years I gained hands-on knowledge of budgeting, asset/liability management and resource management, providing one-on-one customer service and financial helps, and lending and providing management assistance to farming operations throughout Rock County.
I have been involved in many local organizations whose principal goals were to grow the local economy. I chaired two fund drives in recent years. One raised $1.25 million for the new hospital. The second raised almost $1 million for the new History Center.
2.) Challenges: As is the case with most small communities in the state, Rock County struggles with generating enough income to meet all the needs of a changing and challenging environment. Infrastructure improvements are a case in point currently.
It seems that we struggle to keep up with needed road and bridge improvements due to budget constraints. I believe that one of the long-term solutions is to become more aggressive with potential business growth.
New business development can increase the tax base without increasing the burden on existing taxpayers. It’s time for the county to get involved in growing the base by aggressively seeking new business opportunities and the jobs they create.
The current issues facing our farming operations will affect the county as a whole if revenues continue to slide for production agriculture. We need to do whatever is necessary to control expenses, including tax burden, during the recent cycle.
Mike Davis is seeking election to the District 1 County Commissioner seat being vacated by the retiring Ken Hoime. Davis lives in Magnolia Township with his wife, Tracy, and three children, Trae, Carson and Carter.
1.) I work out in the public daily, so I hear people's needs and concerns.  I am currently on the Magnolia Township board and I am also on the Southwest Regional Development Commission. 
2.) I believe the primary challenge our community is facing is the lack of the public being more informed in general. I believe through the county we could find a better way to communicate with the public.
If elected, in the beginning my best option will be to listen to our other public officials and find out what the major concerns are.

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