All the incumbents running for candidacy in Ranier will be welcomed back for another term.
The results came in Tuesday night giving the current Mayor Ed Oerichbauer the win with 59 votes over challenger Bernie “Spike” Woods with 28 votes.
Each candidate stood on opposite ends of the annexation issue, which was decided in favor of Ranier earlier in October. Oerichbauer, who was in favor of annexation, told The Journal earlier that he was in office when the project started and he hoped he’d be reelected to see the project through.
Also returning to their seats will be Trustees Brenda Bauer, who came out on top with 37 votes, and Fred Woods Sr., who had 36 votes.
The race for the two open council seats was closer than that of the mayor’s. Terry Lahmayer came close with 34 votes, Marjorie Brenning had 27 votes, Thomas Hall had 14 votes and Norris Klesman had nine votes.
Bauer said she was thankful she gained the support of Ranier residents for another four-year term.
“It feels good,” she said. “I’m very excited to represent Ranier for another term.”
Bauer said she felt that annexation played an important role in her win as well as the wins for Woods Sr. and Oerichbauer.
“This is going to be a big project,” she explained of annexation. “We were all in favor of this project and I know that I am glad I will get to have further involvement with it.”
“I’m related to a lot of people in Ranier that were opposed to the annexation,” Fred Woods Sr. said. “My relatives told me they were going to run me out of office and that a majority of the voters were against me. Well, I made my support of annexation clear in my flyers. I’m happy it went through. I’m glad to welcome new neighbors to our town, and my relatives were wrong — it looks like the voters were with me on this one and I’m very appreciative of their support.”
Woods Sr. also said that he plans to spend his next four years helping the city of Ranier grow economically and added that he was anxious to see how the annexation project developed.
Oerichbauer didn’t return phone calls The Journal made to him Tuesday night.
Carl Brown, a resident of the area recently annexed into the city limits of Ranier, advertised his interest in being a write-in candidate for the council on a billboard in Ranier.
According to Koochiching County Auditor/Treasurer Bob Peterson, Brown was not eligible to run for office nor vote in the Ranier election under state residency requirements.
