Meet Candidate Bob Johnson Vying For The District 4 Seat

ST. CLOUD (WJON News) -- Stearns County has a special election for a commissioner's seat. Longtime District 4 Commissioner Leigh Lenzmeier resigned earlier this year. Bob Johnson and Amin Ali were the top two vote-getters in a primary election in August.

Johnson was the executive director of the CentraCare Heart and Vascular Center for 23 years and the Paramount Center for the Arts for nine years. He also served three terms on the St. Cloud City Council.

He says the future of the historic courthouse downtown will be a big topic for county leaders.

The courthouse plaza, the courthouse itself, the administration building, I think there may be an ability to create more of a destination there, whether it's a park-like setting outside or something for people to come in and enjoy.

He says changes earlier this year to Medicaid at the federal level will be a burden on county staff.

There are about a quarter of a million people in Minnesota who may lose their Medicaid benefits.  We know the changes from annual sign-ups for Medicaid to twice yearly are going to cause a huge burden for the county staff, and for the people who are applying.  There is going to be a fair amount of confusion.

Johnson says the Trump tariffs and the impact they are having on farmers is a big concern for the county.

There are 114,00 acres of soybeans grown in Stearns County, and China is not buying soybeans right now.  It's been suggested that the federal government help subsidize farmers, but you still have the issue of what's going to happen to the crops that they harvest, and how long it's going to persist, and whether a subsidy will be enough.  We have about 500 farms in Stearns County.

Johnson says the state has reduced funding for invasive aquatic species, which will be a concern for the county.

We have 125 lakes in Stearns County, and we still need to preserve them. We want them to be in good shape so all of our residents can enjoy them, whether it's fishing or boating.  That will have to be dealt with.

Early voting is underway right now with the general election on Tuesday, November 4th.

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WJON News has reached out to Amin Ali as well, and if we hear back from him, we'll also do a story with him on his vision for the future of Stearns County.