Candidates continue debates this week

Published 12:00 am Monday, October 28, 2002

To be sure, the voters will have the last word in the 2002 general election.

The candidates will have more, but the voters' word will be final, when they cast their ballots Tuesday, Nov. 5.

This week, Austin American Legion Post No. 91 hosts its second forum, beginning 8 p.m. tonight for Austin city and state legislative candidates.

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On Tuesday and Wednesday nights, the League of Women Voters-Austin Area will host televised candidates forums on KSMQ-TV.

Being able to call-in questions allows the viewer/voter the opportunity of anonymity to query a candidate.

An example of how heated the forums can become occurred last Thursday night when the American Association of University Women – Austin chapter hosted a round-table forum at the Mower County Senior Citizens Center in Austin.

The AAUW's Evelyn Guentzel served as moderator. Guentzel, a retired teacher and school administrator, said the forums, no matter how long and long-winded they may be, are "better than those TV ads were subjected to."

She praised the state legislative, Mower County and Austin city candidates for running for office and serving the public.

Over-shadowed by a lengthy discussion of Mower County's $36 million in reserves, which opened last Thursday night's, AAUW forum, were other developments in the 2002 campaign.

The Mower County treasurer's race has grown more interesting in the final two weeks.

Doug Groh, chief deputy Mower County auditor, continues to pound away at his experience in county government. "I don't believe you can gamble with an unknown quantity," he said of his opponent, Lynn Koch.

Koch was president of two banks before choosing to open his own mortgage firm. He has also said he will juggle his private business and serve the taxpayers of Mower County as their treasurer if elected.

Larry Andersen, a member of the Austin School board, questioned Koch on "serving two masters." Koch said, " I will make the Mower County treasurer's job my primary responsibility."

It was the same answer he gave last week at the first Legion forum, when Groh asked his opponent the same question.

The retirement of long-time Mower County Treasurer Ruth Harris paved the way for Groh's and Koch's bids to be elected county treasurer.

Loren Bellrichard stopped the Mower County sheriff's debate in its tracks with pointed questions for both candidates.

Bellrichard asked Terese Amazi if she lied when questioned by an arbitrator at the termination hearing of fired jailer Louis Dion. Amazi replied, "I was under oath and I did not lie."

Dion maintains he was first exonerated both verbally and by an alleged memorandum written by Bob Roche, the jail administrator, who works under Amazi's supervision. The arbitrator didn't believe Dion and ruled his firing by Mower County in connection with the March 2001 escape of three jail prisoners was justified.

Amazi's opponent, Austin police officer Todd Clennon, has not shied away from the debate. "I don't think I would have fired Louis Dion. I think he was a scapegoat."

Amazi, chief deputy of the Mower County Sheriff's Department, and Clennon are seeking the position held for the last two four-year terms by Barry Simonson, who is retiring.

The Mower County Attorney's race pits incumbent Patrick A. Oman against Assistant Mower County Attorney Patrick W. Flanagan.

The two were the top vote-getter in the September primary that saw another Assistant Mower County Attorney Jonathan Olson fail to win enough votes to move on to the Nov. 5 general election.

The race that began with acrimony is getting positively "cozy" with Flanagan declaring there is no dislike between the pair, but a wide wedge of philosophical differences.

When Neal Fedson, the former Austin city council member, asked the pair what it takes to run the county attorney's office more efficiently, the pair almost agreed.

Oman said more law enforcement officers means more criminal cases filing. Until there is more personnel in the county attorney's office to handle a case load that grew from 250 cases in 1997 to over 600 already this year, hiring more police officers will only crate a greater bottleneck in the district court system.

Flanagan said the office doesn't need more attorneys, but it does need more support staff for the same reasons.

The Mower County commissioner racers continue along

their separate but equally interesting styles.

Fourth District candidates Len Miller, incumbent, and Dick Lang, challenger, continued to clash on business-as-usual (Miller) and we-need-a-change (Lang) lines.

Fifth District candidates Garry Ellingson, incumbent, and Harry Willmott , challenger, show a division of opinions: Ellingson, like unopposed county commissioner candidate, David Hillier, 3rd District, defends the county board's handling of such matters as the fund balances. Willmott takes a decidedly more-city council influenced stance that the county's excessive reserves need attention.

The AAUW forum audience heard the pair say they are friends, who among other things drive go-karts in summertime parades for the Austin Lions Club and are among those candidates who have signed a pact pledging no "mud-slinging" in the 2002 campaign.

It's also hard to find flaring differences among the state legislative candidates.

In both the Senate District 27 race and the House District 27B contest, both DFL, GOP and Independence Party candidates frequently agree with each other on how issues/problems can be resolved.

Lee Bonorden can be contacted at 434-2232 or by e-mail at

lee.bonorden@austindailyherald.com