One contested race to appear on the November ballot in East Grand Forks

EAST GRAND FORKS – The ballot for the November elections is set for East Grand Forks. Two candidates are vying for Clarence Vetter's open seat on the East Grand Forks City Council, and all other local city and school government races are uncontested.

The filing period for local elected positions closed Aug. 13 ahead of the Nov. 5 general election. In November, residents in Wards 1, 3 and 5 will vote for their representatives on the City Council, and everyone in the city will vote for an at-large council member as well as the mayor. City residents and many in the surrounding townships will vote for representatives on the East Grand Forks School Board.

For mayor, current City Council President Mark Olstad, of Ward 5, is running unopposed. Olstad has served on the City Council since 2012 and as council president since 2015. In addition to being council president and conducting the council’s meetings, he also serves on the city’s labor negotiating committee and on the Pine to Prairie Drug Task Force.

In Ward 1 will be a race between Paul Arens and Tami Schumacher. Arens, a sales representative for Acme Tools, and Schumacher, a longtime East Grand Forks elementary school teacher. They will compete to fill the seat being vacated by Vetter. Ward 1 covers the southeast corner of the city near Central Middle School.


https://www.grandforksherald.com/news/local/one-contested-race-to-appear-on-the-november-ballot-in-east-grand-forks