.jpg)
HARTINGTON – The contested race for Hartington-Newcastle School Board will appear on the November general election ballot only.
Four candidates are seeking three open spots on the board.
Brice Grutsch was the latest candidate to file for a spot on the school board. He joins Brett Wiedenfeld as a new candidate while incumbents Aaron Fuelberth and Jason Heikes are seeking another term.
Grutsch said he is satisfied with the work the current school board members are doing and just wants to step in as a service to the community.
He hasn’t held any other public office but has been an active member of the community, moving to the area when he was a teenager.
Grutsch has been heavily involved in Hartington’s youth sports programs, managing both the youth football and softball programs until recently. He will continue to be a youth coach.
He works as a mechanic. School Board Incumbent Dana Rosener did not file for re-election and will serve out her current term.
On the city government side, incumbents Roman Sudbeck and Chris Bartling have both filed for re-election and no other candidates entered the race.
The contested race for Cedar County commissioner’s District 2 race will be decided at primary as both candidates - Mike Meier, Laurel, and John Thelen, Randolph - filed as Republicans.
Thelen said he was born and raised in rural Randolph and will live out the rest of his days in the area.
Engaged in farming, Thelen said he has experience running his own business and managing employees and financials.
“I figured it would be a good fit for the county,” he said on his reason for running.
Thelen is an active member of the Central States Hart-Parr Oliver Collectors Association.
He hasn’t held a public office before but this is the second time Thelen has filed for the seat. He challenged Craig Bartels in the 2020 primary election.
Bartels is the current District 2 commissioner. He originally filed for re-election but then decided he did not wish to run for a third term and withdrew from the race.
District 2 covers all of southern Cedar County, including the communities of Belden and Randolph.
Voters will also see the race for Nebraska Board of Regents on the ballot. Jim Scheer is running unopposed for that seat and represents the northeast Nebraska region.
Village board races appear on the November ballot only so filing deadlines are later this summer. For everyone else, the deadline has passed and the only way for a new candidate to get their name on the primary ballot is to file as a write-in.
Brenda Lage has filed for re-election to the Coleridge Village Board. New candidates Dennis Heitman and Jesse Jackson have also filed for election to the board.
Several deadlines for people wishing to vote tin the 2024 May primary election are fast approaching.
Anyone wishing to register to vote online or through the Nebraska Department of Motor Vehicles must do so by April 29.
People can still register to vote in person at the Cedar County Clerk’s Office through May 3, which is also the deadline for anyone wishing to get into the election as a write-in candidate. A notarized affidavit must be submitted to the clerk’s office in order for write-in votes to be counted.
For voters in Cedar County, primary election ballots will be mailed April 24 and need to be returned to the county clerk’s office by 8 p.m., May 14. To comply with the new Voter ID law, voters need to write their driver’s license number of state ID number on the ballot return envelope or enclose a photocopy of an acceptable form of ID.
