GRANITE FALLS — A campaigner for region lawyer who has a website with materials from predetermination deniers won the bureau successful the wide election, but declined the job.
The Yellow Medicine County Board of Commissioners astatine its gathering Tuesday unanimously accepted the resignation of recently elected County Attorney Stephen Allen Emery.
Moments later, they unanimously appointed his hostile successful the election, Mark Gruenes, to the occupation helium has held for conscionable implicit a year. The region commissioners appointed Gruenes arsenic region lawyer successful the autumn of 2021 to win Keith Helgeson, who had resigned to judge a territory judgeship.
“We had the assurance successful you erstwhile we appointed you the archetypal time, and our assurance remains,” Ron Antony, committee chair, told Gruenes arsenic committee members acted to name him to the bureau for a 2nd time.
Prior to their action, Gruenes said helium would judge the appointment, but wanted the committee members to know: They had the enactment of posting the presumption statewide oregon internally for applicants earlier really making an appointment.
Emery submitted a one-sentence missive to the region dated Nov. 15, 2022, successful which helium said that “effective immediately,” helium resigned arsenic region attorney.
The region canvassing committee had certified Emery arsenic the palmy region lawyer campaigner successful the wide predetermination connected Nov. 8, according to Janell Timm, spot and nationalist services manager for the county.
Timm told the commissioners that, with the missive of resignation from Emery, determination was a vacancy successful the presumption and they could name idiosyncratic to capable the four-year term.
Stephen Emery
Election results amusement Emery the victor successful the 2022 wide predetermination with 1,957 votes, oregon 51.95% of the total, to 1,799 votes, oregon 47.7%, for Gruenes.
Emery, of Montevideo, had filed for U.S. Senate successful 2018. His website calls him a blimpish dependable for Minnesota. The tract besides includes links to YouTube videos and published articles that situation predetermination integrity. The links are beneath a header that states: “Election Fraud is simply a County Issue.” It encourages radical to ballot lone connected Election Day.
Emery has a inheritance successful agriculture and law. He has worked arsenic a region cause and arsenic a income typical for herbicide and aesculapian products. His website states that helium has a instrumentality grade and has worked successful the ineligible tract for 20 years, the past 18 of those years doing ineligible investigation and writing.
The region commissioners said they were unaware if Emery had immoderate acquisition successful transgression prosecution oregon different duties that are the responsibilities of the region attorney. Emery had contacted Gruenes to inquire however to resign from his recently elected position, according to accusation astatine the meeting.
Commissioner Greg Renneke said that helium had received a substance from a constituent, whom helium did not identify, and that constituent had stated “our elections are a joke.”
“(I) conscionable privation to accidental possibly our voters don’t cognize what they are doing,” Renneke said. “They voted successful a idiosyncratic that (they) had nary thought who helium was. He has nary experience. Nothing. I don’t cognize what happened here. Were they trying to propulsion retired incumbents oregon what?”
Commissioners John Berends and Renneke made the back-to-back motions to judge Emery’s resignation and to name Gruenes arsenic region attorney.
Berends told Gruenes that helium was alert that the region had the enactment to see different candidates to name erstwhile helium made the question for his appointment. He said helium shared the presumption of the different commissioners and appreciated the occupation helium has done arsenic region attorney.
“You’ve done an fantabulous job,” helium said.
The assignment for Grunes to instrumentality arsenic region lawyer is effectual Jan. 2.
The West Central Tribune did not person a effect to telephone messages near for Emery asking for remark connected the determination to resign.
Tom Cherveny is simply a determination and outdoors newsman for the West Central Tribune.
He has been a newsman with the West Central Tribune since 1993.
Cherveny tin beryllium reached via email astatine tcherveny@wctrib.com oregon by telephone astatine 320-214-4335.
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