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GRAND FORKS – The race to determine who will occupy three vacant seats on the Grand Forks County Commission is going to a recount, but it appears there may be some shakeup on the county board.
Incumbent Bob Rost was the top vote-getter with 22.7% of the vote, Kimberly Hagen was second with 19.27% and Mark Rustad was third with 16.52%. Incumbent Tom Falck received 13.76%, Lon Kvasager had 16.45% and K.C. Inman had 10.72%. Automatic recounts are triggered in a general election if the vote is within 0.5% or less.
Falck and Rost were seeking reelection after serving for eight and four years, respectively. The other vacancy is due to the retirement of commissioner Diane Knauf, following 16 years of service.
Commissioners serve four-year terms and are not term-limited. A primary election, held on June 14, narrowed the field from eight to the current six candidates.
County commissioners are paid an annual salary of $18,369.
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After Tuesday's vote, the vote count was as follows: Rost, 9,277; Hagen, 7,851; Rustad, 6,729; Kvasager, 6,702; Falck, 5,605; and Inman, 4,368.
Another race in the county is also slated for a recount. The county's home rule charter and half-cent sales tax each were within less than 25 votes on Tuesday night. Grand Forks County administrator Tom Ford said a recount was expected in the next few days.
