Credit River Township residents voted for a new town clerk and town board supervisor on Tuesday.

Cathy Haugh was elected as clerk, getting 228 votes, while longtime clerk Jerry Maas – who withdrew from the race just three weeks ago – got 95 votes. Three voters left the clerk portion of the ballot blank. Maas had withdrawn after the ballots were printed.

Also on Tuesday, Supervisor Bruce Nilsen, who ran unopposed, got 273 votes. Another 53 voters wrote in a candidate’s name, for a total of 326 voters.

By Lori Carlson, Editor
With more than 25 years of professional administrative experience, Cathy Haugh believes she can contribute to making the Credit River Township Board of Supervisors a more efficient governmental body.

Haugh, 47, is seeking the township clerk position in the Tuesday, March 9 election. She had filed to challenge incumbent clerk Jerry Maas, but Maas withdrew from the race last week, leaving Haugh to run unopposed (Maas’ name will remain on the ballot since the ballots were printed before his withdrawal).

By Lori Carlson, Editor
In 2004, when he was elected to replace long-time Credit River Township Board Supervisor John Kane, Bruce Nilsen wasn’t an “experience is more” type of candidate.

“I used to chuckle when people would say, ‘Vote for me – I have the experience,’” he said. “But now I do think there’s something to experience.”

Nilsen, 59, ran unopposed in 2007, holding onto his seat for another three years. On Tuesday, March 9, Nilsen’s name will be on the township ballot for a third term. He is again running unopposed.

To the Credit River Township Board and residents:
As you are all aware, township elections are to be held on March 9, and I have again filed for the position of clerk. When it came time to file for re-election this year, I had a number of thoughts on whether or not I should seek to continue in this position; there were several reasons for my uncertainty.

First, and foremost was the fact that a large number of residents had, and still do, support me and my personal feeling is that that carries with it a responsibility on my part to honor that support.

By Lori Carlson, Editor
Jerry Maas, Credit River Township’s only town clerk for the last eight years – and an incumbent who’d planned to run for a fifth term this spring – has withdrawn from the race.

Maas, 68, announced Tuesday that he wants to withdraw from consideration in the race for a two-year town clerk position. Maas, who served one term as a township supervisor and four terms as clerk, was to face first-time filer Cathy Haugh in the March 9 township election. Maas’ name will remain on the ballot, but he will no longer campaign, he said.

Filing has opened for the spring Credit River Township election.

The seats held by Clerk Jerry Maas and Supervisor Bruce Nilsen are up for the March 9 election. 

The filing period closes Jan. 12.

Also holding elections this spring are the townships of Cedar Lake, Jackson and New Market. Other townships have fall elections.

To file, contact your individual township.

Credit River residents can contact Maas for more information, at (952) 440-5515.

Shannon Fiecke

By Lori Carlson, Editor
A Prior Lake police detective and one-time Scott County Board candidate has been appointed to a position on the Spring Lake Township Board.

Chris Olson was appointed Oct. 20 to serve the remainder of a term held by Eugene Berens, who died in a riding lawn mower accident on Sept. 18. The term is set to expire in January 2011.

By Shannon Fiecke, Correspondent
Scott County may be headed to court after denying a developer’s request for a small subdivision in Credit River Township.

All but one commissioner voted against the nine-lot cul-de-sac, which was proposed to hook onto the edge of the 700-acre upscale Credit River Territory development.

By Shannon Fiecke, Correspondent

Scott County may be headed to court after denying a developer’s request for a small subdivision in Credit River Township.

All but one commissioner voted against the nine-lot cul-de-sac, which was proposed to hook onto the edge of the 700-acre upscale Credit River Territory development.

By Lori Carlson, Editor
Friends and colleagues joined family members this week in mourning the loss of longtime Spring Lake Township resident and Township Board Supervisor Gene Berens, who died Sept. 18 in a riding mower accident in Lonsdale. He was 72.

Lonsdale police found Berens under a riding lawn mower near the 400 block of Baldwin Street around 11:22 a.m. Sept. 18. A neighbor had called 911 after seeing the mower on top of him on the side of a hill. An autopsy was planned this week; no cause of death had been released as of press time.