DULUTH – Incumbents won the majority of Duluth school board seats in Tuesday's general election.

Eastern Duluth District 1 incumbent Rosie Loeffler-Kemp took 72% of the vote, besting Dana Krivogorsky, while western Duluth District 4 incumbent Jill Lofald ran unopposed, winning 96% of votes. At-large member Kelly Durick Eder kept her seat with 36% of votes, while newcomer Amber Sadowski garnered 39%, capturing the second seat. Loren Martell, in his sixth bid for a school board seat, was edged out with 23% of votes.

Durick Eder said Tuesday night the election results show that Duluth voters "have confidence in the school board."

"We came through the pandemic, we got our kids back in the classroom and kept our students and teachers safe," she said, noting she was especially excited that the district is set to host vaccination clinics for kids ages 5 to 11. "We're looking forward to closing the door on the pandemic and moving into the next phase of education."

Sadowski said she's ready to "move forward positively as a community."

Voters chose board members who will "be respectful, listen to parents and students and teachers and are willing to disagree respectfully and do the hard work," she said.

Some voters Tuesday said they chose candidates who prioritized students' needs.

Andrew Streitz, voting at Duluth Congregational Church, said he's glad Duluth's school board hasn't experienced the physical fights about critical race theory and masking that have erupted at some meetings in Minnesota and around the country. "We support reasonable people who believe in facts and have kids' welfare in mind," he said.

Sandy Marden said she wanted Durick Eder to keep her seat because "She's looking forward, not rehashing the past," Marden said. "I appreciate that."

Jana Hollingsworth • 218-508-2450