Mary Liz Holberg takes open Dakota County Board seat

A conservative heavy-hitter in the Minnesota Legislature will join the Dakota County Board and two incumbents will remain after defeating challengers in last week's election.

Former state Rep. Mary Liz Holberg, of Lakeville, is the newest member of the seven-person board that oversees county spending and services.

Mike Slavik kept his district, which includes Hastings, Farmington and a large swath of the rural and agricultural part of the county. Kathleen Gaylord will continue to represent South St. Paul, Sunfish Lake and West St. Paul.

Slavik has only been on the board for two years.

"There's still more to be done," he said during a break in county budget meetings Tuesday, where both he and Gaylord donned "I Voted" stickers.

He faced Mark Henry, who does road maintenance in Dakota and Goodhue counties, which Henry said gives him unique insights on the county.

"It seems like were spending more money on trails than we are on roads," he said.

As candidates for the rural district went door-to-door, they said they heard concerns about eminent domain and the county taking private property for trails and parks.

Slavik, who has voted against the use of eminent domain in the past, said he firmly believes it should be used for public safety purposes, not for parks.

Bill Jungbauer, who lost to Gaylord, said he wants the government to respect people's property.

"We're supposed to live in a free nation," Jungbauer said. "When does it end?"

Gaylord said the county prefers to negotiate the acquisition of property wherever possible.

She easily defeated Jungbauer, getting 69 percent of the vote. She said voters she talked to did not raise any new issues for her to address in the coming term.

"People were really excited that Dakota County gets it right," Gaylord said.

Gaylord is an attorney with a long history in local politics. She was on the South St. Paul City Council for eight years and spent a decade as mayor before becoming county commissioner — a position she has held for 12 years. She also spent eight years in the Minnesota Legislature, where she worked on tax legislation and research.

One of her top priorities on the board will be keeping taxes low, said Gaylord, a Democrat.

It is a shared priority with new Republican board member, Holberg.

In county government, decisions are seldom based in partisan politics, Gaylord said.

"It isn't a Republican-Democrat dynamic. Each of us brings our own perspective and we have some very strong, very robust discussions," Gaylord said.

For her part, Holberg said she appreciates the county's reputation for being fiscally conservative and will maintain it.

"I am going to do my homework and listen," she said, but she anticipates her background will allow her to pick up on some issues — like budgeting and transportation — quickly.

She is stepping into the seat currently held by Commissioner Paul Krause, who is retiring after 20 years on the board.

She received 62 percent of the vote, defeating Chuck Halberg, another former state legislator — in his case, both House and Senate. He left state politics in the 1990s when he became the chief executive of the health care company Good Samaritan.

Other races

Two other county seats were up for a vote.

Chief Deputy Tim Leslie ran for sheriff and beat Herb Kotek, who worked as a deputy in Dakota County before leaving the job in 2004.

As chief deputy, Leslie handled the daily operations of the department.

County Attorney James Backstrom was re-elected, having run unopposed.

Jessie Van Berkel • 952-746-3280