There are three seats up for grabs in the Ramsey County Commission race to be determined June 11 at the Primary election.
The three who have filed for these positions are incumbents Jeff Frith, Lee Gessner and Blaine Volk.
Jeff Frith
Jeff Frith is just about to finish his 8th year on the Ramsey County Commission, his second serving as Chairman of the Commission.
He says he has enjoyed his work on the commission and finds being in the Courthouse and located just across the hall from the Commission Chambers he’s in a unique poisition to meet with constituents and fellow commissioners. He heads the Joint Water Resource Board and travels to six other counties around Ramsey County, that perhaps gives him a different perspective on regional issues.
Flooding is a big issue for rural areas, many farmers continue to pay taxes on property that has been inundated for a long time, just so they can retain ownership of that property IF and WHEN it is no longer inundated. Frith reminded the Journal that Devils Lake has been flooding since 1993 – 31 years. Though the flooding affects the farmers the most, it has been a boon to the lake itself and subsequent tourism. “There’s a delicate balance in that for the county, on one hand it’s been difficult for some and a benefit for others.”
Frith says he gets a lot of complaints about the county’s roads, although he feels Kevin Fieldsend has done an excellent job keeping them in as good shape as they can. Many roads are the responsibility of the townships, Frith pointed out, but they contract with the county to maintain them, normally from April through October, which works out to be about six times a year – 1 time a month. He said Fieldsend has a five year plan for road maintenance and all roads are rotated into that schedule. “In wet years, though, the roads take a beating,” Frith admitted, “there are many areas where they have to go down deep in a road’s foundation and use concrete to shore up crumbling bases.” All in all, most of the county’s roads are in pretty good shape according to Frith.
Another concern facing the county will be the aging, 50-year old Lake Region Law Enforcement Center which will eventually need to be replaced. That is going to be one big and costly project, but its operation is funded jointly through five political entities; Nelson County, Benson County, Eddy County, Ramsey County and the City of Devils Lake. When it was first built in 1973 the standards for this kind of facility were very different from those required now. They’ve learned a great deal about design for security and safety of officers and inmates since then. That will influence how the next center will be designed and built. It is necessary, however, because as Frith pointed out Ramsey County is a major, regional hub and the LEC does not meet some state and federal standards for similar facilities. That will need to be addressed at some point.
Frith has been married for nearly 34 years to wife, Shari, and they have one grown son, Spencer, who lives in Grand Forks.
Lee Gessner
Lee Gessner has completed his first term as a Ramsey County Commissioner, a two-year seat vacated by former commissioner Lucas Wakefield in 2022 when he moved out of the county.
Gessner grew up in Devils Lake, graduating from Devils Lake High School and attending the NDSSS Wahpeton for his Associate of Arts in welding and machine maintenance, then getting his BS degree in Animal Science through NDSU. He has been married to Bonnie for over 31 years. She works locally for Hospice of the Red River. They have two grown sons and one grandson. Gessner farmed until 2014 when he started his own business located in the Devils Lake Industrial Park, Gessner Iron Works. He says that business focuses mostly on repairs and maintenance of farm equipment, just about anything that’s made of iron.
Gessner is well-known for his years serving the Devils Lake Rural Fire Department. He spent six years as Chief and now serves as the Vice President of the Corporate Board and is currently the Training Officer. He is also the President of the North Dakota Firefighters Association; his term will end here in Devils Lake on Saturday June 4. He is aware of the issues that face Ramsey County and sites flooding as a continual problem for farmers even though strides have been made to help, thousands of acres of productive farmland remain underwater and could be for another 20 or 30 years. That’s a reality for all those out there in the county who still pay taxes on their land even if it’s inundated. Their sacrifice needs to be acknowledged and somehow mitigated. Gessner admits he is something of a philosopher, but says he’s not afraid to address the difficult decisions that may need to be tackled on the county level. He emphasizes the need for accountability and involvement in many areas of government. “We need to be more than just taxpayers, we need to give back to society if we want this community – and I mean the whole of Ramsey County – to be better than it is. There’s always room for improvement, ways to give back and to bring a different perspective to view.” He says, admitting, “Nothing is simple, but you need to be informed and the real problems talked about and addressed, whether it is in the city, smaller towns or rural areas.”
Blaine Volk
Blane Volk has completed his first term as a Ramsey County Commissioner, elected in June of 2020. He says the first term pretty much was a learning curve, meeting constituents and colleagues, learning about the “job” of being a sitting commissioner. Heck, he says he’s still learning, it’s an on-going experience.
He grew up in Hague, ND – that’s south of Stausburg, ND Lawrence Welk country – on a dairy farm. He went to college in Devils Lake where he studied mechanics, served in the military in 1992 and now is National Guard full time. He is married, the father of three children. In the past he was active treasurer for the Shooting Starz Wrestling Club, an active youth football coach and served on the Lake Region Anglers Board. He continues now to serve on the advisory board for the Automotive Program at LRSC.
Volk told the Journal that he feels an important issue with the County Commission should be getting a handle on taxes, specifically property taxes. “We need to manage the county’s budget while providing for the needs of the people in our county,” he stated. Volk admits it’s “not always easy, the decisions you have to make, but you try to do your best for as many as you can but not everyone will be happy.”
He shared specific ideas on how to “fix” many things in the county from the Lake Region Law Enforcement Center to the Lake Region Ambulance Service and more, too many to get into here, but feel free to ask him anytime.
