District 6 Republican candidates for the North Dakota Legislature are Shawn Vedaa of Velva for the Senate and incumbent Rep. Dick Anderson of Willow City and Craig Johnson of Maxbass for the House of Representatives. They were endorsed at the District 6 Republican convention Feb. 28.

The Republicans are running against Democrats Sen. David O’Connell of Lansford for the Senate and Jean “Jeannie” Brandt of Kramer and Rep. Bob Hunskor of Newburg for the House.

Vedaa has worked in the private sector for 30 years, owning his own businesses for half those years. He and his wife, Geneil, own Velva Fresh Foods, a full-service grocery store, and have lived in Velva since 2002. A Stanley native, Vedaa attended Minot State University and served in the North Dakota Army National Guard as a sergeant, receiving the State Achievement Ribbon.

For the past six years, Vedaa has served on the Northern Tier Federal Credit Union Board of Directors and as president of the board for two of those years. He recently was elected to the North Dakota Grocers Association Board of Directors, an organization to which he has belonged since 2003. He has coached youth sports and most recently was head coach for the Velva Post 39 Legion team, which took first place in sectionals last year, earning a berth in the state tournament.

“I’m running for Senate for the young adults and children in North Dakota so the way of life I grew up with can be preserved for generations to come. I believe in limited government and, of course, bringing the state back to its fiscally reasonable roots we are accustomed to. Jobs in this state should be raised by the private sector, not created by government alone,” he said.

A rural Maxbass native, Johnson attended school in Glenburn and at Minot State University and North Dakota State University, graduating with a degree in agricultural engineering. He worked for International Harvester, which became Case IH, in Illinois for seven years. He began working for Stevens Welding in Glenburn and farming part-time with his parents Arlan and Helen, in 1992. He began farming and ranching full time in the fall of 1999.

Johnson serves on the Trinity Lutheran Church Council, is director for the Bottineau County Farmers Union, board secretary for Enerbase Cooperative and is clerk/treasurer for Chatfield Township. He was township assessor for 16 years.

“I am running for the House of Representatives because I want to get involved in the legislative process and provide legislative oversight on state agencies to make sure that our government is providing appropriate services in an efficient and effective manner,” he said.

Anderson has served in the House since 2011. He has served on the Human Services Committee and Energy and Natural Resources Committee for the past three legislative sessions.

Last session, Anderson was prime sponsor of several bills, including a bill providing money for cleanup of Legacy oil production issues in northcentral North Dakota. The bill also provided money to study improvements to produced water line installation and test monitoring systems to detect leaks. He said, if re-elected, he would continue to work to improve transmission of energy from the state by working with landowners and energy producers to develop policy to resolve pipeline issues.

He has served on numerous local, regional and state boards during his lifetime and currently serves on the boards of All Seasons Water Users, Heart of America Hospital and Normal Township. His background on boards of farm cooperatives and improvement groups has provided him with experience that has aided him as a legislator, he said.

He foresees rural healthcare problems will be a major issue going forward, along with tax policy.

“Tax policy, especially at the state and federal level, needs to be reduced or eliminated to provide incentive for small business owners and landowners to provide opportunities for another generation of North Dakotans. Serving as a representative is a humbling and a rewarding experience, and the support I receive from District 6 constituents is greatly appreciated,” he said.

District 6 includes Renville, Bottineau and McHenry counties.