Local News

Ward County’s uncontested races decided

Sheriff Robert Roed topped vote-getters among Ward County's uncontested candidates in unofficial elections results from the county.

Roed received 13,796 votes. Roed had sought a third four-year term to the office. Following service in the Marines from 1985-1989, Roed attended the Lake Region Law Enforcement Academy in Devils Lake. He began his career with Ward County in 1990 when he was assigned to the jail. Roed was promoted to patrol deputy in 1992, to sergeant in 2000, lieutenant in 2003 and captain in 2015, before becoming sheriff.

Minot attorney Andrew Schultz received 13,357 votes in running unopposed for the four-year term as Ward County State’s Attorney. A Kentucky native, he has been licensed as an attorney in North Dakota since 2010. Schultz worked for local firms in Minot before opening his own office in November 2011.

Ward County Commissioners John Fjeldahl, finishing 20 years on the board, and Jason Olson, finishing his first term, each sought another four years on the commission. Fjeldahl received 11,122 votes and Olson 10,647 votes in the unofficial tally.

A Berthold farmer, Fjeldahl operates a cabinet business, which he said he is beginning to phase out, giving him more time to devote to the commission. Olson retired in 2020, following a long career at the Minot Police Department, where he served his final eight years as police chief. He later served about a year as federal compliance officer, overseeing grant projects, for the City of Minot.

Unofficial vote totals in other contests include Ward County Soil Conservation Service supervisor: Jessica Bock, an incumbent who received 13,492 votes; Garrison Diversion Conservancy director for Ward County, incumbent Alan Walter, 13,414 votes; and official county newspaper, The Minot Daily News with 13,543 votes and The Kenmare News with 2,340 votes.