Newsletter Mid Week

With the vote totals in, the following are the results of local races, and who Koochiching County voters supported in federal offices.International Falls mayorIn an unusual turn, the write-in votes won the election for mayor: Write-In, 1,600, or 58.08 percent; Pete Kalar, 824, or 29.91 percent; Wayne Hiebert, 161, or 5.8 percent; Sharon Ball, 91, or 3.3 percent; Andrew Donald Piekarski/Jesus Dubs, 79, or 2.8 percent.The official winner of the mayor’s race won’t be known until the Falls City Council meets to canvas the results at 4 p.m.

A petition containing the signatures of 29 residents asked the International Falls City Council not to locate its police headquarters at 2232 2nd Avenue E., the former location of KOOTASCA Community Action Inc.City resident Erik Strand Monday delivered the petition and reiterated his concerns about police access to other parts of the community through a residential neighborhood.He asked the council to consider the petition a cease and desist order.Strand said he visited with residents on nearby streets, with 29 “affected residents” signing the petition; the petition contained the signatures of all but maybe six residents who were not home when he stopped.He said the petition represents more than $23,000 in city tax dollars.Strand said the council has said it will “do in phases” the rehabilitation it will take to make the building a workable headquarters for the International Falls Police Department.He said that implies the council does not truly know the cost of the project.He also questions the short time period between the proposal to purchase the building for $4,999 and the council agreement to buy it, wondering how many committee meetings were held in that time for council discussion.The city’s police have been working from a temporary location for more than one year at Backus Community Center.