Olmsted County Commissioner District 3 forum

Olmsted County Commissioner District 3 forum

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(ABC 6 News) – Three candidates are looking for your vote for the Olmsted County Commissioner District 3 chair.

Incumbent District 3 County Commissioner Gregg Wright is looking to defend his seat against newcomers Karl Johnson and April Sutor.

Throughout the forum they answered questions on a number of issues and what role they would play if elected.

For example, how they would ensure Olmsted County can be a place for businesses to grow and thrive.

“If we can create childcare that’s affordable for our working class, we can go through and have a larger workforce for the businesses that are in our community,” Karl Johnson said.

That and affordable housing were other ideas they suggested in helping support business growth.

Candidates also fielded questions about how they would address homelessness. All three recognize it’s an issue with no simple solution and that every situation is unique.

“We need to go upstream and find out from each individual what is the underlying issue, or issues,” April Sutor said.

Among some of those challenges the candidates also see opportunities in their future for the county.

Gregg Wright brought up the opportunities Mayo Clinic provides but also acknowledged there are challenges in other areas.

“We have challenges in the environmental area, and Olmsted County has really moved ahead of many other counties in meeting those challenges, both in the groundwater and the technology.”

This is one of many races that people will get to vote on in the upcoming primary election on August 13th.