The Monticello-Big Lake Hospital District Board has some new faces.
Thursday during their annual meeting, new directors were sworn in along with incumbent directors whose terms are up at the end of the year.
The newest members are Leah Hirsch, representing Big Lake. Twp., Bronwyn Ewert, representing Otsego and Mark Swanson, representing Becker Twp.
Hirsch received 1,228 votes at the November election running against Jim Benson (702 votes) and Matt Antony (572).
Ewert received 4,143 votes, with 39 write-ins.
With no one on the ballot for the Becker Twp. spot, Swanson had 10 write-in votes to get the position. Mike Naumann had two votes and there were 61 other write-ins with one vote each.
For the incumbents, Jim Dickinson, representing the City of Big Lake, got 2,709 votes to 20 write-ins.
Incumbent Nancy Friesen received 1,130 votes in Monticello Twp., with five write-ins.
Linda Mielke from Silver Creek Twp. got 974 votes to five write-ins.
When it was time to elect the new officers for two-year terms, long-time Chair Sheldon (Shelly) Johnson said he wouldn’t opposed to someone else taking over the spot. He said he had family responsibilities that needed more of his time.
The board voted to elect Linda Kappel as the new chair.
Dickinson was voted in as new vice-chair, replacing Kappel.
Mielke is the new secretary/clerk, replacing Brian Doyle, who is no longer on the board.
Friesen was re-elected to serve at the treasurer.
