Incumbents file nomination papers for Colfax Village Board and Colfax Board of Education

By LeAnn R. Ralph

COLFAX —  Incumbents have filed nomination papers for positions on the Colfax Village Board and the Colfax Board of Education for the April 3 election.

Three positions will be up for election in April on the Colfax Village Board, but only two incumbents filed nomination papers by the deadline January 2.

Village trustees Carey Davis and Mark Halpin both filed nomination papers with the Colfax administrator-clerk-treasurer’s office by the deadline.

Incumbent Village Trustee Casey Rihn did not file nomination papers but also did not file a notification of non-candidacy.

In a conversation with the Colfax Messenger several days after the filing deadline, Rihn said he had carefully considered whether he should run for re-election and then eventually decided not to take out nomination papers.

Rihn coaches youth basketball, and his children are active in playing youth basketball.

Rihn’s coaching responsibilities and the basketball games sometimes conflict with the Colfax Village Board meetings, and Rihn said he was not comfortable with not being able to give a 100 percent effort to serving on the village board.

Rihn noted his children are only young once, and when the opportunity is gone to coach them in basketball, the opportunity is gone.

When his children are no longer playing youth basketball, Rihn said he would consider serving on the village board again.

Because Rihn did not file nomination papers or a notification of non-candidacy by the filing deadline of the second Friday preceding the filing deadline of January 2 for nomination papers, which was December 22 for notification of non-candidacy, state law required the deadline for filing nomination papers to be extended for 72 hours, which in this case, was Friday, January 5.

No other candidates filed nomination papers by the January 5 deadline, so the position will only be open to write-in candidates in the April 3 election.

School board

Two incumbents on the Colfax Board of Education filed nomination papers by the January 2 deadline for two positions on the school board.

Ken Neuburg and Kyle Knutson will be on the ballot for the school board positions in the April 3 election.