Wilkinson, Swanson advance in election

The Ward 3 voters in Cloquet (about 14 percent of them) have spoken. Following Tuesday's primary election, Chris Swanson and Uriah Wilkinson will advance to the special election in February for the Ward 3 Cloquet City Council seat. Ray Schow will not.

Out of a possible 1,312 registered voters in Ward 3, Swanson received the most votes with 124. Wilkinson garnered 54 votes and Schow got seven. One ballot didn't count because the person voted for two candidates.

Election judge John Cavanaugh said the turnout was actually better than expected for a primary election with only one local race, noting that they had a nice rush first thing in the morning.

"These local elections are probably the most important in terms of how it affects us," said Cavanaugh, predicting a better turnout on Feb. 11 for the general election. "This person will be our representative in this ward."

Wilkinson is a 25-plus-year resident of Cloquet who has been a Realtor in the area for the last 15. He has also served on the Cloquet Planning Commission for nine years and various other boards and city groups. Swanson grew up here and has been teaching government and history at Cloquet High School since 2001 and has been involved in various volunteer and union positions. Schow is also from the area, and was a teacher; he also worked in radio and TV and now works as a substitute teacher.

On Wednesday, Schow offered his congratulations to Swanson and Wilkinson.

In response to the Pine Knot, Cloquet High School government and history teacher Chris Swanson said he was "humbled" by the support. He said he's been working hard to meet residents in the neighborhood in part by "knocking on almost every door in the ward."

"I've had a lot of great conversations, some tough, some really light, and some with kids walking dogs or playing in the leaves," Swanson said. "I appreciate their insights, whether it's about infrastructure, taxes, or their street repair needs."

Swanson also thanked Schow for the important perspective he provided in the campaign.

Wilkinson offered his thanks to all who voted and a special thanks to those who voted for him.

"Moving forward, it is clear that my message needs to be communicated more directly, establishing the importance of this election," Wilkinson said. "With fewer than 200 votes cast, much of my efforts will be directed towards that message and getting voters to the polls on February 11."

Swanson is currently serving as the interim Ward 3 Councilor; he was appointed after an interview process with the council to fill the seat after until the election. The seat became available after Dakota Koski bought a house outside of Ward 3 and had to step down seven months after taking office.

The top vote-getter in February will serve the remaining almost-three years of Koski's term.