Perham-Dent School Board a neck and neck race

The race for Perham-Dent School Board was a tight one, with one candidate squeaking onto the board by just eight votes.

Five candidates were vying for four open seats on the board, including three incumbents - Nathan Rooney, Christi Stoll and Arnie Thompson - and two challengers, Justine Anderson and Michael Hamann. Sue Huebsch, who would have been the fourth incumbent, did not seek reelection.

The frontrunner in the race, with 24.61 percent of the vote, was Stoll, according to unofficial election results posted around midnight Tuesday. Coming in second was Anderson, with 19.73 percent, followed by Rooney with 19.39 percent, and then Hamann with 18.03 percent.

Hamann, who has served on the school board in the past, barely edged out Thompson, with 2,534 votes compared to Thompson’s 2,526 votes.

Tuesday’s election results mean the school board will see a 50/50 mix of familiar and new faces come January, when the new term begins. Current terms expire at the end of 2018.