Three commissioners sworn in at Jan. 7 County Board meeting

The Goodhue County Board of Commissioners met on Jan. 7 for the first meeting of 2025. At the top of the agenda, District Court Judge Tori Stewart administered the oath of office to three commissioners who won re-election in November.

Commissioner Sue Betcher represents District 5, which includes the 1st and 2nd Precincts of the 3rd Ward and the 1st and 2nd Precincts of the 4th Ward of the City of Red Wing and Wacouta Township. She previously served on the County Board after the illness and subsequent passing of Commissioner Paul Drotos.

Commissioner Linda Flanders was elected in November to her second full term representing District 1, which is comprised of the city of Red Wing’s 1st and 2nd Precincts of the 1st Ward, the 1st and 2nd Precincts of the 2nd Ward, and Welch Township. Like Betcher, Commissioner Flanders was first elected in a special election, filling a vacancy after the passing in 2019 of Commissioner Ron Allen.

District 3 Commissioner Todd Greseth will also be serving his second 4-year term on the board, representing Warsaw, Holden, Wanamingo, Kenyon, Cherry Grove, Roscoe, and Pine Island townships, and the cities of Dennison, Wanamingo, Kenyon, and Pine Island.

By a unanimous vote, commissioners appointed Brad Anderson and Susan Betcher to one-year terms as chair as vice chair, respectively.

Prior to passing the gavel, outgoing chair Greseth took the opportunity to recognize Commissioner Flanders for her efforts on the Mighty Mississippi Clean Up Challenge, which she started in 2022. The spring event has grown each year, involving several counties and groups. In 2024, 825 volunteers collected nearly 15,000 pounds of trash from along the river and its tributaries.