Brent Switzer (Pine County Commissioner Board District 4, Minnesota, candidate 2024)

Brent Switzer

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Nonpartisan

Candidate, Pine County Commissioner Board District 4

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 5, 2024

Education

Associate

Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College, 2015

Personal

Birthplace

Moose Lake, Minn.

Religion

Christian

Profession

Mayor

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Brent Switzer ran for election to the Pine County Commissioner Board District 4 in Minnesota. He was on the ballot in the general election on November 5, 2024.^[source]

Switzer completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Brent Switzer provided the following biographical information via Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey on October 7, 2024:

• Birth date: September 7, 1987
• Birth place: Moose Lake, Minnesota
• High school: Willow River High School
• Associate: Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College, 2015
• Gender: Male
• Religion: Christian
• Profession: Mayor
• Prior offices held:
  • Mayor of Willow River (2017-Prsnt)
• Incumbent officeholder: No
• Campaign slogan: Do The Right Thing!

Elections

General election

General election for Pine County Commissioner Board District 4

Brent Switzer and J.J. Waldhalm ran in the general election for Pine County Commissioner Board District 4 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate
	Submit photo	Brent Switzer (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	J.J. Waldhalm (Nonpartisan)

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	Incumbency information for this election was not available.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Switzer in this election.

Campaign themes

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Brent Switzer completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Switzer's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

My name is Brent Switzer, I’m in my 8th year as the sitting Mayor of Willow River. I have a degree in business and finance and completed many courses in economics and accounting, so I know how to set a budget and keep on it.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Our district has lacked good representation for years. I will ensure that our my district is equally represented at the county board regarding economic development opportunities, expanding business opportunities, providing access to local broadband and repairing our district’s reputation that has been tarnished by my opponent.
• Be budget orientated to keep costs down while prioritizing spending based upon what is truly needed. I will identify any wasteful spending in the budget and vote to keep our tax levy as low as responsibly possible.
• I will be spending time with constituents in order to really prioritize what the needs are for my district and how that meshes with overall county priorities.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Mental health which goes hand in hand with drug abuse and overdoses, affordable housing for families, livable wage job opportunities and needed increase access in broadband services. I will set up and work with the various committees inside both my district, the county and with our elected state representatives on funding for these projects.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

I currently do and will always look up to my grandfather. He worked hard his entire life and always instilled into me the characteristic to always do the right thing in life and serve the people. He has always been a huge supporter of my political career and in the winter of 2022 he told me that he wishes he could live long enough to see me become Governor of Minnesota because he knows that Im the type of straightforward person that our state needs. Though that would be many years from now, it’s a goal that I would like to achieve.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

1.) Service - you must remember that you represent the people at all times.

2.) Integrity and Character - how many more of our elected officials need to be removed from office or do corrupt actions before we really prioritize these characteristics?
3.) Respecting other people’s opinions - you need to learn to understand how or why other people have different views than yours.

4.) Standing up for what is right - when you do this with every decision you make, in the long run everyone will be served.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I’m a people person and a public servant at heart. I have a willingness to listen to the people I serve and work hard to make sure that they are represented properly.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

To always be honest and provide transparency

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

The biggest historical event from my childhood was 9/11. I was in my eighth grade keyboarding class and that is a day I can never forget.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

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