WINONA, Minn. – Former County Board member Dwayne Voegeli easily won a November ballot spot to return to the Board. Also moving forward to the November ballot: Jerry Obiego, a retired military veterans advocate. Both are after the District 2 seat from Winona’s West Side and Goodview. Voegeli led the primary 57% to 31%. The seat had been held for two terms by environmentalist Marie Kovecsi, who chose not to run again. She had been firm against frac-sand mining in the county and the protracted demands from the Daley family of Lewiston to expand its dairy farm by hundreds of animals. Kovcesi also has favored social service and criminal justice reform. Voegeli, a high school teacher, is of much the same mind. Obiego has said, however, that he’s open to reconsidering rules on caps for dairy herds so long as environmental safety is not jeopardized. Voegli was n the County Board from 2003 to 2010. The challenge for Voeglei is whether he can hold his 26-point primary election margin. The primary turnout was only 23%.
