For residents of area townships, the second Tuesday in March presents an annual opportunity to have their say about the management of their local governments.
That’s the case this week as grassroots government takes center stage in town halls near Ely and around the state.
Annual meetings are set for that night, and the oncea- year gatherings give residents who attend the power to determine numerous key issues - including their own local tax levy.
The meetings coincide with contested elections in two local township - Morse and Fall Lake.
In Morse, longtime supervisor Bob Berrini faces a challenge from O’Niell Tedrow, an instructor at the Vermilion campus of Minnesota North College.
The election pits a political newcomer against a supervisor who has spent nearly 30 years in office.
The winner gains a threeyear term on the board and will join holdovers Mike Velcheff and Terry Soderberg.
Fall Lake voters will elect two new supervisors as incumbent Eric Hart did not file for re-election while Adam Masloski has moved from the area.
Three contenders - Brian Seliskar, Rod Gruba and Hudson Kingston - are vying for Hart’s position and a three-year term.
Roger Murawski is the only candidate on the ballot for a two-year term and would replace Masloski if elected.
The Morse and Fall Lake meetings will start just after polls close at 8 p.m.
Eagles Nest Township will convene its session at 7 p.m. as it holds its elections in the fall.
A tax levy for 2026 is decided at each annual meeting, the one power given to township residents at the annual meeting by statute.
Morse Township has kept its property tax levy flat for several years and that figures to be the case again, as town
