Incumbent keeps ISD 2142 Tower-Soudan seat

TOWER- Ron Marinaro, who ran unopposed four years ago, faced a challenger, Kerie Porter, in this year’s ISD 2142 District 3 election, which covers the Tower-Soudan area. Marinaro won his second term with 712 votes, to Porter’s 517.
Porter, a Tower-Soudan High School graduate, is a parent with five children currently enrolled in district schools. She sent a message to supporters on Facebook, saying she would continue to advocate for transparency, the rule of law, and the district’s Native students, and added she is planning to run again.
Marinaro will have a lot of tough decisions to make in his second term, as the district is facing statutory operating debt, and the district’s two referendum questions, which would have increased school revenue, both failed by a wide margin.
“I feel privileged to be reelected for another four years,” Marinaro said. “I’d like to thank those who showed confidence in me.”’
“Our budget work is going to be hard, but I will fight to minimize cuts so they don’t hurt our students,” he said. “It is to bad the referendum didn’t pass, but I understand that people are financially stressed, but schools are important.”
Incumbent Mallory Manick, running unopposed for the District 2 seat which covers the Cook end of the North Woods School area, plus Vermilion Lake Township in Tower, received 999 votes to retain her seat.