One name on ballot, but voters have a choice in county attorney’s race

Steele County will elect a new county attorney for the first time in 16 years on Nov. 3. 

When the filing period came and passed, there was only one candidate for the role - current County Attorney Rob Jarrett.

Jarrett was appointed by the Steele County Commissioners in the spring of 2024 to replace Julia Forbes, who took a private attorney position in the metro. 

She was first selected to fulfill the remainder of the term for former Steele County Attorney Dan McIntosh’s fourth term. He also left the role to take a job in private defense in Rochester.

While Jarrett will be the only name on the ballot, a group of residents and community members have formed an independent committee to convince voters to write in M. Esther Sherman for the position. 

Sherman most recently worked for Jarrett as an assistant county attorney before taking a job as a public defender. 

Not on the ballot 

Sherman said she was “urged” to put her name on the ballot. 

She said she decided against it, because she is a single parent “and I didn’t want to put my kid through the public attention associated with a contested election.”

Sherman said another reason was the people she represents, many of them low-income.

“Because it already feels impossible to earn the trust of my clients,” she said, “it likely would be impossible if I were simultaneously campaigning to be a prosecutor.”

Her daughter has since joined the Residents for M. Esther Sherman Committee. 

 “As my ‘kid’ is 19, joined the write-in campaign, and is actively out in the public trying to get me elected, my first reason is null and void,” Sherman said. “But reason number two remains. I work as a public defender, primarily representing clients accused of serious felonies.”

Sherman said she has not been actively campaigning. 

 “But the devotion I give to my work now, to my clients, the way in which I make choices based on what is best for those I serve, is the devotion I will give to this county if elected,” she said. 

Giving voters options

Jeannette Sanford said she knows Sherman through their children, who became friends in high school. 

She said that, combined with hearing from other people, led to her forming the write-in campaign. 

“There's one person on the ballot; they were appointed, not elected, and that was a midterm appointment. We just wanted to have another person as an option,” Sanford said. “So we chose to begin this write-in campaign.”

She pointed to Sherman’s credentials – including her resume. (Both candidates were given the chance to answer a series of questions in their own words. This will appear on 7A.) 

“She's developed really great relationships over the years with law enforcement, with the schools, with our social services, so she has a really good foundational and structural relationships with those… entities,” Sanford said.

Currently, Sherman represents clients in the Third Judicial District, which includes Steele County. 

County administrator weighs In 

Steele County Administrator Renae Fry said she is supporting Jarrett in his quest to win his first election.

“Rob has significant law enforcement experience and a few more years’ experience as an attorney than Esther,” Fry said. “The race today asks voters to decide between a candidate who has fulfilled the duties of county attorney for over two years, versus a candidate who has not held that position and I am not entirely sure what supervisory or budgeting experience Esther has or experience with the wide range of legal questions that are posed to the county attorney, such as planning and zoning, human services, contracts, eminent domain, and the like. So, there are likely other differences in their experience as well.”

Fry, who has worked with Jarrett over the past two years, said he does not avoid difficult or complex situations.

One example from Fry was the county’s exit from MnPrairie, which is a joint human services organization between Dodge, Steele and Waseca counties. Steele will be leaving in January. 

“He took action to encourage the board to bring human services delivery back under county control, even though questions and concerns about MNPrairie existed long before he took office,” Fry said.

Jarrett said he has not asked anyone for an endorsement. 

“Renae and I meet regularly about ongoing county matters. I have not asked for her support, nor any commissioner, in my election campaign,” he said, adding that he will not use any private funds in his campaign.

“I have spent $436 on flyers,” he said. “I’ll report these expenses after the election as they are below the (expense) threshold to file at this time.”

Conflicts of interests?

In an unsolicited email to the Steele County Times, Jarrett recently raised questions about how donors to the Residents for M. Esther Sherman Committee are connected to Sherman – or who they are. 

“What connection to county-involved litigation do these donors have?” Jarrett asked. “If elected, would Esther recuse herself from all East Side Corridor related matters?”

Asked that, Sanford said, “this is an independent campaign and is not coordinated with or approved by any candidate, nor is any candidate responsible for it. We want a better Steele County, one with transparency, accountability and respect for the law to protect taxpayer dollars.”

Sherman said she has not reviewed the donor list. 

“If elected, I would conduct appropriate conflict checks and recuse in cases where a conflict or the public perception of a conflict exists,” she said.

Sherman said she has not contributed any funds to the campaign.

She also said she would conduct conflict checks and recuse herself as appropriate when it comes to the East Side Corridor.

“This goes for existing litigation as well as anything that may arise between now and being sworn in for the role,” she said.

The Owatonna East Side Corridor Residents group said it has no involvement with the Residents for M. Esther Sherman Committee or her campaign. 

“Our group has never met or spoken with Ms. Sherman, has not endorsed any candidate, and has made no campaign contributions,” the group said in a statement. “We share information about all candidates across local races so residents can easily locate the information they need to make informed decisions when voting.”

The group is currently awaiting a decision from the Minnesota Court of Appeals regarding the project.

The residents are challenging the Steele County Board’s decision that an Environmental Impact Statement is not required for the corridor. The county is accused of completing an insufficient Environmental Assessment Worksheet. Also named in the appeal is the Steele County Highway Department.