Supervisor incumbent Henrich beats out Koopman by wide margin

In Plymouth County, Republican Jim Henrich will pick up the reins as county supervisor in District 5 for another term with 6,863 votes compared to his opponent's 4,647.

"I'm kind of excited," said Henrich, from his home in Akron Tuesday night.

District 5 includes the area north of Merrill and west of Le Mars reaching into a total of six townships.

Henrich said there are two main issues he sees the county facing in the near future, and he will work hard to see that the taxpayers receive the best.

"I know our budget is going to be a tough thing, just with the way the economy is right now," Henrich said. "Our county is doing well, but we have to continue to move forward to keep our tax base low."

Another issue plaguing the supervisors is the answer to space needs at the Plymouth County Courthouse, Henrich said.

"I think we're making some progress with space needs, but that's not anywhere near a permanent thing," he said. "We're still trying to reduce the paperwork somehow so we can get rid of the storage."

Overall, Henrich said he was a little nervous throughout the campaign as he thought it could go either way.

"I think there was a big swing to get rid of incumbents," he said.

Another factor that led to his concern was the silence he felt from both Republicans and Democrats throughout the campaign, Henrich said.

"You were campaigning hard, but you didn't really know if you were losing ground or gaining ground," he said. "It was a real clean campaign."

Henrich said he couldn't have won this election without encouragement of his supporters both in the community as well as family and friends.

"That's the way it is in a small town," Henrich said. "You kind of know everybody."

On the other side of campaign ballot, Democrat Bill Koopman said he wasn't too surprised at Henrich overtaking him in a county that is decidedly Republican.

"I feel pretty good for the number of votes I got in Plymouth County," Koopman said. "I knew it was probably an act of God to win."

Koopman said he might consider running for office again in the future.

"It depends on how things go over the next four years," Koopman said.