Two people have filed papers to run as candidates in Decorah's at-large district

Voters in November will be asked to choose between two long-time Decorah City council members in the race for one of two at-large seats on the council.

Incumbent Kirk Johnson on Wednesday filed his nomination papers for a spot on the ballot, where he will be joined by Gary Rustad, who filed nomination papers earlier.

Johnson served several years as a member and chair of Decorah's Planning and Zoning Commission Board of Adjustment prior to being elected to serve two terms on the Decorah City Council from 1996 to 2004.  He was Mayor pro tem during those eight years.  He then served as a member of Decorah's Planning and Zoning Commission from 2005 to 2011.  Johnson was elected to the Decorah City Council in November of 2015 and began serving on the city council the next month, filling the brief unexpired term of Tade Kerndt.  He has served as chair of the city's Personnel Committee, as well as serving on the Economic Development Committee, Streets Committee, the Budget Committee and the Hotel Motel Tax Committee.

In addition to his work in city government, he was a founding member of the Trails of Winneshiek through the Trout Run Trail's completion in 2012. He has served as a board member for the Decorah Area Chamber of Commerce and has been a board member for Decorah Jobs since 2016. Johnson is a founding member, and was secretary/treasurer for Decorah Human Powered Trails from 2012 to 2018.

Challenger Gary Rustad has 21 years of experience on the Decorah City Council, including 12 years as mayor pro tem.  He lost his seat on the city council in 2017 when he decided to run for mayor and was defeated by Lorraine Borowski.