Election results: Belz, Christenson, and Thomas win school board race
The 2026 General Election on Tuesday, Nov. 3 largely saw incumbents win local races, as well as in the nine House and Senate races in the Forest Lake Times’ coverage area. Election results become official after canvassed and certified. Forest Lake area School board School board incumbent Jill Christenson has been reelected for a second term and newcomers Mike Belz and Sean Thomas claimed the other two open seats on the Forest Lake Area School Board in a hotly contested race that saw incumbent and board chair Curt Rebelein Jr. lose his seat. There were six candidates competing for three open seats on the school board, which has faced turmoil over several controversial decisions and debates over the past year and a half, and has been split as a six-member board since late October 2025 when Luke Hagglund resigned. Belz, Thomas, and Rebelein were endorsed by the Minnesota Parents Alliance, while Christenson, and candidates Claire Luger and Andi Courneya were endorsed by the Forest Lake Education Association and Education Minnesota. Rebelein, who was first elected to the board in 2022 and has pursued a great deal of change since he became board chair in January 2025, and Christenson, who has
