NEAL GAALSWYK
Listen. Work hard. Serve with openness and integrity. That's the promise I made on day one, and it's a promise I've kept.
General election: Tuesday, November 3, 2026 · Early voting opens September 18
Sixteen years of keeping promises to District 1
You don't get re-elected four times in Cass County by talking. You earn it by showing up, watching the budget, and getting things done. That's my record. And it's my commitment to you for the next four years.
Cass County's tax rate is among the lowest of all Minnesota counties
I serve on the county's budget and personnel committees, and I've worked hard to keep our tax rate low — the lowest in our area and third lowest in Minnesota — even as unfunded state mandates, operating costs, and service expectations keep climbing.
Roads and bridges, delivered
District 1's roads get finished, and I work to bring the money home to pay for them. Since 2022, more than $14 million in state and federal funds have been used to rebuild our roads. A $6.4 million project resurfaced County Roads 15, 18, and 77 around East Gull Lake, Lake Shore, and Fairview. The new Gull River Crossing on County Road 70 cost about $8 million — a new bridge and trail, roughly 75% federally funded. And in 2022, County Road 1 and Hazel Avenue in Pillager got new pavement, curbs, and ADA-accessible sidewalks. I've worked hard to bring these projects home without leaning on your levy.
Protecting our lakes
Keeping our lakes and water clean is a priority for me. I serve on the Soil & Water Conservation District Liaison Committee and the Leech Lake River One Watershed One Plan board — protecting the lakes and rivers that so many of us call home.
Water Quality Certified Farm
Public safety experience
As a retired law enforcement officer, I know what our sheriff's deputies and first responders need. I serve on the Central Minnesota Emergency Response Board, working to make sure the people we call for help have the training and tools they need.
I answer my phone — or I call you back
Call me. I pick up, I listen, and I follow through. That's been true since 2011, and it's why my neighbors keep sending me back. Here's my number: 218-839-1841
Invested in our kids
I spent nine years on the Pillager School Board, and I serve on the Pillager Education Foundation Board, the Youth Investment Foundation Board, and the Cass County Children's Initiative. I was appointed to the Minnesota Supreme Court Council on Child Protection and Maltreatment Prevention. I work hard so our kids can live here and thrive.
"As a former law enforcement officer, I've seen firsthand the devastation that child maltreatment leaves behind. That experience never left me, and it's why I'm honored to serve on the Minnesota Supreme Court Council on Child Protection and Maltreatment Prevention — working alongside judges, advocates, and families across our state to strengthen the way Minnesota cares for its most vulnerable children. It's one more way I live out what I believe: that every child deserves to feel safe, valued, and loved."
— Neal Gaalswyk
A partnership with the Leech Lake Band
Cass County shares its map with the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe — nearly 40% of the Chippewa National Forest lies inside the reservation. In 2014, the county and the Band signed a memorandum of agreement built on one simple rule: before either government acts on something that affects the other, they talk it through first.
That habit of listening has paid off. When the federal government moved in 2020 to restore more than 11,000 acres of Chippewa National Forest land that had been wrongly taken from the Band decades earlier, the county stood with its neighbors — and the two governments renewed their agreement in 2025. At a time when land questions divide communities elsewhere in Minnesota, Cass County and Leech Lake are pointed to as a model for doing it right, and I've been proud to be part of it.
"Before we act, we talk. That's good advice in any relationship."
One of us — his whole life
Cass County roots
Past President of the Association of Minnesota Counties — representing all 87 counties at the Capitol in St. Paul and before Congress in Washington, D.C. · Six years on the East Gull Lake City Council · Lifelong Cass County resident · Grew up on the family farm west of Pillager · Lives in East Gull Lake · Retired law enforcement officer · Concordia College graduate.
Neal Gaalswyk isn't a politician who found Cass County. He's a Cass County man who was asked to serve — first elected in 2010, seated on the county board in January 2011, and re-elected four times since by the neighbors who know him best.
He still farms the family land west of Pillager with his brother. Grand View Ranch is a Minnesota Water Quality Certified farm — it meets the state's standards for keeping our lakes, rivers, and groundwater clean. He spent his career in law enforcement, protecting this community. And, for 16 years on the Cass County Board, Neal has done exactly what he pledged the first time you voted for him: listen, work hard, and act with openness and integrity.
"Each election has been a gratifying and humbling experience for me. It is a privilege, and a position I do not take lightly."
Neal and Kathy have been married nearly 50 years. They have three grown children and seven grandchildren, and are members of Lakewood Evangelical Free Church in Baxter. When he's not tending to his county commissioner duties or out on the farm, you'll find him hunting pheasants with his sons and grandkids — or, as he'd put it, chasing around to the grandkids' sports and school activities on Saturdays and weeknights.
How to vote for Neal
Heading south for the winter? Vote before you go. Every District 1 ballot can be cast weeks early — by mail or in person in Walker.
Early voting opens
Vote absentee by mail or in person at the Cass County Auditor-Treasurer's office, 303 Minnesota Ave W, Walker. Snowbirds: request your ballot now, vote before you leave.
Register-by-mail deadline
Registering in advance saves time. Missed it? You can still register at the polls on Election Day with proof of residence.
Election Day
Polls open 7 a.m. – 8 p.m. Mailed ballots must arrive by 8 p.m. — don't cut it close.
Put Neal in your yard
In a district this size, a sign in your yard is worth more than any ad. If you're on County Road 1, County Road 77, or Highway 210 — we especially want to hear from you.
DISTRICT 1
Request a yard sign
Call or text Neal at 218-839-1841 or email nealgaalswyk@gmail.com with your address. We'll deliver and place it for you.
Questions? Call Neal directly: 218-839-1841