Kimball 2026 Election ballot continues filling up as deadline nears

KIMBALL -- The City of Kimball’s 2026 election ballot continues to fill up as new candidates have filed for Mayor, City Council, County Commissioner, and Clerk of the District Court.

Greg Robinson has joined the race for Mayor, running against Gabriel Miller, who announced his candidacy at the beginning of the year. 

Robinson was born and raised in Kimball. He is currently a member of the City Council, served as the Mayor of Kimball from 1998-2006, and served on the council for 11 years prior. 

Robinson’s focus would be tackling infrastructure issues as well as navigating the growth that Kimball is expected to see with the Air Force project in the future. 

“Kimball is approaching an important crossroads in our history, and I feel that we need an experienced leader to guide us through,” Robinson said. 

Nicholas Barp has joined the race for City Council, where two positions – currently held by Robinson and James Shields – are scheduled for election. 

Barp is focusing his candidacy on improving Kimball’s economic development to encourage new businesses to come to town while generating more sales tax revenue, and to ensure the efficiency of the use of tax revenue.

“Having been born and raised here, I’ve seen the ups and downs that Kimball has gone through, and serving one’s community is a responsibility everybody should take part in at some point in their lives, and I think it’s time,” Barp said. 

He will run against Aaron Abraham and Ron Buchart. 

Two County Commissioner seats are open with four candidates running, including Incumbents Elyse Lukassen and Rich Flores and nonincumbents Carl Stander and Doug Barrett. 

Lukassen said in her announcement: “I want to show women and my daughter that you can be a present mom and still follow your dreams. I love what I do for Kimball County, so I want to serve again.” 

Joanna Hottell has joined the race for Clerk of the District Court, running against Jamie Bright, who previously filed for the position following the retirement announcement of longtime clerk Deb Diemoz. 

Hottell currently works as a dispatcher for the Kimball County Sheriff’s Office, where she has served for about a year. She has lived in Kimball County for a total of 12 years with her husband Dave and their five children. 

Hottell said in her announcement, “With my strong ties to the community, diverse county experience, and proven attention to detail, I believe I would be an excellent fit for the position of Clerk of the District Court.” 

Bright has lived in Kimball County for about 15 years with her husband Matt and their two-year-old son, MJ. 

“This community has truly become home. It’s where we’re raising our family and where I’m committed to serving,” Bright said. 

While the deadline for incumbents to file for re-election has passed, nonincumbents have until March 2 to file for election.