Adulterous commissioner voted out of office

MOTT, N.D. -- A county commission chairman has been voted out of office after admitting he had an affair with a married woman.

Hettinger County commissioner Lester Brackel publicly apologized for the affair and said it ended last year. But he agreed the affair led to Tuesday's recall election in which he lost 457-340 to Ron Friedt.

Brackel had asked voters to judge him by his work as a commissioner for six years.

"I understand the feelings some of you have," he said in a recent newspaper ad.

"But leading the government of Hettinger County isn't about feelings. It's about making right business decisions and working together with all levels of government."