Father son duo

In 1998, Rodney Peterson was elected as a Dodge County Commissioner for the first time.
20 years later and his son Zakh was elected to the Kasson-Mantorville School Board.
Zakh was first introduced into the world of local government at a young age.
After watching his dad leave to go to different government meetings, either for Dodge County, or for Hayfield, where he serves as its city attorney, a couple of nights a week, Zakh began to get curious.
Eventually Zakh began to ask if he could attend the meetings and after plenty of
persistence by Zakh, Rodney allowed him to attend some meetings with him.
For Zakh,it was the first time he was ever espoused to local government live, but it wouldn’t be until a few years later that he got a distinct interest in politics and government.
When he turned 18, he pointed to that moment as to when it became most interested in the political world.
Zakh,explained that his dad brought him to a political caucus where he got the chance to see local
democracy at its most purest form.
Since then Zakh has become more and more involved in politics including attending the DNC
Convention to see what it was all about.
Despite his newly acquired interest in politics, if you asked his dad a few years ago if Zakh would go into politics his answer would have been simple.
“No.”
After debating whether or not he would run for political office, he was encouraged by his dad and others to run for
school board and he decided to do so at the youngest age he possibly could.
At the age of 21.
Zakh explained,that one skill that he feels that is most important for being in local government is being able to solve problems, a trait that he attributes to his dad for inheriting.
“The urge to solve problems is my knack,” Zakh said,”it’s something I get from my dad,” he added.
The reason why Zakh choice to go for school board is because he has always been interested in education and the process of it.
Being a graduate of the school only a few years ago he feels he also has a first hand advantage for knowledge of the school district.
For both Zakh and Rodney their views on their roles in local politics are similar.
Do what is best for the majority of people.
“We all have to life together, let’s work for the betterment of all of us,” Rodney said, explaining his
philosophy for going about making decisions.
After being involved with local government for over 20 years, Rodney explained that his favorite thing about being an elected official is the fact that he is always learning new things and the people he serves and serves with.
“There’s always something new that I’m learning,” Rodney explained.
With one meeting under his belt on the K-M School Board, Zakh is looking forward to making real contributions to the board and district.
One of his biggest goals going into his first term on the board is bringing a fresh mindset and getting more people engaged.
“I want to get more people engaged or at least aware of what’s happening,” Zakh said.
For Rodney he is very proud to have a child helping others in a local political office.
“I’m proud of my son for taking on this venture.”