Candidates Recommended to Fill 7th Judicial District Vacancy in Todd County

From left to right: Luke Godzala, Heidi Hovis, Franz Vancura (Courtesy: Office of Governor Tim Walz & Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan)

The Commission on Judicial Selection announced Thursday that it is recommending three candidates for consideration to fill a vacancy in Minnesota’s Seventh Judicial District.

The vacancy will occur upon the retirement of the honorable Daniel A. Benson, and the seat will be chambered in Long Prairie in Todd County.

The three finalists are:

• Luke Godzala, a senior attorney in the civil division of the Stearns County Attorney’s Office;
• Heidi Hovis, an assistant public defender in the Seventh Judicial District Public Defender’s Office and an adjunct professor in the paralegal program at North Hennepin Community College;
• and Franza Vancura, a partner at Quinlivan and Hughes, P.A., where he represents clients in real estate, business, probate, estate planning, and family law matters.