Click on link after the candidate's name for additional information. Links to candidate information are provided by candidates.

Bloomington City Council At Large

Nathan Coulter -- www.neighborsfornathan.com
Paul King – www.PaulKingforCityCouncil.com
Ricardo Oliva – www.olivacitycouncil.com

Bloomington City Council District 3

David Clark – David Clark For City Council in Bloomington, Minnesota
Lona Dallessandro -- https://www.voteforlona.com
Laura Hunt – Not available     
Kevin Heinen -- Not available

Bloomington City Council District 4

Patrick Martin -- PatrickForBloomington.com
Victor Rivas -- Rivas For City Council (nationbuilder.com)

Bloomington School Board (ISD 271) – Elect 4

Beth Beebe -- Beth Beebe for School Board | Education Advocate for Public Schools
Tom Bennet -- tomfortheboard.com
Matthew Dymoke -- Matt Dymoke for Bloomington School Board (mattforbloomington.com)
Kat Eggers – (20+) Kat Eggers for School Board | Facebook
Marquisha Fulford – HOME (quisha4equality.com)
Dani Indovino Cawley -- Vote Dani.org
Natalie Marose -- Natalie - Home (maroseforschoolboard.com)
Patricia Riley – not available
Jeff Salovich – Home | Vote For Jeff (jeffreysalovich.com)
Dawn Steigauf – steigaufforschoolboard

Bloomington City Council Elections will use Ranked Choice Voting

The following illustrates how Bloomington ballots will be affected by Ranked Choice Voting.  The examples are not complete copies of the official ballot, but will serve to illustrate the process.  The candidates used in the illustration are worthy of your consideration. 

You may choose a different order of preference for these candidates, but we recommend that you vote only for the candidates listed in this illustration.  Please do not cross off any "Choice" columns that you leave blank, as the voting machine may misinterpret any stray ink marks as a voted preference.

The At Large Candidates are running in all four Bloomington Districts (or Wards).  Only voters in District 3 can vote for District 3 candidates.  Only voters in District 4 can vote for District 4 candidates.  

The School Board candidates are running in all four Bloomington Districts (or Wards).  Bloomington voters can vote for up to four School Board candidates.

Meet Exciting New Bloomington City Council Candidates:

Paul King:  Bloomington At-Large, covering all of the city

"Our people and our history are the true backbone of what makes our city special. I want to return common sense to Bloomington city government."

"If the City is going to spend money, it should be spend on needs,  like improving Creekside Community Center, improving our roads and bridges, opportunities for neighborhood revitalization etc." 

Ricardo Oliva:  Bloomington At-Large, covering all of the city

“My interest in the Bloomington City Council began in 2019 when the council was considering Valley View Park as the destination for a new community center. I was further compelled to run in 2020 as our community dealt with the fallout from the rioting in Minneapolis and the effects of a global pandemic.

“I believe Bloomington would benefit from greater diversity of opinion at our council meetings and my commitment to balancing stakeholder input, fiscal responsibility, and individual freedom brings a fresh perspective to our current council that will positively impact Bloomington residents for generations to come.”

David Clark:  Bloomington’s Third District, which constitutes much of the northwest portion of the city

“I decided to run for Bloomington City Council after realizing our town is not safe, not responsive to residents and in need of lower taxes and less spending.

“My blend of real-world business experience and complete allegiance to residents (not outside interest groups) will help me to bring change to a city that is in the pocket of the Met Council and other interest groups. Enough!”

Victor Rivas: Bloomington’s Fourth District, which encompasses the northeast quadrant of the city

“I am running for Bloomington City Council because I want to ensure that all of Bloomington’s residents are equally and fairly represented - that all of Bloomington’s citizens have an equal voice.’

“I promise respectful consideration, an attentive ear, and a willingness to truly serve. It is with great earnestness that I will work to earn your vote and bring positive change to the city of Bloomington.”

Meet The Bloomington School Board Candidates (vote for up to four candidates):

Beth Beebe is currently serving on the Bloomington School Board and is running for her second term.  She has 15 years of teaching experience in various national and international settings.

Beth has lived in Bloomington for 21 years, and her sons both attended Bloomington schools.  She has been treasurer of the School Board and liaison to the MN School Board Association.  

She has enjoyed volunteering at Schools and District Events

Natalie Marose is a teacher and school administrator, a career that she has pursued for over 34 years.  She has lived in Bloomington for 32 years, and is the mother of two Kennedy High School graduates. 

Natalie has a Master’s Degree in Education and has instructed at the college level.  She has been an Early Childhood Family Education Teacher, a Student Teacher Supervisor, and a girls’ basketball coach.

Outside of school, she has served as a Bloomington Family Child Care Provider and an American Red Cross instructor.

Marquisha Fulford is a Certified Professional Life Coach and a community leader with Victory in Praise Ministries.  She has over 25 years of administrative experience, mostly in Medical Administration.  She has three children, one still in Middle School.

Marquisha has volunteered with the Bloomington Police Department, Richfield's Policy Multicultural Advisor Committee, Richfield's Community First Organization, and as an inspirational speaker with several church organizations.

Her goal is to be a dependable advocate for Bloomington's children. Her focus is for a safe place for children as well as their academic advancement. 

Jeff Salovich is a long-time resident of Bloomington and a Pipefitter Foreman at the Minneapolis City Hall.  His four children are either attending or have graduated from Jefferson High School.  HIs wife is a para with the special needs program at Jefferson.

Jeff has been a youth sports and BAA coach since 2004.  He and his wife lead a church youth group, Sunday School class, and volunteer with Buddy Break supporting special needs kids one Saturday a month.

His goals are to put the education of our children first, bring common sense back to our schools, stop Critical Race Theory in its tracks, start bringing us together for the good of our children, and bring back programs that promote the Trades in school.

Bloomington League of Women Voters Candidate Forums

1. Five-minute videos of Candidates are to be released after September 6
2. In the interest of public safety, this year’s Bloomington City Council and Bloomington School Board forums will be hosting candidates without an audience (no-live audience). 

CITY COUNCIL CANDIDATE FORUM

The LWVB will record a Forum for the Candidates for Council-at-Large, District III and District IV on Thursday, September 9, 2021.  

SCHOOL BOARD CANDIDATE FORUM 

The LWVB and PTSA Council will record a Forum for the Candidates for four at-large seats on Tuesday, September 14, 2021.

Candidate Forums will be recorded and available for public viewing after September 17 on the following sites:
https://www.bloomington.gov/
https://www.lwv-bloomington.com/
Bloomington TV, Channels 14 or 859
https://www.Facebook.com/LWVBloomingtonpage/

Bloomington Election News and Opinions:

Bloomington voters should consider who has contributed to their City Council members, to understand who might be aligned with whom and might be seeking influence. (Follow the Money: Contributors to Bloomington City Council Candidates (sd49gop.com))

Click on link after the candidate's name for additional information.  Links to candidate information are provided by candidates.

Edina School Board (ISD 273) – Elect 4

Erica Allenburg – erica4edina.com 
Dan Arom -- Supporters (arom4edina.com)
Michael Birdman -- Michael M. Birdman for School Board (birdmanforedina.org)
Karen Gabler -- Elect Karen Gabler for Edina School Board (electgabler.com)
Owen Michaelson – Home - Owen Michaelson For Edina Schoolboard (owen4edina.com)
Nicole Schnell -- Nicole Schnell for School Board

Edina League of Women Voters Candidate Forums

LWV Edina will be holding a Candidate Forum for Edina Public Schools, District 273 candidates on September 23 from 7-9 PM. People may submit questions via [email protected] until September 22, 2021.

When
Thursday, September 23, 2021
7 PM - 9 PM

Where
Edina City Hall
4801 W 50th St
Edina, MN  55424

Click on link after the candidate's name for additional information.  Links to candidate information are provided by candidates.

Minnetonka Mayor

Brad Wiersum – Brad Wiersum for Mayor
John Kuhl -- Minnetonka Mayor | John Kuhl for City of Minnetonka Mayor | Minnetonka

Minnetonka City Council Seat A

Karen Ahlbrecht – not available
Deb Calvert – Deb Calvert for Minnetonka City Council - Home
Marshall Glynn -- Marshall Glynn for Minnetonka City Council (votemarshallglynn.com)
Iola Kostrzewski -- iola4minnetonkacouncil.com
Wyn Ray -- Wyn Ray for Minnetonka City Council (votewynray.com)

Minnetonka City Council Seat B

Stacy Cranbrook -- Stacy Cranbrook for Minnetonka City Council (votestacycranbrook.com)
Jim Hadley – not available
Daniel Kral – Dan Kral for Minnetonka City Council (votedankral.com)
Ash Patel – not available
Kimberly Wilburn – Kimberly Wilburn for Minnetonka City Council – We can do better together (kimberlycaresmn.com)

Minnetonka School Board (ISD 276)

Patrick Lee-O’Halloran -- (20+) Patrick Lee-O'Halloran for Minnetonka School Board | Facebook
Dan Olson – Dan Olson for Minnetonka School Board
Jessica Reader -- Home | Jessica Reader for Minnetonka Schools
Michael Remucal – Remucal for Tonka School Board (drmikeforschoolboard.org)
Beth Robertson-Martin – (20+) Beth Robertson-Martin | Facebook
Michael Salyards -- Michael Salyards for School Board
Meghan Selinger – www.electmeghanselinger.com 
Christian Vitale – www.ReElectChrisVitale.com

Please note that some Minnetonka residents live in the Hopkins School District (ISD 270).  Information on the candidates running for the Hopkins School Board can be found under "Hopkins".

Meet an Exciting New Minnetonka City Council Candidate:

Stacy Cranbrook: At Large Candidate for Seat B

"I will be the voice of common sense and reason to encourage positive change and growth within our city, while preserving and protecting what we have already created and love about Minnetonka."

"I am running for City Council to protect the Minnetonka we all know and love.  Change is inevitable, however we need change with common sense.  As your council member, I will strive to protect what we have already established as a community and make sound & thoughtful decisions with any new changes coming our way."

Minnetonka League of Women Voters Candidate Forums

School Board, City Council and Mayoral Candidates will answer voter questions in the Minnetonka City Chambers. School Board Candidates will talk 6PM to 7:30 PM, and Candidates for City Council and Mayor from 8:00 PM to 9:30 PM. The LWV Minnetonka Eden Prairie Hopkins Chapter will accept questions on their website [email protected] starting September 1. Attendees will also have a chance to submit questions on site before the forum starts. The meeting will be available for viewing afterwards via video on www.lwvmeph.org.

When
Wednesday, September 22, 2021
6 PM - 9:30 PM

Where
Minnetonka City Hall
14600 Minnetonka Blvd
Council Chambers
Minnetonka, MN  5534

The arrest of Anton Lazzaro on child sex trafficking charges hit the major Twin Cities news outlets on Thursday afternoon, August 12.  Lazzaro was identified as a major Minnesota Republican donor and political operative.  There is no credible evidence Carnahan knew of or was involved in any of Lazzaro’s alleged crimes, but his arrest initiated a series of events within the top ranks of the MN Republican Party that ultimately led to her resignation as MN GOP Chair.

The August 12 news reports noted connections between Lazzaro and Carnahan.  “He was part of the team that helped Carnahan first win her position at the state party in 2017.”  Pictures surfaced of Lazzaro with Rep. Jim Hagedorn and Carnahan at Minnesota Vikings games. Lazzaro and Carnahan also were the hosts of a political podcast for a few month in 2019 and 2020.

Also on August 13, Fox 9 News posted that Carnahan and Lazzaro had met in 2016 “during Carnahan’s failed campaign for a state Senate seat.”  Lazzaro apparently contributed to her campaign for party chair.  Fox9 News further linked the start of Lazzaro’s significant contributions to the Republican Party of Minnesota, reported to be as much as $42,000, to Carnahan’s 2017 election as MN GOP chairwoman.

Within the MN GOP’s 15-member State Executive Committee, the initial concern was trying to understand how much money Lazzaro had donated to the state party.  AlphaNews reported  that Lazzaro “had donated more than $150,000 to Republican candidates and causes across Minnesota.”   An emergency meeting was called for 9 pm August 13  Several of the members of the committee pushed to go beyond what to do with the money.  They once again called for an audit of the party’s finances.

Concerns about Jennifer Carnahan's viability were growing beyond her connection to Lazzaro.  Former MN GOP Deputy Chair and state legislator Kelly Fenton was perhaps the first to publicly urge Chair Carnahan to resign.  On August 13, Fenton tweeted her opinion that Carnahan “is a liability to our Party & anyone running under our banner.  Those actively engaged should call for her to step aside so new leadership can clean it up & focus on winning. … I’ll start:  For good of Party, please resign!”

Lakeville schools (ISD 194) have put Critical Race Theory into practice - including violating First Amendment Free speech rights in publicly funded schools – according to a lawsuit filed against them by district parents and children. Lakeville Schools’  actions are outlined in the Upper Midwest Law Center’s (UMLC)  filed lawsuit Complaint  (read it at https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/21038889-1-stamped-complaint? responsive= 1&title=1

If the lawsuit’s allegations are correct, ISD 194 might as well have hired a lawyer to list absolutely basic free speech law, and then proceeded to deliberately violate each and every item on the list.  

According to the Complaint against the district, the District approved entries into a school poster event that said “At Lakeville Area Schools we  believe Black Lives Matter and stand with the social justice movement this statement  represents. This poster is aligned to School Board policy and an unwavering commitment to our Black students, staff and community members.”  Black Lives Matter is a political organization.  Public schools are not allowed by law to take political positions, including ‘standing with’ a social justice movement,  and the District’s own rules forbid taking political positions, yet the District has publicly said that the District School board “fully supported” the political position taken on the posters.   

When students and parents tried to express opposing points of view in the poster event they were denied the right to do so, the school commenting in a letter to Bob Cajune, a parent of Lakeville students, that   “… All Lives Matter and Blue Lives Matter mottos were created specifically in opposition to Black Lives Matter” and that those messages “effectively discount the struggle the Black students have faced in our school buildings and that Black individuals face in our society as a whole.”  And that “[Lakeville Schools] does not approve of All Lives Matter or Blue Lives Matter  posters in the classrooms or other areas of the school, and teachers/school staff are not allowed to wear shirts with these sayings to school.”

A meeting of the State Central Committee will convene on Saturday, October 2, for the express purpose of electing a new state party chair to fill the remainder of Jennifer Carnahan’s term.  The timing of the SCC Meeting is in accordance with the MN GOP constitution, which stipulates that an election must occur within 45 day after the chair position becomes vacant.

This period will allow applicants interested in running for Chair to come forward, be interviewed by a Nominating Committee made up of Congressional District chairs or their designated representatives.

Four candidates have declared for the Chair position,.

• Jerry Dettinger, founder/CEO of Torque Fitness and Republican donor
• David Hann, former MN Senate Minority Leader (R, Eden Prairie)
• Forrest Hyatt, former 2020 candidate for Republican endorsement for US Senate, from Brainerd area
• Jim Newberger, a former State Representative (R, Becker) and endorsed Republican candidate for US Senate in 2018[]

At least one more may announce their intention

• Kelly Fenton, former MN GOP Deputy Chair and former State Representative (R, Woodbury)

After a week of increasing adverse news initially about the party’s ties to donor Tony Lazzaro and later about the toxic atmosphere at MNGOP headquarters, the state Executive Committee met the evening of August 19 in open session.  The members had been expecting to consider a vote of no confidence in Chair Jennifer Carnahan. 

The Chair did not attend the meeting in person, but she remained in contact with the proceedings.  When the meeting convened, Deputy Chair Carleton Crawford immediately moved that Carnahan be granted a large severance package in return for her resignation.  The subsequent debate centered around the size of the severance package. 

Carnahan ultimately broke a 7-7 tie, voting in favor of granting herself a $37,000 severance.  With that vote, Carnahan’s resignation took effect immediately. 

Several of the members of the Executive Committee and several members of the senior staff also stepped down, all of whom Carnahan had appointed or hired.  These individuals included the Finance Chair Jennifer Larson, the Executive Director, the Political Director, and the head of the Personnel Committee Mary Frutiger,  The Treasurer Mark Laxalt will stay on long enough to enable a smooth transition.

House District 49B’s state representative, Steve Elkins, is proposing a major change in the way our cities govern themselves. His bill, with no bill number as yet, proposes to take away Minnesota cities’ authority to zone areas for single family dwellings and effectively require cities to allow high density housing everywhere.

Elkins’ proposal has been ‘advertised’ in a Star Tribune article (‘When You Look At These Neighborhoods, What Do You See?” and in an OpEd Elkins wrote in the Star Tribune (“Twin Cities Housing:  The Flaming Hoops Separating Builders and Cities”. 

To understand what Elkins’ bill will do, you have to read both articles and then slog through the twenty-four page bill, pen in hand, referring back and forth from section to section. 

Elkins wants to make state statute outlaw city zoning requirements that mandate single-family dwellings in certain areas of the city. His arguments lean heavily on the inconvenience to builders of the current zoning/building process, but reading through his news articles makes it clear Elkins is motivated by his conviction that our cities’ zoning is racist. 

Current zoning restricts building in parts of Twin Cities suburbs to single-family residences, defined as homes which do not share a wall with another residence.  Elkins proposes to open single-family neighborhoods to higher density dwellings – read “large apartments”.   His motivations aside, Elkins goes to some trouble to make sure it is difficult to figure out what this would mean for Bloomington, Edina and Eden Prairie residential neighborhoods, so SD49 Newsletter dug into the details to see what the impact would be.

An Editorial

The newsletter this week contains several articles on the recent resignation of the MNGOP Chairwoman, the events surrounding that move, and the events leading up to it.  Noteworthy was the statement released by the Congressional District 3 Executive Committee on August 17,

This statement was debated within the CD3 Executive Committee during a special meeting on the evening meeting August 16.  The approval of this statement was virtually unanimous, with no dissenting votes, so strong was the feeling within this elected group. 

The Executive Committee members knew that the feeling across CD3 was not nearly as unanimous.  Yet almost all of the members had had personal experiences with Jennifer Carnahan or had heard first hand of her actions and of how she had dealt with people that did not support or agree with her.  Allow me to relate a story.

Many local municipal districts will be holding elections this fall for city council and school boards. The filing period for candidates wishing to be on the ballot for local school boards recently opened on July 27 and will remain open until Tuesday, August 10. The filing period is the same for candidates for local city councils in communities that hold such elections this year and utilize ranked choice voting.

Elections for City Council and School Board do not get much emphasis or attention. However, they are vitally important. City ordinances, zoning, property taxes, local spending priorities, educational excellence, childhood socialization, and young adult mentoring are several critical areas that these election positions affect. If you want to impact your local community, running for one of these offices will provide that opportunity. They are also a potential stepping stone for higher offices.

If you share our values and are passionate about serving your local community, contact us at [email protected] if you would welcome our advice on running. Do it soon, as the filing deadline is quickly approaching.

Local municipalities holding elections and candidates who have filed as of August 1 are listed below. Please check the MN Secretary of State website for updated information and additional candidate filings between now and August 10.   Also, if your municipality is not shown in our list below, check out the Candidate Filings page of the MN Secretary of State website.