'Democracy is alive and well in St. Cloud,' candidate turnout sparks primary election

ST. CLOUD — St. Cloud is about to enter a new era of local politics with Mayor Dave Kleis passing on the reins after spending nearly 20 years in office. His departure is greeted by a swarm of candidates in both St. Cloud's mayoral and city council races.

There are six mayoral and 16 at-large city council candidates, with three open seats, pushing St. Cloud’s local elections into a runoff, according to the Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State.

"This is by far one of the highest candidate turnouts I've seen since being in office," Kleis said. "It's encouraging to see that many people want to serve. There's a lot of great candidates too. I think it's a great opportunity to see new leadership."

St. Cloud’s primary election will be held on Aug. 13. The two mayoral and six city council candidates with the highest number of votes will progress to the Nov. 5 general election.

This year's high candidate turnout comes after uncontested elections in 2008, 2012 and 2016 followed by current Mayor Dave Kleis’ 27% margin 2020 win. Candidates are hoping to replace Kleis, who is taking a step back from public office with plans to focus on veterans affairs advocacy.

The city’s mayoral election has already stirred up discourse, with many candidates focused on revitalizing downtown. Ideas toward bringing foot traffic back to the lonely central hub include bringing a baseball stadium and a pedestrian mall.

Mayoral candidates include Jake Anderson, Buckvold, Mike Conway, Carol Lewis, Steven Dwaine Schiller and James Trantina III, according to candidate filings.

Those vying for St. Cloud's three open city council seats include Scott Brodeen, Tami Calhoun, Patrick Crooks, Alex Cutchey, Bill Doll, Mindy Ellingson, Charlie Hobbs, incumbent George Hontos, Lenora Hunt, Hudda Ibrahim, Mark Johnson, Nicholas Lengyel, Emmanuel Oppong, Michael Peterson, Omar Abdullahi Podi and Garrett Zimmerman.

What Kleis hopes to see

Kleis wouldn't spill the beans on who he plans to vote for. He said he will speak with each candidate individually and act like a business owner picking a new employee.

"People should look at the election no different than they would if they were hiring somebody for their business," Kleis said. "Voters are hiring somebody to be their representative. I hope people take it seriously, especially at the local (level), because local offices have the greatest impact on your day-to-day life."

Kleis said he hopes the next mayor will continue work toward revitalizing downtown and keep resident engagement a primary focus. He said community engagement initiatives, like town halls, helped him reach difficult decisions. Kleis is expected to complete his 1,000th town hall later this summer.

Kleis isn't the only one excited to see a crowded candidate pool either. Buckvold greeted her supporters with an excited smile Tuesday night, expressing hope in St. Cloud's local democracy despite a competitive election ahead of her.

"Democracy is alive and well in St. Cloud," Buckvold posted on Facebook. "I think it's awesome so many people want to run and serve our community. It's super great."

The local election is a developing story at the St. Cloud Times. Remaining mayoral candidate profiles and a round-up of mayoral candidates will be released in weeks leading up to the primary election.

Corey Schmidt covers local government for the St. Cloud Times. He can be reached at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on St. Cloud Times: High mayoral, city council candidate turnout sparks primary election