Anoka County commissioner candidate tells supporters not to vote for him

A candidate running for the Anoka County Board will appear on the November ballot but is telling supporters not to vote for him.

Kevin Landry, who was running for the First District seat covering the western side of the county, announced Tuesday he has stopped campaigning because he needs the time to address family issues. If elected, Landry said, he feared he would miss too many meetings.

"I do not want to be voted in as the new commissioner in District One because there is a real possibility that I would be an absentee commissioner," Landry said in an email. "Part of my campaign has been talking about being ethical, so I must hold myself to those standards that I preached about. I believe it would be unethical for me to win this race, and be on a salary that the taxpayers pay, knowing that I may not be able to be present."

Landry has been locked in a bitter race with incumbent Matt Look. Anoka police launched an investigation last month after posts from Look supporters accusing Landry of pedophilia and implying a death threat surfaced in a private Facebook group. Police found no criminal violations and closed the case.

Landry later verbally confronted Look after a County Board meeting. But this week, Landry said, he met with Look and the two had a "good conversation," apologized and ended the meeting with a handshake.

"I am aware that some of you may not like that I met with him and that I am saying I accepted his apology, but I don't believe in having anger or hatred in my heart," Landry said. "I'm not asking anyone to like my decision, but I am asking for you all to be supportive of my decision."

Look, who has been an Anoka County commissioner since 2011, is the only other candidate running for the seat.

Meanwhile, a Look supporter last week filed a petition asking the court to grant a harassment restraining order against Landry. The female petitioner stated that Landry has stalked her by parking and driving by her house, called from restricted numbers and threatened "to take me out," according to documents filed in Anoka County District Court. The petition also stated Landry made lewd statements toward her.

The petitioner said she no longer goes to events in Ramsey or Anoka, does not answer her phone, experiences anxiety and has trouble sleeping. The petitioner, who declined to comment when contacted by the Star Tribune, is requesting the court not allow Landry to come within 500 feet of her and not allow third-party contact, records show.

"These claims are easily disputable with evidence to show that many of these accusations are false and would have been impossible for me to do," Landry said. "It disappoints me that another human would be willing to lie and try to destroy someone's life over a local political race."

A judge will hear the restraining order case on Sept. 20.

Landry said he has not ruled out running for public office in the future.

"To everyone who supported me, I want to say thank you," Landry said. "I'm not saying I won't ever put my name in the hat again, I'm just saying, unfortunately, this isn't my time."