Convicted mayors of Waseca, Good Thunder win re-election

Two mayors in south-central Minnesota will return to office after winning their races this week, after both recently submitted guilty pleas to gross misdemeanor charges in separate cases.

Randy Zimmerman of Waseca earned about 58.8% of the vote to beat challenger Milton Madson, according to unofficial results from the Minnesota Secretary of State’s Office. The margin came down to about 750 votes.

Zimmerman, 49, pleaded guilty to perjury under oath in October. He admitted to writing on a voter registration application in 2022 that his address was within Waseca, instead of his actual residence outside the city limits, as part of a plea on Oct. 4 that dismissed two felony perjury charges.

He said he trusted that voters in Waseca, a city of about 9,200 people about 30 minutes east of Mankato, could make an informed decision.

Robert John Anderson, the mayor of Good Thunder since 1992, also won re-election this week. Anderson, 68, pleaded guilty to a gross misdemeanor conflict-of-interest charge in October. He admitted to having a personal financial interest involving his family trucking company receiving money to haul gravel for a street project. His plea deal led to dropping the three felony counts of embezzlement and theft against him; the remaining charges are to be dismissed within a year.

Anderson won after running unopposed in Good Thunder, which is 20 minutes south of Mankato and has a population of about 500. However, almost 17% of votes counted were for write-in candidates.