Elections focus on local issues, economy

Four years ago, Washington County, like the rest of the country, was still reeling from the effects of the Great Recession. Local election themes at the time focused on coping with the doldrums of collapsed property values and unemployment.

It's quite a different story in 2014.

While uniquely local issues, along with taxing and spending, still define many races, economic development is a consistent theme among candidates in several key races.

Elections in cities across the county have drawn intense interest — even in the smallest city, Landfall, which has a field of 10 candidates for three council seats.

In Woodbury, the county's largest city and main economic driver, the race for two City Council seats has drawn four candidates: incumbents Christopher Burns and Julie Ohs and challengers Bill Braun and Emmanuel Obikwelu. Mayor Mary Giuliani Stephens is running unopposed for a second term.

Burns, a lawyer and shareholder with the Henson & Efron firm, is seeking his second — and what he said would be his final — term. He said he wants to continue being a voice of fiscal responsibility as the city continues to grow. "I believe the city can do more with less," he said. "I also believe we can spend some of the almost $150 million reserves we have rather than raising property taxes, make some difficult staffing decisions" and other money-saving steps.

Ohs, a volunteer and leader in several community organizations, including the Woodbury Yellow Ribbon Network, is seeking her third term on the City Council. She points to her eight years of experience and her role in policy and financial decisions that have made Woodbury a great place to live. "I would focus on economic development and job growth, and maintaining and expanding our wonderful parks and trails," she said. "Controlled growth and palatable property taxes are also of importance to me."

Obikwelu, a business owner who also teaches science at Minnesota Transitions Technical High School in Minneapolis, is making his second bid for City Council. He would like to draw more businesses and jobs to the city and says he supports "smaller, efficient and effective local government in Woodbury."

Cottage Grove: Two incumbents, Derrick Lehrke and Dave Thiede, are each seeking their second terms and face three challengers: Steve Dennis, Matt Erickson and Tasha Steinmetz. (A fourth challenger who filed, Sara Hyland, has dropped out, although her name will be on the ballot.)

A Wal-Mart Supercenter opened last spring in Cottage Grove, the city has launched a business incubator center in the former City Hall building and housing developments are sprouting up, but an empty Home Depot store and a nearby recently abandoned Rainbow Foods grocery store have brought fresh urgency to attracting businesses.

Lehrke owns the Opinion Brewing Co. brew pub in Newport with his wife, County Commissioner Autumn Lehrke. He rigorously opposed the city's proposed 5.5 percent tax levy increase for 2015 and said he will continue challenging his colleagues and city officials on behalf of residents to make sound fiscal decisions. "It's crucial that we have council members who are willing to ask the hard questions that might not be comfortable for some to answer," he said. "I don't believe in 'group think,' and I never will."

Thiede, a longtime civic activist who has a background in manufacturing and finance, said he wants to continue creating value for the city. "To get greater amenities, we need to convince businesses and home developers that Cottage Grove is a good investment," he said. By working and spending smarter, he added, finding the money needed to pay for those amenities won't mean raising taxes.

Erickson, an Army veteran working in the security industry, has pledged to reduce taxes. "First, we need to rescind the bailout of the city-owned River Oaks Golf Course and close it down," he said. "We may all agree on common community utilities, but as to economic growth, the best result occurs when you choose where to spend your money rather than the city picking winners and losers in business."

Efforts to reach Steinmetz by phone and e-mail were not successful, and she did not participate in a recent candidate forum.

Shadowing the race in Cottage Grove has been Lehrke's July 30 arrest on Hwy. 61 after allegedly driving 110 miles per hour and swerving on the road about 1:30 a.m. He is scheduled to be arraigned in Washington County District Court on Oct. 30. According to the criminal complaint, Lehrke initially denied he had been drinking and refused a preliminary breath test. He was given the breath test there more than an hour later, where the results were .06 — .02 below the .08 legal threshold of drunken driving. He is charged with careless driving and two counts of speeding.

His opponents have not directly raised the issue publicly, though it has generated much local discussion.

Grant: Disagreement over public access to government proceedings has inspired two community activists to run for City Council. Loren Sederstrom and Larry Lanoux oppose a ballot measure to disband the city's charter commission, saying that petitions to authorize the measure were unlawfully gathered. They said they have filed a complaint with the Minnesota attorney general's office.

Three other candidates — Gary H. Baumann, Bruce Behymer and incumbent David Tronrud — also are running for the two open seats in this city of 4,000 residents. Current council member Steve Bohnen decided not to seek re-election.

Oak Park Heights: David Beaudet, voted out as mayor in the 2012 election, is running for a City Council seat against incumbents Mike Liljegren and Mark Swenson. Two winners will fill seats.

When mayor, Beaudet was critical of the new St. Croix River bridge project, saying it was too big, and opposed city spending for associated utility improvements as being too costly for residents. Liljegren was appointed to the City Council to fill a vacancy this winter. Swenson is chief of the Bayport Fire Department.

Landfall: Interest in politics runs big in this small manufactured-home city, where 10 candidates are running for three seats.

Among them are Greg "Flash" Feldbrugge, a former mayor, and incumbents Lori Lengsfeld, Ron Sanoski Sr., and Sarah Eral.