Edelson defeats tarantula-tossing challenger for Hennepin County Board

Heather Edelson prevailed over Marisa Simonetti — again.

In Tuesday’s election, Edelson won nearly 68% of the vote, defeating Simonetti by a wide margin.

Simonetti, a businesswoman, grabbed headlines this summer when police arrested her for reportedly tossing a tarantula at a tenant of her Edina home. Simonetti ran as a Republican, though the contest is nonpartisan.

Edelson, a former three-term DFL representative, first defeated Simonetti in a May special election held after the previous District 6 commissioner resigned to lead a nonprofit. She will represent a district that encompasses Edina, Greenwood, Hopkins, Minnetonka, Eden Prairie, Shorewood and Wayzata.

Edelson — along with the winners of three other races — will serve a four-year term on the seven-person board. Commissioners will earn $128,336 in 2025.

Incumbent Kevin Anderson won the race for District 7, which stretches from Minnetrista to Champlin.

Anderson, a former IT professional, received about 55% of the vote to defeat former mixed martial arts athlete Brad Kohler. Kohler, a gym owner and restaurant manager, garnered attention during the campaign for his criminal record, but he told the Minnesota Star Tribune he has learned from his mistakes.

In the lead-up to the election, Anderson touted his work on the board, from expanding broadband access to the county’s push to end veteran homelessness.

Jeffrey Lunde, the District 1 incumbent, won nearly 77% of the vote to fend off challenger Gulled Ahmed Badel.

Lunde served as Brooklyn Park’s mayor for a decade before joining the board. During the campaign, he pledged to increase support for veterans facing homelessness, create a team of advocates for crime victims and expand services for students who fell behind during the pandemic, his website states.

Lunde represents the northeast corner of Hennepin County, including Brooklyn Center, Brooklyn Park, Crystal, New Hope, Osseo and Robbinsdale.

Incumbent Debbie Goettel will continue to represent voters in District 5, which includes Bloomington, south Eden Prairie, Richfield and part of southwest Minneapolis.

She won nearly 68% of the vote to beat challenger Jeffrey A. Beck, who ran unsuccessfully for County Board in 2004 and 2014.

Goettel served as Richfield mayor before joining the County Board in 2016. She wrote on her website during this fall’s campaign that she wanted to obtain funding to repair infrastructure, support small businesses and expand transit options.