South metro elections: Shakopee City Council candidates offer different visions for growth

Shakopee residents will decide Tuesday if they want to retain two City Council members or replace them with new ones as the city grapples with big issues like growth, taxes and public safety.

Incumbents Jesse Lara and Jay Whiting face six challengers for their two at-large seats. Also running are former Council Member Mike Luce, Ken Ludzack, Carter McNew, Mustafa Sandhu, Jeff Shafland, and former Assistant Fire Chief Ryan Yttreness.

The election comes at a pivotal time for the Scott County city, whose population has doubled in the past two decades to about 45,000.

Council candidates are providing competing visions for how much the city should grow and who should pay for it. They’re also pitching plans for the city’s Fire Department, which has been undergoing an overhaul since consultants found glaring problems with its training, management and handling of gift offers.

Other south metro races to watch:

Incumbent Jimmy Francis faces middle school teacher Mark J. Westpfahl in the mayor’s race in this 20,000-person suburb.

First elected in 2016, Francis has framed his tenure as a period of significant economic growth, with more businesses and millions in new construction in the city, his website states.

Westpfahl, a social studies teacher at South St. Paul Middle School, says on his website that he wants to diversify the city’s housing supply, address opioid addiction, invest in infrastructure and translate city communications into Spanish, among other priorities.

Three candidates are vying for two City Council seats in a race largely focused on public safety and managing development in the fast-growing city.

Incumbent John Bermel, a chaplain at an assisted living facility and former police officer, told a local newspaper he wants to adequately fund first responders and keep taxes low.

Incumbent Dan Wolter, a government relations director for Hy-Vee and former Metropolitan Council member, has said he wants to ensure police and fire departments keep pace with Lakeville’s surging population and attract national brands to the city.

Challenger Drew Boxrud, who has business management experience and worked at a 911 center, said the city should provide competitive pay to first responders and invest in infrastructure.

Ruth Dahl and Erica Zweifel are running for the top city post after beating current Mayor Rhonda Pownell in the August primary.

Dahl, who served on the Northfield school board for nearly two decades, has pledged to slash spending, scaling back public projects to avoid property tax increases.

Zweifel, a former three-term City Council member, has pledged to prioritize projects the city can afford and draw businesses to increase Northfield’s tax base.