South metro elections: Mayor Jimmy Francis re-elected in South St. Paul

Jimmy Francis will serve another term as South St. Paul mayor.

Tuesday’s results show incumbent Francis beating middle school teacher Mark J. Westpfahl by a narrow margin.

During the campaign, Francis framed his eight-year tenure as a period of significant economic growth, touting on his website new construction he oversaw in South St. Paul.

The mayor’s race in this 20,000-person suburb was one contest across the south metro to watch. Elsewhere, voters gave two incumbent Lakeville City Council members additional terms. Northfield residents chose a new mayor, while Shakopee voters decided to retain two council members.

Two incumbents will hold onto their seats on the Lakeville City Council.

Incumbent Dan Wolter, a government relations director for Hy-Vee and former Metropolitan Council member, earned the largest share of votes in this southern suburb. Close behind was incumbent John Bermel, a chaplain at an assisted living facility and former police officer.

The race, in which Wolter and Bermel were challenged by Drew Boxrud, largely revolved around public safety and managing development in the fast-growing city.

Wolter previously said he wants to ensure police and fire departments keep pace with Lakeville’s surging population and attract national brands to the city. Bermel’s campaign pledges included adequately funding first responders and keeping taxes low.

Former City Council Member Erica Zweifel will become Northfield’s next mayor, after defeating Ruth Dahl on Tuesday. Dahl and Zweifel competed for the top city post after beating Mayor Rhonda Pownell in the August primary.

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

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

Two Shakopee City Council members retained their seats after facing competition from a long list of challengers.

Incumbents Jesse Lara and Jay Whiting prevailed in the race against six others for their two at-large seats. Former Council Member Mike Luce, Ken Ludzack, Carter McNew, Mustafa Sandhu, Jeff Shafland and former Assistant Fire Chief Ryan Yttreness also ran.

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

During the campaign, council candidates offered competing visions for how much the city should grow and who should pay for it. They also pitched 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.