Council filing deadline is Friday; four petitions handed in

Three Brandon City Council seats and the position of mayor are up for grabs this spring. 

The council openings are in Wards 1 and 2. 

As of Feb. 19, four petitions for nomination had been turned in at City Hall. 

The first is from incumbent mayor Paul Lundberg. Lundberg was appointed by the council in 2018 after Larry Beesley resigned. The mayoral term is four years.

Ward 1 resident Tim Jorgenson has filed for the one-year Ward 1 term, which is currently filled by Brett Bastian. Bastian, who was appointed to the council in 2018 following the resignation of Blaine Jones, has stated he will not seek office. 

The other two council vacancies are in Ward 2; one is a four-year term, the other is for two years. 

The two-year term was created following the resignation of Don Wells, who relocated to another state. Dana Clark was appointed to the short-term Ward 2 position.

Clark, however, has filed her petition for the four-year term. This seat is currently held by Jo Hausman, who also has indicated she does not plan toseek re-election.

Brandon Police Chief Dave Kull has filed for the two-year Ward 2 council chair.

Kull is retiring in April after 10 years heading the department, and if elected, would not be a city employee when the council reorganizes on May 6.

The deadline to file nominating petitions is this Friday at 5 p.m. For a full report of the final filings, see the Feb. 27 edition of the Brandon Valley Journal. If warranted, Brandon voters will go to the polls April 9.

 

The Ward 2 councilwoman has gone above and beyond in collecting signatures on her nomination petition for election to the Brandon City Council. Instead of the 50 required signatures, Clark is currently at 151 “and still going strong,” she said.

“I decided that I was going to commit to going significantly over and above,” Clark said. “Not because I wanted to make sure I had enough signatures, but because I really wanted to get a pulse for what the community is thinking/feeling.”

Clark describes her door-to-door experience as “awesome.”

“It has reaffirmed that we really have amazing people living in Brandon. People opened their homes and hearts and shared their thoughts and concerns. Overwhelmingly, our Brandon residents are kind, thoughtful and supportive (and) it’s really made me develop an even deeper appreciation for our community and its residents,” she said.

One of the most common concerns Clark continues to hear from constituents is their “distaste in a couple new local social media sites, particularly social media site(s) and profiles that post false and/or slanderous information under the comfort of anonymous pages and profiles.”

“Our community needs to start focusing on solutions and coming together,” she adds. “That’s the message I hear from other city leaders, city staff and it’s the same message I heard while out door-knocking.”

Clark’s 151 signature tally establishes a new city record. Alderwoman Barb Fish previously garnered 80 signatures while seeking her Ward 1 position.

“It has taken me a bit of time and developing a tolerance to cold,” Clark said, “but I think it’s been time well spent.”