MOORHEAD — Two incumbents were reelected to the Moorhead City Council Tuesday night, Nov. 3, and they'll be joined by two newcomers.
Larry Seljevold and Steve Lindaas, who won one-year terms in a special election last year after two council members resigned, won four-year terms.
They'll be joined by Matt Gilbertson who won in Ward 1 which encompasses north Moorhead, while Laura Caroon ran unopposed and was elected in Ward 2, which includes most of the east-central part of the city
Gilbertson, who faced four other opponents, replaces Sarah Watson Curry, while Caroon will take over the ward represented by two-term Councilwoman Heidi Durand, who decided against running again.
ADVERTISEMENT
Seljevold, a retired teacher, easily won his race in Ward 3 that covers the southwestern part of the city along the Red River with 70% of the vote over John Bell.
He said he would like to improve the amenities in the city's parks and is working on a committee trying to create more artwork around the city.
Lindaas, who represents Ward 4 in the southeastern corner of the city, won in the closest race with 45.8% of the vote to 37.2% for Dave Anderson. A third candidate, Jeremiah Jones, had 16% of the vote.
The Minnesota State University Moorhead professor and leader of the physics and astronomy department said the city has "a lot of great momentum" and said he appreciated continuing to be a part of the city leadership.
One of his priorities is to continue working on the city's strategic plan. With the hiring of a new city manager coming, he said he thought things "would be coming together."
ADVERTISEMENT
Lindaas also supports working on food resiliency efforts in the city to make sure residents in need have access to food.
Gilbertson, a chiropractor and lifelong resident of Moorhead, was one of the first to announce candidacy for the City Council in March when Watson Curry announced she wasn't seeking a second term.
He said he will be promoting "pro-growth" policies as he would like to see Moorhead level the playing field with Fargo in attracting more businesses.
Gilbertson said he has seen more growth in the city in the past three years than in the past 20 years and he would like to see that trend continue.
He said fewer regulations may be one way to promote continued growth.
Gilbertston won with 33% of the vote total in the ward with 1,186 votes. Next in line was Kristine Thompson, who had 771 or 21% of the vote.
ADVERTISEMENT
Caroon, who ran unopposed in Ward 2 and collected 98% of the vote, said she would like to work with citizens, staff and businesses "to make the city an even better place to live, work and grow."
She plans to listen to residents to see how "we can build our future."
Caroon is founder of a women's organization called Ladyboss Midwest, a group that looks for ways to help women succeed in all areas of their life, including business.
Eight members and the mayor serve on the City Council, with each serving a four-year term.
Each council member is paid a salary with benefits that will total $12,006 in 2021. Benefits include life insurance, retirement and worker's compensation. The pay is $934 per month.
ADVERTISEMENT
