Council Decides to Host February Special Election to Fill Council Seat

A special election on Valentines' Day will fill a vacant Minnetonka City Council seat.

On Monday, the council approved a special election for Feb. 14 to fill the vacancy of At-Large Seat B. Council member Amber Greves is leaving Minnetonka for Colorado, opening a city council seat in mid-December. The council debated filling the position by appointment, by special election or by a in the interim with a special election in the spring.

Primary concerns for a mid-winter election were for snowbirds, those with winter travel concerns and potential candidates who need more time to campaign.

The other concern was whether or not the council will be effective short one member for the interim. Several important agenda items are approaching, including budget and levy, which will be voted on in December. Decisions typically require a four-vote majority out of six occupied seats to be approved. Since these items are rarely that closely contended, this did not appear to be a roadblock.

The vote was taken for the hybrid option, which failed. Then it was taken for the Feb. 14 special election and passed. Ellingson, Hiller, Wiersum and Wagner voted yes, and Schneider and Allendorf voted no.

Special elections are governed by the City Charter, with a time period that is far more compressed than normal city elections. No primary is held, so all candidates’ names will appear on the ballot. Absentee voting will be available from Jan. 13 through Feb. 13 at .

Filings for this At-Large Council Seat B, with the term expiring December 2013, will open Dec. 7 and will remain open through Dec. 19. Interested people can file for this office during regular Minnetonka City Hall hours, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. To be eligible for office, candidates must be at least 21 years of age upon assuming office and be a resident of Minnetonka for at least 30 days prior to the general election.

Questions about the election process or filings may be directed to the city clerk’s office, 952-939-8218, by contacting dmaeda@eminnetonka.com or lronbeck@eminnetonka.com.