Scott County Board chair to step aside

The man who nearly beat Bob Vogel in the election four years ago is ready to run again. Vogel had set a two-term limit for himself.

By DAVID PETERSON, Star Tribune

Last update: July 1, 2008 - 10:56 PM

The chairman of the Scott County Board said Tuesday that he has decided against seeking another term in office. And the man who came within a whisker of ousting him four years ago is ready to claim the spot.

"I must have a thousand signs made already," said Tom Wolf, of Savage, who fell just 272 votes short of defeating banker Bob Vogel for a spot on the board in 2004. Wolf filed for office at the first possible moment to do so, on Tuesday morning.

Vogel said he decided to drop out because he had privately vowed to observe his own form of term limits, keeping it to two.

"I never wanted to become so tied to this job that I would worry about doing anything other than what I thought was the right thing to do," he said during a break in Tuesday's board meeting.

Vogel, 57, of New Market, represents a district that includes a portion of the city of Savage and a large rural area extending to the south.

Wolf, 44, had challenged Vogel as too liberal, describing himself as "conservative" four times in a one-paragraph essay outlining his reasons for running for office. And he said today's economy makes him all the more determined to become a voice for low taxes on the board.

"People are having to choose between paying the utility bill and buying groceries," he said. "It's tough out there."

Wolf said that Vogel's decision to wait until the last moment to announce his decision probably helps his chances because it forces other potential candidates to decide quickly if they want to run.

"You can't just fall out of bed one day and say, 'I'm going to do this.' You need to take time off a job, it takes money, and if there's a primary, that election is coming up very fast at this point."

The other board member up for reelection, Barbara Marschall of Prior Lake, has announced she will run again.

It is not clear to what extent Wolf's election would change the complexion of the five-member board. Vogel has been a conservative voice in board discussions, though he did vote for rising budgets.

"I have voted for budgets that would have been leaner if I'd been in charge myself," he said.

He was the only commissioner who voiced support for Republican Congressman John Kline's decision to stop seeking "earmarks" in the federal budget.

Vogel's family has been running a bank in New Market for nearly 100 years. Wolf said he sold a business since the last election and considers himself retired. He is active in volunteer work, he said, especially coaching sports.

"Last election night," he said, "my wife and I said if we don't get 45 percent of the vote, we're done. It came down to about 250 votes. If I could only have gotten 125 people to switch! That's not a lot of people."

David Peterson • 952-882-9023