Hopefuls line up for rare shot at Spring Park mayor's seat

Spring Park's Jerry Rockvam is retiring after 35 years, and four contestants are vying for the job. All favor keeping taxes low.

By LAURIE BLAKE, Star Tribune

Last update: October 28, 2008 - 5:19 PM

Tiny Spring Park on the western shores of Lake Minnetonka has four candidates for mayor this fall.

That might seem a lot for a town of 1,700 residents, but there's reason for some pent-up demand for the job.

The current mayor, Jerry Rockvam, has held the post for 35 years. The last election that he wasn't the mayor, Richard Nixon was still president and gas cost less than 40 cents a gallon.

The pack of contenders filed for office after Rockvam announced his decision to retire.

"With the current mayor leaving, it opened up an opportunity and there were a number of us who wanted to lead the city forward,'' said City Council Member Tom Scanlon.

Scanlon, 52, Council Member Sarah Reinhardt, 40, Council Member Gary Hughes, 67, and Planning Commission Member Michael Mason, 58, are all seeking the office.

Scanlon, in the second of four years of his city council term, is the only one of the three council members running for mayor who will return to the council if not elected mayor. Reinhardt and Hughes are at the end of their terms.

Here is a brief look at each candidate:

• After four years on the City Council, Sarah Reinhardt said, "I am ready to take it to the next level.''

She moved to Spring Park in 2001 from Plymouth, where she served on the Planning Commission. For the past 10 years she has been a stay-at-home mother. Prior to having children, she worked as a computer systems analyst.

Reinhardt's agenda as mayor would include keeping taxes low, resolving any issues that may arise from the new Dakota Rail Regional Trail through the community, better planning for large capital expenditures and preserving the quaint closeness of the community while increasing professionalism at City Hall.

• Michael Mason has lived in Spring Park since 1976. He is self-employed in snow removal and in buying and selling secondhand goods.

After serving on the Planning Commission for four years and regularly attending City Council meetings for the past four years, Mason said he knows the workings of the city.

"My interest is purely to help the residents of Spring Park and keep taxes down. I am of the middle class so I have a better feel for what is going on financially in the community. I look at it from the bottom up. I don't look at it from the top down.''

• Gary Hughes is a retired college media technology teacher at Mankato State University and Hennepin Technical College. He is now self-employed in the design and sale of web-based training programs.

Hughes has lived in Spring Park since 1999 and has served as a council member, planning commissioner and member of the Fire Commission. On the Fire Commission, he led the way toward reducing the cost of fire protection without reducing coverage.

Hughes said he is detail-oriented, vigilant about city costs and will "make a positive difference." When he takes on something, Hughes said, "I take it on full throttle. I am not in it just to ride. I'm in it to drive.''

• Tom Scanlon works as a computer broker, buying and selling surplus computer equipment. He said he is concerned about decreasing property values. "I am a fiscal conservative. I want to keep taxes low.''

The city should keep its roads and pipes and water tower current, Scanlon said. "I am for a strong fund balance so we don't have to go back to the taxpayers to raise the money to do all these things.''

Scanlon serves on the Lake Minnetonka Conservation District and says keeping the lake clean and beautiful is one of his top priorities. He also wants to reduce the cost of the police service the city receives from Orono. "It provides good service, but it's 43 percent of our budget,'' Scanlon said. "I think we can reduce our cost, lower our policing service and maintain our crime rate."

All four mayoral candidates have recorded statements that will air on cable Channel 21 through Nov. 3 and can be seen at the Lake Minnetonka Cable Commission website at LMCC-TV.org through November.

Laurie Blake • 612-673-1711

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