Candidates file for council, mayor seats

Candidates in Lino Lakes and Circle Pines are ramping up their campaigns for mayor and city council seats after last week's filing deadline. There will be no primary in either city; hopefuls will proceed directly to the Nov. 8 election.

Lino Lakes Mayor Jeff Reinert is facing a challenge from Ivy Cavegn. Reinert is completing his first two-year term as mayor; before that, he served 10 years on the City Council and 12 years on the Lino Lakes Economic Development Authority -- three as president -- and he has been active on several other city commissions. Reinert, a marketing consultant, has lived in the city for 36 years.

Cavegn is an executive legal assistant for Meagher & Geer, P.L.L.P. in Minneapolis; she has lived in Lino Lakes for six years. She also is a member of the city's Community Emergency Response Team.

Two City Council seats will be on the ballot. Dave Roeser is running for a second two-year term. Kathi Gallup is not seeking re-election.

Roeser, a 25-year Lino Lakes resident and entrepreneur, has served on the city's Economic Development Advisory Council and Anoka County Board of Appeal and Equalization.

Both Reinert and Roeser voted in favor of a 2010 resolution to make English the city's official language. The vote, framed as a future cost-saving measure, bars the city from spending funds for many translation purposes. It attracted the ire of immigration advocates.

Gallup was the only no vote on the English measure.

• Tim Henderson, business representative for AFSCME and a 13-year Lino Lakes resident. He previously has served on the city's Volunteer Police Reserve and as a volunteer football, baseball and basketball coach.

• Matthew Kassner, a market executive for Mosaic Sales Solutions and the family firm MKassner Net, and a business writer. He has lived in the city for 18 years.

• Sam Larson, vice chairman for the Basic Political Operating Unit for Minnesota House District 53A Republicans. He also has worked as a Senate page for the Local Government and Elections Committee. He has lived in Lino Lakes for 15 years.

• Byron Roland, a member of the Park Board and 23-year resident of Lino Lakes. He is a freelance graphic artist and musician.

• Dale Stoesz, who works in systems architecture at U.S. Bank and is a nine-year city resident.

In Circle Pines, Mayor Dave Bartholomay is running unopposed. Bartholomay, executive director of Mediation Services for Anoka County, has been mayor since 2007; before that, he was on the City Council four years. He also has been on the boards of the Centennial Area Education Foundation, Centennial utilities, police and fire. He's lived in the city for 14 years.

Two City Council seats are up for election. Jenny Kromrey is stepping down after holding her seat since 2004.

David Kelso, completing his second term, is seeking reelection. A retired employee of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, he has served on a variety of city commissions, along with the Anoka Airport Advisory Council, the Metro Cities Board, the Centennial School Board and the MetroGIS Policy Board.

City Council challengers include:

• Clay Arnett, a recent law school graduate who grew up in Circle Pines and recently returned after a seven-year absence.

• Matt Percy, an IT team leader for Cetera Financial Group and a member of the city's planning commission for four years. He has lived in the city for eight years.

• Keith Perlich, who was mayor from 2004-08, and also has served on the cable commission. A retired electrician, he has lived in the city for 21 years.

• Heather Wrobel, a stay-at-home mother to two daughters and soon a son. She has lived in Circle Pines for a year and a half. She served as an ambassador with her previous city's Chamber of Commerce.