From the largest city to the smallest, city council races across Washington County have drawn broad interest this election season.

In Woodbury, 16 candidates, including one incumbent, are vying for two seats up for election on the five-member City Council.

With Mayor Bill Hargis also leaving, and City Council Member Mary Giuliani Stephens running for his post along with five other candidates, that means there could be up to three new faces on the council. That raises the possibility of a change in the majority of the council as the city enters a new era without Hargis at the helm of local government for the first time in nearly 20 years.

As with the mayor's race, several council candidates who responded to a Star Tribune questionnaire on the issues cited management of Woodbury's continued burgeoning growth as a top issue.

Council Member Julie Ohs is running for reelection. Other candidates are Ross Altendorfer, Christopher J. Burns, David H. Dobson, Jane Green, Alice W. Gruber, Jeremy R. Jenkins, Robert Mehling, Nicholas Ortiz, Steven P. Peterson, Don Place, Jon E. Rusten, Jennifer S. Santini, Jennifer Sutch, Mark Wackerfuss and Daryl Wahl.

In Landfall, meanwhile, interest in local government is no less intense. Eight candidates are running for three seats on the City Council, including all three incumbents, tied with Forest Lake for the second-highest total in the county.

Managing growth is definitely not an issue in Landfall. The community of about 700, who live in 300 mobile homes near Tanners Lake, is one of the smallest cities in Washington County, but touts itself as the most affordable.

Incumbents Sally Eral, Terry Kilby and Ron Sanoski are all running again for the five-member council. They are being challenged by John Bailey, Bruce Biddlecome, Don Dunn, Joanne Menz and Scott Triemert.

In Forest Lake, incumbents Bo Bogotty and Susan Young are seeking reelection, challenged by Bruce Anderson, Ed Eigner, Michael Freer, Jeff Klein, Michael Kuehn and Chris Soderlind.

In three races, there are some ballot peculiarities.

In Lake St. Croix Beach, Mayor Julia Lambert is now running for City Council, and City Council Member Janet Simonson is running for mayor against Tom McCarthy. Lambert is one of four candidates vying for two seats, facing incumbent Dan Danielson, Cheryl Kopp and Cindie Reiter. Similarly, in St. Marys Point, Mayor Gary Williams is one of three people running for two City Council seats, along with incumbent Nancy Jacobson and Timothy Williams. Jay Roettger is the only candidate for mayor.

And in Newport, three members of the city's Planning Commission -- Steven Gallagher, Katy McElwee-Stevens and Tracy Rahm -- are among seven candidates vying for two council seats. The others are incumbent Corb Hopkins, Ernie Berget, Anthony Mahmood and Tom Stettner. McElwee-Stevens announced this week she is withdrawing from the race, saying in a statement that she doesn't want to split the vote between the planning commission members. Her name, however, cannot be taken off the ballot at this point.

Jim Anderson • 651-735-0999