Along with trips to the hardware store and baseball practice on Saturday, many Brooklyn Park residents will be planning a visit to the polls.
City voters will be choosing a mayor to succeed Steve Lampi, who died from cancer in February, two months after starting his third term. The new mayor will complete the four-year term.
Twelve candidates are on the ballot: Billy B. Bishop, Laurie Hilgers, Jim Krautkremer, Jeffrey Lunde, Mark Mata, Jeannette Meyer, Boyd Morson, Tony Pistilli, Wynfred N. Russell, Scott Denver Scheid, Joe Tanner and Tait Turnquist.
The election comes as the city works to address various challenges, including a high foreclosure rate, concerns about crime, and issues with rental housing. At the same time, it is looking at opportunities for development and redevelopment and working to engage an increasingly diverse population.
City Clerk Devin Montero said he presented the City Council with two election options at the first meeting after Lampi's death: a traditional Tuesday runoff or a Saturday election.
"They chose Saturday because they wanted maximum participation," he said.
Statewide, primaries and general elections are on Tuesdays. But local officials can choose any day for a special election, said Pat Turgeon, spokeswoman for the Minnesota Secretary of State's office. Still, Saturday elections appear to be quite rare.
Montero is optimistic about turnout in a race that seems to have generated a lot of buzz.
