Metro briefs: For first time, Hennepin County taps U students for election work

The county is looking for hundreds of students to help process thousands of absentee ballots Nov. 2-8. The county is projecting more than 150,000 absentee ballots will be cast — far exceeding the 2008 record of 85,000 ballots. That's due to high interest in the election as well as this being the first presidential election in which Minnesota voters can cast absentee ballots without citing a reason they can't vote on Election Day.

So far, about 53,000 absentee ballots have been mailed or issued in the county, with 19,000 ballots returned and accepted. The county also has had a new record number of people preregistering to vote, which can be done until Oct. 18.

U students who are interested in participating have to sign up by Oct. 30. They'll get a $50 Visa gift card for each half-day shift. For more details, go to bit.ly/2e7VCuv.

Voters can cast absentee ballots in person through Nov. 7 at most city halls or by mail (after requesting a ballot at mnvotes.org).

KELLY SMITH

A police officer recently dismissed from the Columbia Heights Police Department for a conflict of interest has resigned his seat on the Fridley school board, citing personal reasons. Joseph Sturdevant, whose term on the school board began in January 2014, resigned effective Sept. 1, said schools spokeswoman Jael McLemore.

The district is now seeking to fill the seat for a term that ends Dec. 31, 2017. The board plans to appoint his replacement at its Nov. 15 meeting.

HANNAH COVINGTON

After more than a decade at the helm of the nonprofit Neighbors Inc., Executive Director John Kemp has announced that he will retire next year.

Neighbors, established in 1972, is social service agency that serves northern Dakota County. Kemp took the executive director job in 2003 and guided the organization through a period of heightened demand for services during the Great Recession, according to an Oct. 13 press release.

"John has led Neighbors through some incredible challenges and opportunities, ensuring that the organization remains fully committed to its mission and values," said board Chairman Brian Counihan in a statement.

Kemp's last day will be April 15. A search for his successor is expected to take several months.

An advisory committee voted Thursday to support a new route in Oakdale and Woodbury for the Gateway Gold Line Bus Rapid Transit. The $485 million BRT project will connect St. Paul with east-metro suburban communities.

The new "locally preferred alternative" route would enter Oakdale and turn south on Helmo Avenue, cross Interstate 94 on a new bridge, and continue south along Bielenberg Drive to an existing park-and-ride facility in Woodbury. Cost estimates indicate the new route could cost about $25 million less than an earlier route serving Lake Elmo, which blocked the project. It's expected to begin running in 2023.

The Gold Line will be Minnesota's first bus-rapid transit line using a dedicated busway. It will provide all-day service. The route would run from Union Depot in St. Paul through the east side of St. Paul, Maplewood, Landfall, Oakdale and Woodbury.

Public comments will be taken for 30 days. A public hearing is scheduled for Nov. 10 at Woodbury City Hall.