Voters in northern Ramsey County went to the polls Tuesday to choose two candidates to face off this fall for the vacant First District seat on the County Board.

Nine candidates filed to run for the seat, which opened when Commissioner Blake Huffman resigned in June amid allegations that his charity had misspent county-allocated funds.

In Anoka County on Tuesday, the filing period closed for the County Board's vacant Sixth District seat. That seat opened when Commissioner Rhonda Sivarajah resigned in June to become Anoka County administrator.

Tuesday's primary election in Ramsey County was held to narrow the candidate field for the November general election.

Nicole Joy Frethem and Randy Jessup were the top vote-getters Tuesday and will square off this fall.

The candidates were William Bergeron, Mounds View, grocery store management; Douglas Blomberg, a retired Shoreview resident; Frethem, Shoreview, a supervisor in the state Department of Human Services; Jodi Hultgren, Shoreview, a retired public accountant; Jessup, Shoreview, a UPS store owner; Martin Long, North Oaks, owner of Minnesota Mulch and Soil; Steve Scott, Arden Hills, a retired federal government manager; Nick Tamble, Arden Hills, president of Lawn and Landscape Gardens; and Mark Voss, White Bear Township, a sheet metal worker.

A critical issue for the district is development of the former Twin Cities Army Ammunition Plant (TCAAP) site. The county, which owns the 427-acre site, has sued the city of Arden Hills over plans for the site. The county wants denser development of up to 2,500 homes with more affordable housing, while city leaders want it capped at 1,460 housing units.

Other key issues in the race include property-tax hikes, recent flooding of county parks and roads, and public access to board meetings, held at 9 a.m. Tuesdays.

Ramsey County's First District includes Arden Hills, Gem Lake, North Oaks, Shoreview, Vadnais Heights and White Bear Township, along with parts of Blaine, Mounds View, Spring Lake Park and White Bear Lake.

Six candidates in Anoka County filed for the seat: Cindy Hansen, Lino Lakes; Craig Johnson, an insurance adviser from Lino Lakes; Karen Lodico, a Circle Pines real estate and bail bond agent; Donovan McGuire, Lino Lakes; and Jeff Reinert, Lino Lakes mayor and businessman; and Kevin Ryan, Linwood Township.

The Anoka County candidates will compete in a primary election Nov. 5 to narrow the field to two candidates for the general election, scheduled for Feb. 11.

Anoka County's Sixth District includes Centerville, Circle Pines, Columbus, Lexington, Lino Lakes, Linwood Township and a portion of Blaine.