The race for St. Paul mayor is officially on.
Roger Meyer, 45, a consultant to community and non-profit organizations, registered his mayoral campaign committee with the Ramsey County Elections Office on Monday, paving the way for a run against two-time incumbent Chris Coleman.
Coleman, who handily won re-election in 2009, is expected to run for a third term.
Meyer, a first-time candidate, is a Merriam Park resident who has been active in various neighborhood and community groups. He serves on the St. Paul Public Schools Foundation Board of Directors.
Meyer, who plans to seek the Green Party endorsement, said ranked-choice voting in St. Paul will make it easier for residents to cast ballots for third party candidates without feeling like it's a "spoiler vote," opening doors to more candidates and new ideas.
"This should be a conversation, not a coronation," he said. "I get really excited about getting new people involved in their community and more involved in problem-solving. ... I think there's too much status quo and not enough bold action on some of these ... socio-economic issues."
MARY LYNN SMITH
