Six candidates will compete in Tuesday's primary election for a vacant Washington County Board seat representing Oakdale and the surrounding area, with the two top vote-getters advancing to the general election in November.

The vacant Second District seat last belonged to Commissioner Ted Bearth, a former Oakdale mayor who died March 10 of a chronic lung disease. The remaining four commissioners voted to hold a special election in November to fill Bearth's seat for the remainder of his term, which ends in 2018.

Three commissioners will be on the ballot in November: Fran Miron, who will face Forest Lake City Council Member Ed Eigner in the First District; Gary Kriesel, in a contested Third District race with former Oak Park Heights Mayor David Beaudet; and Lisa Weik, who has no challenger in the Fifth District. The Fourth District seat held by Karla Bigham won't go to the ballot until 2018.

The Second District includes Oakdale, Birchwood, Pine Springs, Willernie, Landfall, and precincts in Woodbury, Mahtomedi and White Bear Lake. Here's a brief look at the candidates in the primary:

• Cheryl Anderson, 56, of Birchwood Village owns Social Service Solutions Inc., a staffing agency that provides help in homes for people with disabilities. A graduate of the University of Minnesota, Anderson has served on Washington County's Citizen Review Panel for Child Protection Services, and the Citizen Advisory Commission. If elected, she would work for flexible, convenient transportation — she supports the Gateway Corridor transit project — and would like to see new development.

• Edward Byrne, 64, of Oakdale is a retired letter carrier. He has a criminal justice degree from the University of Minnesota and served in the U.S. Army in Colorado and the Panama Canal Zone. He has been a volunteer investigator with the Minnesota Lawyers Professional Responsibility Board. If elected, he will concentrate on "keeping the county's budget in check," particularly with regard to property taxes.

• Joseph T. Delaney, 76, of Oakdale is a retired physics and science teacher in Minneapolis Public Schools and Hill-Murray High School in Maplewood. He now is a substitute teacher in Districts 625 and 622. He served in the Peace Corps in Ghana and developed a 34-lot project, Pines of White Bear. If elected, he will work on job development.

• Stan Karwoski, 59, mayor of Oakdale also has been a City Council member for a total of 12 years in city service. He is a member and past chairman of the Washington County Park and Open Space Commission. He retired in June from Graco Inc. after 38 years. If elected, he plans to work for a strong environment and economy.

• John W. McPhillips, 67, of Oakdale works in business development for Central Roofing Co., Minneapolis. He served on the Gem Lake City Council, was president of the White Bear Lake North Campus parent-teacher group, and served in the North Lakes District Boy Scouts and on the White Bear Lake Scholarship Foundation. He is a disabled Vietnam War veteran. If elected, he wants to establish a minimum wage for the county and donate the balance of his salary to Washington County law enforcement. He supports term limits for commissioners.

• Jeremy Olson, 43, of Woodbury is a financial manager. He worked for the state Department of Human Resources and State Court Administration and for private medical and education corporations. He has finance and business management degrees from the University of Minnesota Carlson School. If elected, he will focus on the "local demand and cost benefit" of public transportation funding.

Kevin Giles • 651-925-5037