A trio of Deephaven businessmen, acting as a team, are staging a write-in campaign in next week's election against three otherwise unopposed City Hall incumbents.
The write-in hopefuls in the small Lake Minnetonka city launched their campaign in September under the slogan "Save Deephaven," criticizing elected officials' handling of a variety of issues.
The three have held meetings in parks, distributed yard signs, launched a website and been active on social media.
"I would say there's very much of a grassroots groundswell for our candidacies," said Jim Friedlander, who's running for mayor. "We've done a pretty good job of getting our names and our message out."
Write-in campaigns are rare but not unheard of. A Farmington City Council member won as a write-in candidate two years ago, and a Falcon Heights City Council member served several terms after winning a write-in campaign in 2005.
Friedlander, a 23-year Deephaven resident and an accounts director for a medical device company, is challenging Mayor Paul Skrede, who first won elective office in 2002.
"It's not uncommon to see somebody run for a council seat with minimal to zero experience," Skrede said. "It's fairly unique to see someone walk in and want to be the mayor."
The Deephaven Three said they didn't plan to run as a group; in fact didn't even all know one another before running. Residents urged them separately to do it, they said.