TWO HARBORS, Minn. — This city on the North Shore is officially in search of a new mayor — the vacancy was declared during Monday's City Council meeting — but the position won't be filled until at least February 2023.
State law requires that the five-day filing period for the position opens no more than 98 days before the election and no fewer than 84 days. The council's first meeting since the primary election, when residents voted out controversial Mayor Chris Swanson, fell fewer than 80 days before November's general election.
Council members tabled deciding on the details of the special election, including whether a primary is necessary. The earliest date this could happen, City Clerk Patricia Nordean said, is Feb. 14.
The resolution declaring the position's vacancy passed quickly and without discussion.
Residents were clear in their decision to oust Swanson — more than 86% of voters opted to recall him midway through his second term. He has been out of office, and Council President Ben Redden has taken over mayoral duties, since the tallies were verified on Aug. 12.
"We're feeling good, in general," said Uriah Hefter, who was part of the grassroots Resign or Recall campaign that collected voters' signatures to get the recall on the ballot. "It's been a very quiet couple of weeks, actually, which has been nice. We've all taken a collective break, which has been a good thing.
"We're still meeting regularly, doing what we can to keep people informed of what's happening."
Swanson's chair was empty on Monday — a vacancy that had become commonplace in council chambers. He had largely stopped attending meetings in mid-June, after a Silver Bay, Minn., mother spoke in the parking lot outside the chambers about how Swanson had sexually abused her 5-year-old daughter, Lindsey Christenson, when he was a teenager — a poorly kept secret between the two communities on the North Shore. Shortly before the election, Swanson admitted to serving probation.
