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Three City Council seats and the mayor will be on the ballot this fall in West St. Paul. Current chair of the Charter Commission Doug Fromm announced he’s running for the Ward 1 seat being vacated by Julie Eastman. The other three incumbents plan to run for reelection. So far no one else has announced their candidacy.
New Ward 1 Candidate: Doug Fromm
“I have always had a passion for community service, in particular as a problem solver who works well with other folks,” said Fromm. “Our city needs leaders who are willing to listen to the concerns of all of our residents and work hard to solve problems.”
In addition to other volunteer roles including youth leadership, school PTAs, and local activism, Fromm is a long-time election judge. He first served in a West St. Paul election back in 2004.
Most pressing issue for West St. Paul: “Affordable housing,” Fromm said. “Even with the significant increase in the number of housing units in West Saint Paul in the past decade, rental prices continue to increase. … I have been involved in several recent instances where families have or are in the process of losing their housing with no affordable options to move to. It’s heartbreaking. As a City Council member I will investigate ways that West St. Paul can work to help alleviate the challenges of finding affordable housing options.”
Hope to accomplish: Fromm’s list of goals includes engaging residents, business owners, and staff, maintaining strong city services, finding funding to address aging infrastructure, connecting with and celebrating the immigrant community, maintaining and enhancing diversity and equity initiatives, and more.
Visit Doug Fromm’s campaign Facebook page for more info.
Other Races
All the incumbents in the remaining races plan to run:
- Mayor Dave Napier will run for a fourth term. He was first elected as mayor in 2018.
- Ward 2 Council Member Robyn Gulley will run for a second term. She was first elected to Council in 2020.
- Ward 3 Council Member Lisa Eng-Sarne will run for a third term. Eng-Sarne was initially appointed to fill out the remaining two years in Napier’s Council term when he stepped down to serve as mayor in 2019, then first elected in 2020.
So far we’re not aware of any other candidates who plan to run, though we won’t know for sure until the filing period.
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Election Process
- Filing: The filing period to run for office opens next Tuesday, May 21. Candidates have until June 4 to file and then until June 6 to withdraw.
- Primary: If there are more than two candidates for any seat there will be a primary on Tuesday, August 13.
- General: The general election is on Tuesday, Nov. 5.
Note: West St. Paul is notorious for having uncontested elections, with 35% of elections uncontested going back to 1988.
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