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The filing period for local races with no primaries ended today, giving us a full picture of who will be on the ballot in November. We already covered who’s running in races with primaries and have a primary voters guide, as well as our full voters guide for the 2026 election.
Note: Candidates have until July 30 to withdrawal. After that, they are officially on the ballot.
ISD 197 School Board
Four candidates filed for three seats, including incumbents Marcus Hill, Sarah Larsen, and Jon Vaupel and newcomer Dwight Larsen.
This is the first time ISD 197 School Board elections will be held in even years. The board shifted the elections in 2025, extending the terms of Hill, Larsen, and Vaupel by one year.
Mendota Heights
- Mayor: Incumbent Mayor Stephanie Levine will face current Council Member John Maczko. Levine was first elected as mayor in 2020 and previously served on the ISD 197 School Board. Maczko previously ran for mayor in 2022 and lost to Levine (59% to 41%). He was elected to Council in 2024 and his term expires in 2028, so if he wins his Council seat will be replaced by appointment and if he loses he’ll remain on Council through 2028.
- Council: Six candidates are running for two seats, including incumbent Sally Lorberbaum as well as former Mayor Neil Garlock and newcomers John Larrive, Jerome Mulvihill, Michael Oxley, and Will Stein. Incumbent John Mazzitello is not running.
ISD 199 School Board (Inver Grove Heights)
Four candidates filed for three seats, including incumbents Shana Dukes and Sarah Larsen and newcomers Amy Reynertson and Michael Wakefield.
Incumbent Carrie Lounsberry is not running.
South St. Paul School Board
Ten candidates filed for four seats, including incumbents Anne Claflin, Timothy Felton, Wendy Woods Felton, and Kim Humann as well as newcomers Ann Schultz Counihan (a former board member), Sanderia Davis, Christine Estee, Andrew Hoffman, Lisa Moore, and Nicholas Schaefer.
Special election: Incumbent Amy Wardell is the only one who filed for a special election to fill the seat vacated when Ryan Duffy resigned. Wardell was appointed to the seat in June.
(The special election seat will run through 2028 while the other seats will run through 2030.)
While it’s a crowded field this year, it’s been worse. In 2022, South St. Paul had 22 candidates running for four seats. Should be an especially interesting election year since two voter referendums failed in May.
St. Paul School Board
Seven candidates are running for three seats, including incumbent Uriah Ward and newcomers Stephanie Anderson, Teresa Glass, Tamara Mattison, Michael Schell, Omar Syed, and Kris Taylor.
Incumbents Halla Henderson and Brandon Lowe are not running.
This is the first time St. Paul School Board elections will be held in even years. The board shifted the elections in 2024, extending the terms of Ward, Henderson and Jim Vue (who stepped down in February) by one year.
Lilydale
- Mayor: Incumbent Lyle Hanzal is running unopposed.
- Council: Three candidates are running for two seats, including incumbent Mary Kleinberg and newcomers Christopher Daly and Bart Schneider (in 2024, Schneider ran and lost by eight votes). Incumbent Deborah Cornell is not running.
Mendota
- Mayor: Incumbent Brian Mielke is running unopposed.
- Council: Three candidates are running for two seats, including incumbent Clark Donnelly and newcomers Rachel Golias and James Rasmussen. Incumbent Melody Rasmussen is not running.
Sunfish Lake
- Mayor: Council Member Shannon Nelson is running unopposed.
- Council: Two candidates are running for two seats, incumbent Claire Noble and newcomer Thomas Hurley. Incumbent Mike Hovey is not running.
- Special election: Sally English and Grant Fitzer are running for the seat vacated when Steven Bulach resigned in April. This term will run through 2028.
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