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Close elections can happen anytime, so get out and vote. West St. Paul election history includes a tie, a two-vote win overturned by a recount, and another recount that went to the Minnesota Supreme Court.
1950: Tied Election
In 1950, a West St. Paul City Council election resulted in a tie.
- At the time, the Council had an ‘alderman at large’ seat.
- It was a three-way race with former Ward 2 Council Member Bert Coil, former Ward 2 Council Member Joseph Licha, and former President of the City School Board George Hamilton.
- Coil and Hamilton both received 1,030 votes, while Licha had 956 votes.
- The race was ultimately settled by drawing lots, with Hamilton declared the winner.
- Hamilton would resign in 1952 before finishing his term.
1962: Two-Vote Win Overturned
In 1962, a West St. Paul City Council election came down to two votes before being overturned in a recount.
- At the time, two Council members were elected at the same time. In the Ward 2 race, incumbent Max Mohr won a seat outright. But second place had Robert Clausen ahead of incumbent James Kennedy by just two votes. A fourth candidate, Theodore Martineau, had 544 votes.
- The race went to a recount, where Kennedy prevailed by 127 votes.
- Kennedy, the namesake of Kennedy Park, would go on to serve 26 years on Council, the second longest tenure in history.
- Clausen would come back to win in 1964 and ultimately serve 14 years on Council.
1962: Court Declares Winner by Two Votes
In 1962, a Dakota County commissioner race to represent West St. Paul went to the Minnesota Supreme Court.
- Initial results declared Audrey Wegwerth the winner over incumbent John V. Sperl by nine votes.
- It went to a recount and then to court over 127 contested ballots. The debate concerned rejected ballots, determining voter intent, and multiple marks on a ballot.
- Ultimately, the Minneosta Supreme Court affirmed a lower court’s decision, declaring Sperl the winner by two votes.
- A former West St. Paul City Council member and mayor, Sperl would serve as county commissioner until 1970.
- Wegwerth would have been the first woman to serve as a Dakota County commissioner. But that didn’t happen until 1999 with Nancy Schouweiler of Inver Grove Heights.
Most Recent Close Election
In 2016, John Bellows beat John Ramsay by just 38 votes in a race for the Ward 3 City Council seat.
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