First day of filing sees candidates across most Olmsted County and Rochester openings set for Nov. 8 ballot

Randy Petersen, Post-Bulletin, Rochester, Minn.
·2 min read

May 18—ROCHESTER — Candidates for Olmsted County commissioner seats outpaced Rochester City Council hopefuls on the first day of filing for the Nov. 8 ballot.

Each of six Olmsted County spots on the ballot saw a single candidate recorded as filing for office by the end of the day Tuesday.

In District 1, Rochester resident

Laurel Podulke-Smith

filed to fill a seat that will be vacated by Stephanie Podulke. The election is for a two-year term.

In District 2,

Dave Senjem

, a current state senator, filed for the seat following Ken Brown's decision not to seek another term. The election will be for a four-year term.

In District 3, incumbent Gregg Wright filed for a two-year term created by recent changes in district boundaries.

In District 4, Brian Mueller, a former Rochester Township Board member, filed to fill the seat being left by Matt Flynn. The election will be for a four-year term.

In District 5, Rochester resident Mike Macken filed for the seat that is being vacated by Jum Bier. The election is for a two-year term.

In District 6, incumbent

Sheila Kiscaden

has filed for another four-year term.

Joining the county commissioner candidates in filing is incumbent

Mark Ostrem

, who filed paperwork to seek another term as county attorney.

In Rochester, incumbent Mayor

Kim Norton

filed to run for a second term.

In Ward 5, incumbent council member Shaun Palmer filed for a second term to serve the district largely in the northeast section of the city.

Also filing Tuesday was business owner Saida Omar, however, a glitch appears to have put her in the wrong ward. Her address appears to be in Ward 5 under the city's updated ward maps.

In addition to Ward 5 being on the ballot, wards 1 and 3 are scheduled for a Nov. 8 election.

Olmsted County and City of Rochester residents interested in running for city and county offices have until 5 p.m. May 31 to submit their affidavit of candidacy to the filing officer.