Hargis opts against fifth mayoral run

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• County leaders praise Hargis

Bill Hargis said he will not seek a fifth term as Woodbury mayor this fall, ending a 17-year run that coincided with the city’s explosive population and development growth.

Hargis said he wants to pursue other business opportunities and tend to personal issues.

Hargis said there is stability in City Hall and on the City Council, making his decision to retire easier.

“I think 17 years is long enough and the city seems to be in good hands,” Hargis said in an interview. “It’s time for a transition, I think.”

Hargis, 60, started on the Woodbury City Council in 1992. A year later, he was appointed mayor after then-Mayor Ken Mahle resigned. Hargis won his first four-year mayoral term in 1994 and went on to win re-election in 1998, 2002 and 2006.

In June 2008, Hargis was diagnosed with prostate cancer. He had surgery later that year and received radiation treatment. He served as the honorary chairman of the 2009 Woodbury Relay for Life cancer research fundraiser.

Hargis said his health is good and that was not a factor in his decision against re-election.

Prior to becoming mayor, Hargis, an accountant and attorney, was a managing partner of Good Neighbor Care Centers, a private nursing home organization that at the time managed 29 centers. He and other partners sold the company in 1992.

Hargis owns the Parkwood Place office building at 7650 Currell Blvd., along with seven or eight other retail, office and commercial properties in the Twin Cities.

Outside of work and mayoral duties, Hargis has been a volunteer coach to the Bethel University men’s baseball team for more than 20 years.

Hargis and his wife, Joan, have two grown sons.

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