Eighteen in for Woodbury seats as deadline nears

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Today is the last chance for anyone who wants to join the 18 -- yes, 18 -- people who have filed to run for Woodbury mayor or city council in the Nov. 2 general election.

The two-week filing period ends at 5 p.m. today.

The final filing day started with seven people signed up to run for mayor, and another 11 had filed to run for two seats on the five-member city council.

It is the most candidates for city elections in at least a decade, City Clerk Kim Blaeser said.

Candidates have until Thursday afternoon to pull their names if they back out. There is no city primary election, so all of the candidates left standing after Thursday's withdrawal deadline will appear on the Nov. 2 ballot.

Woodbury has its first open mayor’s race in nearly 20 years. Mayor Bill Hargis is not seeking re-election this year. He has served since 1993.

The following candidates had filed for mayor through Monday:

-- Mary Giuliani Stephens, 1233 Shannon Court

-- Rachel Homuth, 1395 Larkspur Court

-- Nicholas Kiecker, 6399 Aspenwood Plaza

-- Eddie Marcus, 7017 Courtly Road

-- Art McCloskey, 9136 Pinehurst Road

-- William “Tom” Owens, 9418 Knighton Road

-- Earl Reinhardt, 7730 Military Road.

Stephens is wrapping up her first term on the city council, and her seat is one of two up for grabs in the November election. The other seat on the ballot is held by Julie Ohs, 577 Eagle Drive, who is seeking re-election.

Other city council candidates include:

-- Ross Altendorfer, 2648 Brittany Lane

-- Christopher Burns, 3611 Dakota Ave.

-- David Dobson Jr., 11035 Sweetwater Path

-- Alice Gruber, 3005 Leyland Trail

-- Nicholas Ortiz, 607D Woodduck Drive

-- Steven P. Peterson, 594 Sutherland Drive

-- Don Place, 4305 Dorchester Court

-- Jon Rusten, 3201 Frontier Drive

-- Jennifer Santini, 8512 Savanna Oaks Lane

-- Jennifer Sutch, 1825 Bielenberg Drive

Ohs is looking for a second term. Burns currently serves on the Woodbury Economic Development Commission.

The mayor and city council members serve four-year terms. The mayor, who sits on the city council, earns $8,520 a year. The remaining four city council members each earn $6,450 annually.

The city council decides the annual budget for city operations, sets the property tax levy, directs spending for major municipal construction projects, approves private development plans and has other authority.

Stay with www.woodburybulletin.com for mayor and city council election information.

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