St. Cloud's 6 mayoral candidates go head-to-head on Aug. 13

ST. CLOUD — The primary election is less than a month away, and six St. Cloud mayoral candidates are trying to break out of the pack to become one of two finalists in the Nov. 5 general election.

St. Cloud’s primary election will be held on Aug. 13. The two mayoral candidates with the highest number of votes will progress to the Nov. 5 general election.

The high candidate turnout comes after Mayor Dave Kleis announced earlier this spring that he will not be seeking reelection this fall, opening the door for a newcomer to take control of City Hall’s big office.

The St. Cloud Times reached out to the six candidates with a questionnaire, and their direct answers are below. All six candidates spoke with our reporters and full-length features are available on our website at sctimes.com.

Jake Anderson

Age: 44

Occupation: IT project manager for Stearns County, St. Cloud City Council member

Education: St. Cloud State, bachelor of science in information systems

One thing you want to accomplish as mayor: I’d like to build relationships the city has between business, K-12 education, higher education, non-profits and other local governments. I’d like to do this to better leverage our strengths, address our shortcomings and build a sense of pride in our community. I’ve grouped this under Quality of Life in my campaign priorities, and I think working towards St. Cloud Proud is a goal the community can get behind.

Read more on Anderson: Mayoral candidate Jake Anderson looks to change St. Cloud's aesthetics if elected

Anne Buckvold

Age: 48

Occupation: Therapist/social worker MSW LICSW

Education: University of Maine, Orono and Social Pedagogical College, Virum, Denmark

One thing you want to accomplish as mayor: It’s hard to choose one thing, but as one critical component of transportation work I’d like to get done, as well as a catalyst for downtown revitalization — (both) east and west; I want to accomplish getting intercity passenger rail to and through St. Cloud from the Metro to Moorhead/Fargo.

Read more on Buckvold: Buckvold’s mayoral campaign announces initial plans for St. Cloud

Mike Conway

Age: 58

Occupation: Solution consultant with Wolters Kluwer, St. Cloud City Council member

Education: 1994 graduate of St. Cloud State with a degree in biology and education

One thing you want to accomplish as mayor: One of the many things to focus on is expanding the growth and development of downtown. Realizing there is no quick fix will be important for all to remember. This will need to be supported by private and public investment.

Read more on Conway: Councilmember Mike Conway becomes third mayoral candidate in 2024 election

Carol Lewis

Age: 67

Occupation: Attorney, St. Cloud City Council member

Education: Bachelor’s in history and master’s in gerontology from St. Cloud State; juris doctorate from William Mitchell College of Law (now Mitchell Hamline College of Law)

One thing you want to accomplish as mayor: To maintain the City’s fiscal health, without that, nothing else can be done.

Read more on Lewis: Councilmember Carol Lewis announces mayoral bid

Steven Schiller

Age: 61

Occupation: Chief financial officer of Oile LLC

Education: Bachelor's degree in local & urban affairs from St. Cloud State

One thing you want to accomplish as mayor: Creating a network so that the needs of our citizens are being heard. Remembering that we are here for the people to administrate what they want the city to be. It is a city for the people, of the people.

Read more on Schiller: Mayoral candidate wants to eliminate the fear of diversity

James Trantina III

Age: 38

Occupation: CEO of Collins Brothers Towing of St. Cloud

Education: High School Diploma from Elk River High School

One thing you want to accomplish as mayor: To make St. Cloud a city we all want to live in, work in and play in, make it safe for all. There are many things I have in mind to change to make it better.

Read more on Trantina: Mayoral candidate James Trantina III talks about goals, St. Joseph residency allegations

Corey Schmidt covers local government for the St. Cloud Times. He can be reached at cschmidt@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on St. Cloud Times: St. Cloud's 6 mayoral candidates go head-to-head on Aug. 13