St. Cloud to vote on moving municipal elections

ST. CLOUD — St. Cloud might change when local elections take place. The city council on Monday night approved the language for a Nov. 5 ballot question asking voters to move St. Cloud’s municipal elections to odd-numbered years.

The initiative was announced by Mayor Dave Kleis in April when he announced he isn't seeking reelection. He said the proposed change is an effort to bring more attention to local races that could get overshadowed by statewide and national elections in even-numbered years.

“In my opinion, the most important elections that has the effect on anybody that lives in our community on a day-to-day basis is local,” Kleis said. “Oftentimes they get lost, and it’s important.”

Kleis said the change to odd years could help candidates who have less name recognition.

“Incumbency is strengthened when it’s in an even year because name identification is higher,” Kleis said. “If you really want … to take away any advantages anyone may have, have it in an odd year because then you’re focusing on performance because in an even year (voters) might just have heard that name over and over.”

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Keeping the focus on local elections in odd-numbered election years could keep party politics out of local elections, Kleis said back in April when he announced the idea. He said party politics rarely impact the city’s day-to-day operations.

“It's not political. There is no Republican or Democrat way to plow a street or fill a pothole in Minnesota,” Kleis said in April. “It does not help in any way to be part of partisan politics at a local level.”

Councilmember George Hontos asked how much it costs to host an election to see if it'd be a financial burden to hold odd year elections. City Clerk Seth Kaufmann responded saying it’s hard to tell because costs vary from year to year depending on the number of voting precincts used and early voting turnout.

"I really don't care what it costs to get the right people (in office) because the cost of getting the wrong people is a higher cost to the taxpayer," Kleis said.

The odd-numbered elections would begin in 2029, if approved, and those elected in 2026 and 2028 would undergo three-year terms to align with the new election protocol.

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 to vote on moving municipal elections