Waconia council appoints Coleman to vacant seat

Jacob Coleman has been appointed to fill the council seat vacated by Steve Yetzer at the end of June.

Coleman, state director for the policy group Americans for Prosperity and a former Chanhassen firefighter, was selected following interviews July 10 among 10 applicants for the position. He was sworn in at the July 15 city council meeting.

Coleman said he was motivated to public service through his work and as a relatively new resident of Waconia. He and his wife, state Sen. Julia Coleman, and their family moved to Waconia from Chanhassen a little over two years ago.

Coleman, son of former Minnesota senator and St. Paul mayor Norm Coleman, previously sought public office in 2015 as a candidate for the Minnesota state senate. Coleman was defeated by Dr. Scott Jensen, who served a single term and went on to unsuccessfully challenge sitting Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz in 2022.

Coleman’s new post is for a term that expires at the end of the year and is up for election this fall.

The filing window for city, school district and township offices opens July 30 and runs through Aug. 13. Candidates may file with the clerk in each jurisdiction.