Sauk Rapids Council Picks New Mayor

SAUK RAPIDS - The Sauk Rapids council has selected the city's next mayor.

Current Council member Dave Saunders will take over on Friday, when current mayor Mark Campbell steps down, and will fill the remainder of his term.

The council determined the two most likely successors were Saunders and fellow council member Jared Gapinski -- because they both have less than two years remaining on their terms, and therefore it would not require a special election to appoint someone to fill their seats.  Saunders wanted the selection to be made on Monday night, while Gapinksi wanted to delay the decision by two weeks to give community members a chance to weigh-in.  By a vote of 3-1 Saunders was chosen as the new mayor.

The council's next decision will be to fill Saunder's seat on the council.  Interested residents can get an application from the city, interviews will be conducted on July 19th, and the appointment is expected to be made on July 25th.

Current Mayor Campbell abruptly announced his resignation at a council meeting earlier this month. He has been the mayor of Sauk Rapids for the past 6 1/2 years.