Four Candidates Vie For Two Open Sartell Council Seats

SARTELL -- Four candidates are running for two open positions on the Sartell city council.

Barika Davis, Brady Andel, Tim Elness and Jeff Kolb are all vying for the seats being vacated by David Peterson and Pat Lynch.

BARIKA DAVIS

Davis has lived in central Minnesota for about 10 years and moved to Sartell about a year ago. She is a mother of three and loves the community she lives in. Davis says she wanted to run for city council to be able to work with a great group of people who want to continue to make Sartell a welcoming and growing community for everyone.

The Sartell I am apart of is amazing, and I want to make sure we continue to grow that way. It is such a great community. I want to make sure the policies, procedures and ordinances in place are equitable for all.

Davis says if elected her goals would be to continue to grow strategically with new businesses, affordable housing, and enhance the quality of life. She also wants to be approachable for residents to address their concerns.

TIM ELNESS

Elness grew up in South Minneapolis and moved to Sartell five years ago. He has a family of five and has worked in the construction business for the past 27 years. Elness currently serves on the Sartell Planning Commission. He says he would like to see the city use more of its natural amenities, such as the river.

I think we could engage a little more into the river front and bring that natural amenity to its full potential. I also think bringing in more businesses into Sartell will only help with our growth as a community.

He says Sartell is a great place to raise a family with its great parks, schools, and neighborhoods. He's also actively involved in the community volunteering his time on the Sartell fire department and Sartell Chamber of Commerce.

BRADY ANDEL

Andel has lived in Sartell for 17 years with his wife and two kids. When he isn't cheering on his kids at their sporting events, he's hanging out with family and friends or spending time on the golf course. He says Sartell has been financially sound for many years and as a businessman he would like to help continue that trend.

I do feel as the city continues to grow a big thing is how do you pay for it? I think we will need to attract commercial business and have a tax cost structure that's business friendly.

He says there is a lot of potential for development especially with new amenities like the Sartell Community Center and new high school. He says if elected one of his top priorities will be a strong focus on safety and transportation.

JEFF KOLB

Kolb is a central Minnesota native and has lived in the Sartell community with his wife and three kids for almost two years. He says he has previous city council experience after serving for four years on the Isanti city council. Kolb says with the growth of Sartell and potentially having three new council members, his experience would be a great addition.

I'm one of the few people running who has experience as a city council member. When I was on the council in Isanti I helped to reduce taxes, we controlled spending in a tough economic time and I know what it takes.

He says there are a lot of great candidates running and believes everyone should get involved their community in some capacity. Kolb says if elected he would like to continue to manage the city's debt and listen to concerns and needs of the community.

The general election is on November 6th.