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A NEWS OPINION SPORTS
Thisweek Farmington-Lakeville NOVEMBER 5, 2010
VOLUME 31, NO. 36
www.thisweeklive.com
Announcements/4A
Opinion/6A
Puzzle Page/8A
Public Notices/9A
Classifieds/10A
Sports/14A
ELECTION RESULTS
Dahl voted out of office, Bellows elected mayor Bellows ran on fiscal-conservatism platform; Dahl dogged by inquiries into personal life during race by Derrick Williams
More Election Results inside
THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS
Lakeville’s two-term incumbent Mayor Holly Dahl was defeated by City Council veteran Mark Bellows on Nov. 2, ending a four-year run for Dahl as mayor. Bellows, who earned 58 percent of the vote, easily defeated Dahl, who netted just 42 percent. Bellows, who is also a pastor, ran on being a fiscal conservative and pledged to further reduce spending by a city government he said could be more efficient. For Dahl, the 2010 campaign was a gauntlet that dragged her personal life to
Mark Bellows
Holly Dahl
the forefront of the race as she faced questions about unpaid and allegedly fraudulently-obtained business loans for her cancer-stricken husband Kevin Dahl’s business. Dahl was first elected mayor in 2006. It wasn’t her first time being elected by voters in Lakeville. Prior to
being mayor, she served for eight years on the Lakeville Area Public School District’s School Board. The victory for Bellows is nearly the same margin by which Dahl won re-election over then-council member Wendy Wulff in 2008. Photo by Rick Orndorf While Dahl couldn’t im- Senator-elect Dave Thompson, who defeated DFLer Steve Quist on Nov. 2 for the Senate mediately be reached after District 36 seat, is congratulated by Congresswoman Michele Bachmann, R-Stillwater, at the election, she did say the GOP party at the Sheraton Bloomington. last month in a story in See Mayor, 9A
Thompson rides Republican wave into Senate District 36 seat
Fogarty, Bartholomay win Farmington Council race
Dave Thompson takes over Sen. Pat Pariseau’s seat, handily defeats DFLer Steve Quist in election
Wilson loses reelection bid in close race for second by Laura Adelmann THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS
Farmington’s longestserving City Council incumbent, Christy Jo Fogarty, easily led all challengers in Tuesday’s election, earning 2,409 votes and capturing 21.24 percent of the vote. In an upset, newcomer Jason Bartholomay unseated Steve Wilson on the council, with 2,151 votes and 18.97 percent of votes cast in the race. He beat Wilson, who was seeking a third term on the council after being appoint-
Christy Jo Fogarty
Jason Bartholomay
ed to the board in 2005 and reelected in 2006, by 175 votes. Wilson came in at 1,976 votes and earned 17.42 percent of the vote. Former council members David Pritzlaff and Jerry
by Derrick Williams THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS
Ristow, who also has served as mayor, ended the night in fourth and fifth place respectively. Pritzlaff earned 1,834 votes, a 16.17 percent capture and Ristow garnered 1,378 votes, 12.15 percent of ballots cast in the race. Challenger Don Hayes received 1,033 votes, a 9.11 percent share, and Lenny Hall had 511 ballots cast for him, a 4.51 percent share. In an interview Tuesday night, Fogarty thanked supporters and voters as well as See Council, 9A
State Republicans picked up 15 senate seats on Nov. 2, enough to take over the majority in St. Paul, and Dave Thompson said he’s excited to be part of it. Senator-elect for District 36, Thompson defeated DFL challenger Steve Quist by a hefty margin to take over for retiring Sen. Pat Pariseau, R-Farmington, when the legislature convenes again in January. “I’m honored,� Thompson, a Lakeville resident, said. “I didn’t really know what to expect and I’m
Dave Thompson
Steve Quist
grateful.� Thompson earned nearly 66 percent of the vote on election night, defeating Quist by more than 9,500 votes. “I congratulate (Quist) and wish him and his family the best. He ran a classy and issues-oriented campaign,�
Thompson said. Thompson said he never expected Republicans to pick up the majority in the state Senate, and said he’s excited to get to work. “We need to stay away from the kind of things that go on in politics that frustrate the public,� he said. This was the first time Thompson ran for public office. He said he began knocking on doors in May and has been doing the “things you need to do to demonstrate desire to be a good public servant.� Throughout election See District 36, 9A
Voters OK district’s renewal, reject tax increases; cuts loom Lakeville school district faces $15.4 million deficit over biennium after questions two, three voted down by Derrick Williams THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS
On Nov. 2, Lakeville Area Public School District voters rejected levy questions asking for nearly $13.4 million in new tax dollars to fund operations and buy new computers. While a renewal of an existing levy was overwhelmingly passed, voters again rejected questions seeking new tax dollars. As a result, Lakeville’s School Board, over the next
biennium, now has the task of making $15.4 million in budget adjustments to its roughly $100 million budget. What that means for programs is unclear, Superintendent Gary Amoroso said.
“It means the system that we have in place today will not be in place next year,� Amoroso said. While he said he was happy the community passed question one, a tax neutral reauthorization of the $250 per pupil levy passed in 2003 that will provide the district with $5.8 million over the next two years, Amoroso said there will be challenges ahead. “As a homeowner and business needs to make
tough decisions on how to spend their dollars ‌ it’s no different for a school system,â€? Amoroso said. “And that process will begin in earnest.â€? Question one passed with 59 percent of the vote. But nearly 57 percent of voters rejected question two which asked for a new $524 per pupil levy that would have generated $12.4 million for the district over the next two years. Question three, a request
for a one-time technology infusion of $940,000 to purchase 875 new computers was voted down by just 131 votes. “It’s not an issue of people not supporting the schools,� Amoroso said. “There were a lot of people who supported the renewal — supported question one — but said we’re not in position to approve additional resources.� Amoroso said Lakeville’s levy was one among many
levy requests from schools around the metro area rejected by voters. “It’s a difficult time,� he said. Lakeville’s School Board isn’t new to making budget adjustments. Over the past four years, Lakeville’s school district has made $17.4 million in adjustments by way of cuts and fee increases. E-mail Derrick Williams at: lakeville.thisweek@ecm-inc.com
Brandtjen could attract ‘bigbox’ to anchor commercial area Developer worried 100,000 square-feet not enough to attract anchor tenant, city triples space allowance by Derrick Williams THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS
Lakeville’s massive 540 acre Spirit of Brandtjen Farms development now has the option to attract a big-box store to the corner of Pilot Knob Road and County Road 46. Lakeville’s City Council unanimously approved a Photo by Derrick Williams Lakeville’s massive Spirit of Brandtjen Farms development could soon attract a change to Spirit’s Planned Unit Development master plan durbig-box retail store to anchor its commercial development.
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“We don’t have an end user in mind,� Fick said. “But in order to shop our property, we want to use this as a tool to find an end user or a buyer.� Fick said finding an anchor tennant to use 100,000 squarefeet of space is challenging. For example, the Super Target located less than a mile north of the Spirit site has See Brandtjen, 9A $ #
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ing its Monday, Nov. 1 meeting, upping the maximum allowable commercial space from 100,000 to 300,000-square-feet. Spirit’s developer, Tradition Development, wanted the change to the PUD in order to attract an anchor for its to-be developed commercial district according to Jacob Fick, Spirt’s project manager for Tradition.
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