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A two-year term for mayor and two four-year council seats will be up for election in each city this fall.

In Paynesville, Jeff Bertram and Tom Lindquist filed for the city council, while incumbents Harlan Beek and Dave Peschong did not file for re-election.

Incumbent Jeff Thompson did file for re-election as mayor. Thompson has served on the city council since 1989 and has served as mayor since 1996. He is seeking a fifth term as mayor.

But Paynesville and Regal are the only local cities to have a full slate of candidates this fall. In Regal, all three incumbents (Mayor Mike Braun and city council members Jim Halvorson and Marvin Pauly) filed for re-election.

Both Lake Henry and Roscoe had no candidates file, meaning their council seats could be decided by write-in candidates at the general election on Tuesday, Nov. 2. In Lake Henry, incumbents Eric Pederson (mayor) and Dale Olmscheid and Pat Welle (city council) did not file for re-election; in Roscoe, incumbents Don Heinen (mayor) and Mike Christian and Donald Albright (city council) did not file for re-election. In St. Martin, incumbent James Rothstein filed again for mayor, and incumbent Steve Revermann filed again for city council, but another city council seat is open.

In Paynesville, both Bertram and Lindquist have previous government experience. Bertram served as a state legislator for ten years and has belonged to several city committees, and Lindquist served six years on the school board.

*Jeff Bertram, 662 Spruce Street, has lived in Paynesville for 19 years. He has served on the planning commission since 1988 (for the past three years as chairman) and on the waste commission until 1997. In addition to ten years in the Minnesota House, Bertram chairs the Lake Koronis Recreational Trail committee, has served on the Stearns County Planning Committee, is a past president of the Paynesville Area Chamber of Commerce, and serves on the Highway 23 Task Force.

He believes the city is going in the right direction and particularly appreciates the way the city can work well with Paynesville Township. He hopes to help the city continue to build on what it's done in the past, remaining financially responsible and using its comprehensive plan to grow and prosper.

"I'm not afraid to disagree, to ask questions or to try to change the direction of something," he said.

*Tom Lindquist, 711 Washburne Avenue, has lived in the Paynesville area since 1976. He moved to the city in 2001. He served two terms on the Paynesville Area School Board in the 1980s and 1990s and served as a county administrator in Roseau County and in Scott County in the 1980s.

He believes the city needs to look at the big picture before starting any big project. He also believes that any large issue needs to be the people's decision. He wants to make the city policies more accessible to residents. For example, he believes the city's building permit requirements are not well understood by residents.

Lindquist said he knows he will have a lot to learn when it comes to city government, but he hopes to help Paynesville remain a good, viable community with well-planned growth.

City Filings
A two-year term for mayor and two four-year council seats will be up for election this fall in area cities. Incumbents are noted by an asterisk (*).

City of Lake Henry
Mayor: None

City Council: None

City of Paynesville
Mayor: Jeff Thompson*

City Council: Jeff Bertram and Tom Lindquist

City of Regal
Mayor: Mike Braun*

City Council: Jim Halvorson* and Marvin Pauly*

City of Roscoe
Mayor: None

City Council: None

City of St. Martin
Mayor: James Rothstein*

City Council: Steve Revermann*