City Council Members
Sherry Butcher Eden Prairie City Council
Butcher has served on the City Council of Eden Prairie for 12 years as a non-partisan voice. She stresses the need for a fiscally responsible city government, one which continues to invest in its future through capital improvement and strategic long range planning.
First Elected: 1996
Term: 4th
Contact: E-mail
Website: http://www.sherrybutcher.com
Sandy Colvin Roy Minneapolis City Council
Sandy is the incumbent member of the Minneapolis City Council Ward 12. She has been a councilwomen since 1997 and hopes to continue to serve the city of Minneapolis. Her top issues for Minneapolis are safety and lowering taxes.
First Elected: 1997
Term: 3rd
Sharla Gardner Duluth City Council (District 3)
Before her work on the Duluth City Council, Sharla Gardner worked as a child support officer for St Louis County Health & Human Services. Her volunteer background includes Duluth Playhouse, Duluth League of Women Voters and the DFL party. She also worked on the Northland Anti-war Coalition Steering Committee, Minnesota Support and Recovery Council, Duluth Central Labor Council and Progressive Action Committee. She advocates affordable health care and creating living wage jobs.
First Elected: 2008
Term: 1st
Contact: E-mail
Elizabeth Glidden Minneapolis City Council
Council Member Glidden is currently in her first term as Minneapolis City Council Member, Ward 8. Before her election to the city council, Elizabeth worked on many women’s issues as an attorney, such as discrimination and sexual harassment. Elizabeth is committed to youth development and economic justice issues, with a focus on living wage jobs. As a council member, Elizabeth’s key issues are maintaining Minneapolis’ financial stability and social capital, while preparing it for future sustainability, increasing economic opportunities for all citizens, proving young people with the tools for needed for success, and the support of women’s issues and gender equality.
First Elected: 2005
Term: 2nd
Contact: E-mail
Website: http://www.elizabethglidden.com
Lisa Goodman Minneapolis City Council
Lisa Goodman has been Minneapolis’ Ward 7 Councilmember since 1997. She has a long history of working on women’s issues and has served as executive director of MN NARAL. If re-elected, her key issues will be fiscal responsibility, the environment, historic preservation, and exceptional constituent service. In addition, Lisa plans to use her campaign to help elect other DFL candidates.
First Elected: 1997
Term: 3rd
Contact: E-mail
Amber Greves Minnetonka City Council
Amber Greves is a speech pathologist in the Minnetonka schools (and a member of the Minnetonka Teachers Association). In 2009, Amber was appointed to fill an open at-large seat to the Minnetonka City Council, the seat for which she won election to in November 2009. She was running to ensure responsible governing in the city council and to make sure that women are represented on the city council.
First Elected: 2009
Term: 1st
Lori Hansen South Saint Paul City Council
Hansen is currently a councilmember to her lifelong home of South Saint Paul. Her focuses include expanding funding to enhance existing facilities in the community and encouraging new businesses to come to the area.
First Elected: 2004
Term: 2nd
Contact: E-mail
Website: http://www.southstpaul.org/
Betsy Hodges Minneapolis City Council
Betsy has served as City Council Member in Ward 13 since 2005 and is currently seeking re-election. Before being elected to City Council, Betsy was co-chair of the Linden Hills Neighborhood Council for two years and on the board for four. Betsy founded the Dinner Network, helped start the Legacy Project, and was co-chair of C-17, the commission appointed by the City Council to examine the feasibility of a privately funded ballpark.
First Elected: 2005
Term: 2nd
Contact: E-mail
Website: http://www.betsyhodges.org/
Kathleen Juenemann Maplewood City Council
Kathleen has been a Councilmember for 7 ½ years in the city of Maplewood. She recently was re-elected in 2009 but has been a community activist for nearly 22 years. She was responsible for establishing a curbside recycling program in Maplewood and has advocated for environmental concerns while on the city council. Her key issues for the coming session include public safety, environment and natural resources, and development and redevelopment.
First Elected: 2001
Term: 3rd
Elizabeth Knight, Candidate for City Council
With over 13 years of experience working in the public sector, Elizabeth Knight is prepared to be a member of the Brooklyn Park City Council. Elizabeth has worked for the Minnesota State Senate, City of Saint Paul, and City of Brooklyn Center within the administrative and legislative branches. Having provided legal and policy analysis, and research and recommendations to the St. Paul City Council, Elizabeth has a multitude of experience serving the public from behind the scenes. As a Human Rights Specialist for the City of Saint Paul, a Board member of the League of Minnesota Human Rights Commissions, and Chair of the Brooklyn Park Human Rights Commission, Elizabeth has the tools and resources necessary to start breaking down the discriminatory barriers for women and start working for equal pay and opportunity.
Contact: Email
Sally Lorberbaum, Mendota Heights City Council
Sally Lorberbaum first ran for Mendota Heights City Council in 2004 as a challenger against two incumbents and was the top third vote getter. In 2010 she is ready to run for a newly open seat. Her professional experience includes Mendota Heights Planning Commissioner, Chair, Membership on the Mendota Heights Airport Relations Commission, Dakota County Childcare Commission, and 30+ years of experience volunteering on political campaigns. If elected, she would like to prioritize appointing strong qualified women to increase equality in the Mendota Heights commissions.
Website: www.sallyforcouncil.com
Anne Mavity St. Louis Park City Council
Anne Mavity is running for the St. Louis Park City Council in Ward 2. Anne has over 20 years of experience in strengthening communities locally, nationally, and internationally, and is a leader in her community. She has been a Commissioner of the St. Louis Park Housing Authority, Site Council representative in her children's school, a soccer coach for young girls in St. Louis Park, and is currently on the Board of the St. Louis Park Community Foundation. If elected, her key issues will be human-scale development, fiscal discipline, collaboration among schools and city, and engaging residents in the decision-making process.
First Elected: 2009
Term: 1st
Contact: E-mail
Website: www.AnneMavity.org
Beth Mercer-Taylor Falcon Heights City Council
Beth Mercer-Taylor received her Masters in Public Policy at Valparaiso University, her undergraduate degree from University of California, Berkeley and also attended Amherst College. She has been active as a Commission member, a board-member of Roseville Block Nurse, a co-chair of Minnesota Citizens League Tax Policy Committee and a co-founder of the Como Minnesota Youth Ski League. As a Falcon City Council Member, Mercer-Taylor is devoted to strengthening city neighborhoods, involving citizens and youth in city government and environmental care.
First Elected: 2007
Term: 1st
Contact: E-mail
Suzie Nakasian, Candidate for Northfield City Council, Ward 1
As an energetic and accomplished public speaker, Suzie Nakasian has always enjoyed working in the public realm. Suzie organized and now serves as Facilitator for a local Grass Roots Transit Initiative, which is working to facilitate access to mass transportation options in her community. This initiative is fueled in large part by her commitment to providing local women with access to a wider range of employment opportunities. Suzie is also currently working to organize a women’s employment resource network to help promote the creation of new jobs for local women. Suzie is motivated to improve access to employment, bring forward changes to her community’s local zoning code that will allow for day care centers as a permitted use throughout the community, and advocate development programs for young women’s leadership and job-readiness.
Contact: E-mail
Karen Nordstrom Bloomington City Council
Karen won her re-election this year to the Bloomington city council. She has served four years on the city council already, and has helped to orchestrate the anti-smoking campaign in the area. Karen is proud to be part of such a well organized city and hopes to see that continue to grow.
First Elected: 2005
Term: 2nd
Julia Ross for St. Louis Park City Council
Julia Ross was elected to serve her first term for Ward 4 on the St. Louis Park City Council. She has spent the last fifteen years as an administrative assistant with Hennepin County and has also worked in the past with the Minnesota Women's Consortium, helped organized "A Day on the Hill" with her union during the 90s and coordinated a phone bank for Gail Dorman's special election Hennepin County Commissioner, Ward 3. Ross's primary goals are to maintain and develop affordable housing for families and senior citizens, to create new business developments that bring jobs paying a livable wage to workers, and to focus on improving public safety in neighborhoods.
First Elected: 2009
Term: 1st
Contact: E-mail
Susan Sanger St. Louis Park City Council
Susan has been on the Saint Louis Park City Council since 1995 and is seeking re-election. She has worked on countless committees, including the policy advisory committee for planning the potential southwest light rail transit line. In the past she has volunteered as a family planning counselor. She has also worked on several campaigns for pro-choice women. Her key issues include promoting strong neighborhoods and quality of life for her constituents.
First Elected: 1995
Term: 4th
Contact: E-mail
Patty Shafer Hibbing City Council (Ward B)
Shafer is currently Hibbing's Ward B councilmember. Shafer has repeatedly stood up for the citizens of Hibbing and will continue to do so throughout her term. She has addressed issues of animal control, the construction of a raceway, and initiatives to sell public park space to a private firm. Shafer hopes to continue working for the community and representing Ward B.
First Elected: 2007
Term: 1st
Contact: E-mail
JoEllen Thacker Fergus Falls City Council (Ward 4)
Prior to her election to City Council, Thacker served as the assistant to the city administrator for over ten years. Her experience and knowledge about the city’s government made her an excellent candidate, and she continues to meet the needs and expectations of the citizens of Fergus Falls. In her role as councilmember, she serves on several committees, such as the Equalization Committee, Finance, Personnel, and Development Committee, Airport Committee, Legislative Committee, and the Senior Citizens Committee.
First Elected: 2008
Term: 1st
Contact: E-mail
Meg Tuthill Minnepolis City Council
Meg Tuthill is serving her first term as Minneapolis Ward 10 Councilmember. Meg has been a community activist for the past 30 years volunteering with the Minneapolis Public Schools, City Parks, Girl Scouts and Gay Pride. Along with her husband Dennis, she has been a small business owner in the 10th Ward for the last 40 years. She plans to focus on regulatory services to help women small business owners, ensuring that city tax dollars are spent wisely, increasing the accessibility and transparency of the city council, and making public safety the city’s first priority.
First Elected: 2009
Term: 1st
Contact: E-mail
Website: http://www.megtuthill.com
Elizabeth Weir Medina City Council
Since Weir was elected as councilmember in 2004, she has voted for in favor of the town becoming home to a wind turbine and continues to promote renewable energy sources. Weir is committed to meeting the increasing needs of a growing town and hopes to continue to serve Medina for the upcoming terms.
First Elected: 2004
Term: 2nd
Contact: E-mail
Website: http://www.ci.medina.mn.us/Officials/council.htm
Cheryl Youakim Hopkins City Council
Cheryl was recently re-elected to the Hopkins city council after already serving 3 ½ years. Cheryl is also the founder and co-chairs a non-profit organization called Start Learning Early, which helps to organize parents to advocate for quality Early Childhood education. Cheryl believes strongly in citizen engagement and believes that leadership means empowering others to lead as well as leading yourself.
First Elected: 2005
Term: 2nd
Erica Zweifel Northfield City Council
Zweifel is the current councilmember to Northfield's Third Ward. Zweifel serves on the Northfield Environmental Quality Commission and hopes to continue to address some of her major issues of focus, such as safety concerns and transportation infrastructure.
First Elected: 2008
Term: 1st
Contact: E-mail
