Two Edina residents will face off Tuesday in a special election to decide who will complete the term for the currently vacant Hennepin County Commission District 6 seat.
State Rep. Heather Edelson is running against real estate agent Marisa Simonetti to replace Chris Latondres, who resigned last summer as head of an affordable housing nonprofit in St. Paul. After a special primary election on April 30 narrowed down the field to six candidates, Edelson and Simonetti were the top two candidates.
Although this is a bipartisan contest, Edelson, a DFLer, and Simonetti, a Republican, are ideologically different.
The Hennepin County Commission has seven members and oversees a budget of approximately $2.7 billion. The county is the second largest government in Minnesota after the state bureaucracy, with approximately 10,000 employees.
Commissioners approve budgets for the county attorney and county sheriff, Ho Chi Minh City and more than a dozen clinics. The board also oversees human services programs, property tax collection, solid waste disposal, and 41 library branches.
Edelson, who is in his third term in Congress, said he had already decided not to run for a fourth term in Congress when the 6th District seat became vacant. Edelson entered the 6th District race when the special election was postponed to mid-May, intending to stay out of the final legislative session.
Edelson said she is running for county commission because it gives her the opportunity to not only create public policy, but work on how it is implemented.
“I like working on problems, I like policy. I'm a worker bee,” Edelson said.
She said the county commission would give a more hands-on approach to government that can impact people's lives. “That's something more can be done at the county level.”
Edelson said his service on the House Human Services Policy Committee will give him unique insight into much of county operations focused on providing social services. She works as a therapist and mental health services will be one of her priorities as commissioner, she said.
Mr. Simonetti has never held public office. She said she entered the election because she was concerned about rising crime and increasing tax burdens on residents.
He said the county commission could benefit from a more parsimonious voice.
“People are dissatisfied with their finances,” Simonetti said, noting that property taxes in Hennepin County rose 6.5% this year, the largest increase in more than a decade. “I think people feel like they’re getting less value and paying more.”
Simonetti also said the board should do more to support law enforcement and combat rising crime. She has criticized the money Hennepin County has spent on the Southwest Light Rail project.
No matter who wins the May 14 election, he won't be able to take much time off from campaigning if he wants to keep his seat in 2024 and beyond. The District 6 seat is one of three County Commission seats up for election in November.
Both Edelson and Simonetti have indicated they intend to run for their seats again in November. Considering his interest in the seat so far, there is a possibility that he will run in the summer primary election.
District 6 has 66 neighborhoods and includes the communities of Edina, Hopkins, Mound, Minnetonka, Wayzata, Long Lake, and Shorewood.