MANKATO — Tuesday was the first day of the two-week filing period for the 2024 election — a day that often draws candidates who don’t like to procrastinate and others looking to send a message.
Getting a name on the ballot ASAP can tell voters that a candidate is eager to serve. And it can discourage other potential candidates if the early filer looks like a daunting opponent.
But that motivation didn’t seem to be widespread in city and county races in the Mankato area.
Based on the list of candidates compiled by the Minnesota Secretary of State, just one candidate filed Tuesday for the three seats on the Mankato City Council. Three incumbent commissioners were the only filers for a two seats apiece that are up for grabs on the Blue Earth County and Nicollet County boards. And only a single Le Sueur County Board district offered a competitive race on the first day of filing.
The filing period that started Tuesday morning and continues through 5 p.m. on June 4 is for Minnesota offices that use the Aug. 13 primary election to narrow the list of contenders in time for the Nov. 5 general election. That includes the Mankato City Council and county commissions throughout the state, along with partisan offices such as state House of Representatives and congressional seats. For the partisan races, voters in the primary election will narrow the field to a single candidate from each party for each office. And for local races on the Aug. 13 ballot, two finalists per seat will advance to Nov. 5.
Many other contests — including most city council and all school board races across Minnesota — will go straight to the Nov. 5 ballot no matter how many candidates file.
For county boards and city councils, elections are typically staggered so that roughly half of the seats are on the ballot every two years.
Mankato City Council
In Mankato, 2024 is when voters in Wards 2 and 4 get to choose their voice on the City Council. In addition, voters across the city will be picking a council-member-at-large — which by tradition has also tended to be the council president. In 2026, a mayor will be elected, along with council members in Wards 1, 3 and 5.
The council’s longest-tenured member was the only candidate to file on Tuesday — Council President Mike Laven for the at-large seat. The Cardinal Drive resident won three four-year terms on the council early in the century, lost in 2012, made a successful comeback in 2016 and was re-elected in 2020. Laven is a Mankato native, a graduate of Minnesota State University and a longtime management employee with the company that operates the city’s McDonald’s franchises.
Ward 2, which covers all of Mankato north of Madison Avenue, is currently represented by two-term Council member Dennis Dieken.
Ward 4, now held by two-term Council member Jenn Melby-Kelley, covers the older parts of Mankato, including downtown, the Old Town/Washington Park areas, the Sibley Park and Lincoln Park neighborhoods and west Mankato.
Neither Dieken nor Melby-Kelley filed for office on Tuesday.
Blue Earth County Board
District 2 Commissioner Vance Stuehrenberg, often one of the first in line to file for office, is seeking another term after serving 14 years on the County Board. The resident of East Main Street served on the Mankato City Council following his retirement from a 27 year law enforcement career, moving on to the county post in 2010. District 2 consists of a large portion of Mankato’s east side south of Highway 14 and east of Victory Drive. It spills over to the west side of Victory Drive on the city’s south side, stretching all the way to Monks Avenue in that area. It also contains part of Mankato Township.
An even-longer-tenured member of the County Board — District 3 Commissioner Mark Piepho of Skyline — also filed for re-election Tuesday. Piepho, who previously served in the state House and state Senate, was first elected to the County Board in 2008. District 3 encompasses Skyline and the southwestern quadrant of Mankato, including west Mankato, the large residential area on the city’s south side west of Monks Avenue, Minnesota State University and neighborhoods adjacent to the campus.
Nicollet County Board
District 4 Commissioner Mark Dehen filed for a second term on the Nicollet County Board Tuesday. The former North Mankato mayor was first elected to the county post in 2022, with the term lasting just two years because redistricting put all five seats on the ballot that election. (By making some of those 2022 contests two-year terms and some four-year, staggered terms were restored. Starting this year and continuing in 2026, all terms will once again be four years in length. District 4 encompasses North Mankato Precincts 3, 5 and 6.
No one filed Tuesday for the District 2 seat, currently held by Terry Morrow of St. Peter. District 2 is made up of Bernadotte, Brighton, Granby and Oshawa townships and the southern half of St. Peter.
Le Sueur County Board
The District 1 seat on the Le Sueur County Board provided a competitive race for voters on the first day of filing. The seat is currently held by David Gliszinski of rural New Prague, but the two candidates stepping up on Tuesday were Liz Krocak of rural Montgomery and Dennis Tietz of rural New Prague. District 1 covers Le Sueur County’s northeastern corner.
No one filed Tuesday in the other seat on this year’s ballot — District 3. Currently represented by Commissioner John King, the district covers northwestern Le Sueur County including the city of Le Sueur.
Waseca County Board
In Waseca County, 1st District Commissioner Douglas Christopherson of rural New Richland and 2nd District Commissioner Brian Harguth of rural Waseca each filed for another term. District 1 consists of New Richland, Waldorf and six townships, while District 2 is made up of the southeast corner of Waseca and rural areas immediately around the city.