Is this the first time Lakeville has selected a mayor that has never paid any property taxes in the city?

Little is going to do a lot! Way to go Matt!!!

Nice job Lakeville... This is exceptional -- most 27 year olds who still live at home with their parents don't get elected to anything, and you keep electing this guy! Maybe next election, when he runs against Holberg, and you see the DFL next to his name, you might actually try to look at what he stands for and not just vote for the guy with the biggest street signs.

Maybe ex-mayor need to take some of his own counseling services

This is indeed extraordinary and very American. A guy who is brought to us by the Unions is now in charge of negotiating with the cities union employees. Oh, wait, it's the new way! Our city will fit right in with the state and the federal Government!

I don't want to speak for Mark but the guy has so much character it would be my guess that you would find him in good spirits today. I'm sure he would thank you for your concern Bill.

Little owes Laurie Reib a huge thank-you. She pulled votes away from Mark Bellows. Hopefully we fill Little's seat with a true conservative. 54% of the voters voted against Matt Little

How do we nominate Mark Bellows for Matt Little's council seat. This way Matt Little can get a taste of his own medicine.

Mayor-elect Little: Congratulations!......Now please make Lakeville neighborhoods a railcar storage-free zone!

Yes because the rail car issue is most pressing issue
For the city

I think Klobuchar and Kline are your best bets for railcar issues. They are already working on the issue. Why would you throw somebody with less authority into the mix. Congratulate Klobuchar and Kline for getting them moved out

Harvey, thanks. I would have thought that it was a federal issue.

This is an embarrassment for Lakeville. How could Lakeville elect a kid that lives with his parents and has never held a job? Good luck making Money Magazine again.... My question is, was there no one else?

Red herring on the residency, look at a map before you make a comment. As far as a 27 yr old winning a city election, he did the work to get elected and I agreed to put up a mega sign after a face to face conversation with him. We'll see how this plays out but kudos to the kid for now! Btw, call him Mayor.

Although in two years when Little is up for reelection he may be may be taking credit for the railcars being moved. But the real credit is due to Klobuchar and Kline - a democrat and a republican working TOGETHER for the best interest of their constituents.

Good luck getting the railroad to move THEIR cars off of THEIR own track. Why should they? If I think that the car in your driveway is ugly, does that mean I have the right to tell you to move it?

Matt congratulations!! So funny reading thru the comments.. Everyone that does not support you, has insane uneducated logic and pointless reasons.. Youth is exactly what this Country not just city to prove that living in Dad's basement isn't good. You prove hard work ethic does pay off!!!

I am thrilled Matt Little will be the new mayor. We are fortunate to have such an extraordinary person of integrity, energy, knowledge of the law, council experience, and sincere desire to help Lakeville citiIcens. He ran a campaign of hard work, one door knock at a time with positive messages--no smearing or dirty campaigning. We older people could learn alot from him. Best to Matt!

Pam is 100% right.. Matt proved the best way to the top is to earn it!!!

Pam, Anthony... You are exactly right. This was never about Matt Little. It was about Matt Little caring enough to want to represent us, unlike Bellows who often sought notoriety for his own personal gain. I'm not saying Bellows never did anything right, but his failure was in deciding the outcome of any decision before he listened to the debate of his fellow council members that we elected as well. That's not a leader, its a control freak. Matt Little is willing to listen, and that's one of the best qualities a leader can have. Thank you Mayor Matt... We know you won't let us or your elected council members down.

I've never understood the argument against progressive rail. It was the risk one takes when buying a home by a train track. But good luck in your continual complaining. I think Kline/Klobachar are the right people to utilize.

Pam-Matt knew if he built the senior center they would vote for them. It is no different than pork barrel money in DC. I'm still trying to figure out why the money raising sign hasn't been updated. Or hasn't the old location pending sale close yet?

Brian H needs to look at a map before (multiple times) commenting and questioning whether Mr. Little lives in Lakeville or Rosemount. He's a Lakeville resident in that he lives within the Lakeville city limits and has a Rosemount zip. Blame the post office for that, not the city of Lakeville or Mayor-elect Little.

Sick of the Good Ol's Boys Club .......
Bellows had no intrest in running and only ran because the Bob Erickson crew wanted him to run. Look .. voting for someone who doesn't care is a problem. At least Little has intrest in doing something and tries to come up with solutions. Bellows famous line "We can do better .." but do better how .. never came up with on his own just what the "Good Ol' Boys" that was a good idea.
It's time for somehting new anything and Matt was the only one who stood up to the challange.

I would just prefer a mayor who has held a fulltime job/paid a mortgage/gone to Lakeville High School maybe? (He went to Rosemount) I mean I am not attacking him or 100% against Little, its just odd the way he went about winning the race, with all the outside money, renting a campaign headquarters downtown etc. This would seem appropriate if he were running for mayor of Minneapolis or say New York. But Lakeville? I would rather have a longtime community member be my mayor than a kid right out of school who is obviously trying to be a career politician, and probably wont stick around Lakeville a day longer than his 2 year term.

Let's be honest, the matt little political signs on display for the past 12 MONTHS are more of an eyesore that the Progressive rail cars. I'm going to ask my council to put restrictions on the size of the signs. The competition to have the largest sign is ridiculous

I agree, the political signs are an eyesore and the TV ads are annoying, but at least we now have a four year reprieve. I don't see an end to Progressive Rail's storage and if you live next to a rusty old railcar with profanity on the side of it for years, I think that is a worse eyesore. No question, some sort of federal ordinance needs to be passed to make our neighbhorhoods a railcar storage-free zone just like Rosemount and Anoka which have railroad quiet zones. Residents in Rosemount went to...guess who?...their mayor and city council to get this done. One Rosemount resident described their mayor and city council as 'very progressive'. That's what I'm expecting from Mayor Little and the Lakeville City Council.

We don't have a four year reprieve! Mayor is only 2 years and Little will announce his re-election campaign this time next year so we'll be seeing his signs in time for Christmas 2013...that's assume they can get a crane in there to pull the 10X10's out before then. Last night in my next of the woods the only signs remaining were Little's.

I think all you commentators should run for government office, since you know all the answers. BTW, that leaves me out. All I want to add is that I voted for Matt because he has good manners, unlike the very un-reverend Mr. Bellows.

Matt Little ???? ... Come-On' ... What is wrong with you people...Seriously? For some of you, a reason you voted for Little was because he started a Food Pantry? Are you serious ? That's a qualification you hold in high regard to be able to handle the lives of 60,000 people? My 8 year old daughter had a lemonade stand last year, I guess she is just as qualified, maybe I will have her run for Mayor when she is 10. Geezuz ...As for the presidential election, I keep thinking this whole election is just a bad nightmare! Because if it isn't, it's actually going to be a nightmare in real life! I can't believe that 50% of this country is so uninformed, uneducated on what it takes to run a Gov't....we don't live in Candy Land folks - we can not operate as one giant food shelf or a Community Center! We need to let businesses and people fail so they get the fear of god in them and start helping themselves. We need to live within our means and go WITHOUT if need be! All I hear now from Dems is "can't we all just get along"? NO - we aren't in kindergarten anymore people - we need to make tough choices and if some fall behind so be it. We need to let them figure it out on their own! We can't Tax, Spend and Pander- and the rich are not going to be your saving grace! So Disgusted in 50% of you! God Help Us All - Is A Huge Understatement! The next 4 years will be YOUR fault, not Bush or anyone else you will try and blame this disaster on.

Jesse - remember when Mitt Romney made his 47% speech? I have a hunch you are part of that %. Do you have your Obama phone? If not, go out to youtube and search "obama phone". I have a feeling you follow the same reliance on gov't as the lady in the video. In the meantime you and Joe and the rest of the Little gang should rename the Senior Center the "Matt Little Senior Center". This way we will all remember Matt Little's legacy.

ABSG..I was kind of on the fence about who to vote for this year, and agree with you that we can't tax, spend & pander, and some people do just need to 'figure it out on their own'.....but to say that whoever doesn't agree with you (50% of the population) is uninformed, uneducated and everything will be all their fault for the next four years? A little overbearing, arrogant and simplistic, don't you think?

And one last thing - They say the Republican Party must “re-evaluate” what they need to represent??? What does that mean? At this point, to me, it means accepting illegal immigration, raising taxes, food stamps for anyone who doesn’t want to work, in other words….accepting everything we are against and that the irresponsible Democratic nuts believe in and vote for! With the millions who vote for this because they already receive all of it, why then would they vote for any candidate who would offer anything less??? I think we have REALLY lost this time, much more than just one election!

Romney said 47% is dependent on the govt. I guess another 4% who voted for him want the same entitlements. Go get your welfare Obama phone today!

Actually maybe Matt Little can get more voters by having the city pay for cell phones for our residents. We'll call it the Little Phone

I think if we are being honest, and you wanted a true post-mortem on why Matt Little won, and Mark Bellows is now a one-term Mayor, you need look no further than here.

Lakeville is a changing city, and one where multiple viewpoints are taking root because of that change. The vast majority of this city, as well as the nation, spoke loudly across a wide range of candidates & issues that while they do not expect to be considered "right" in every case, they do expect consideration and respect in sharing those views.

From the beginning, Mayor Bellows and his most loyal and vocal followers seemed to reject the notion that multiple points of view were welcome. We were greeted with non-stop "proclamations" of truth and the way things must be on here and in other public forums, and differing opinions and perspectives were attacked, most often in a personal manner, and dismissed. While I too believe that Mayor Bellows, by and large, is an honorable man, you will learn if you poll most outside of this forum that MANY Lakeville residents felt his harsh and contentious reaction to opposing viewpoints on the budget, the old police station and the Senior Center were too myopic and close-minded, especially when the majority opinion didn't match his. Now I look here, and the offensiveness and condescending tone displayed by most on here just reinforces it.

Lakeville wants people who want to work together and respect opposing views. This page shows why one won, and another lost.