Lakeville City Councilor Laurie Rieb Announces Candidacy for Mayor

Lakeville's City Council is guaranteed a new face this year, one way or another.

Laurie Rieb, who has served for 12 years on Lakeville's City Council, is not going to seek re-election for her seat, she has announced. Instead, Rieb will be running for mayor this fall.

The filing deadline to run for Lakeville's elected offices isn't until Aug. 14, so it's not known who exactly she'll be running against, but incumbent Mayor Mark Bellows and City Councilor Matt Little have both said they're seeking the seat as well.

Rieb ran for mayor six years ago, but lost in the election to Holly Dahl after both ran for the seat when longtime Mayor Robert Johnson retired from elected office.

The following is from a press release announcing Rieb's mayoral candidacy:

Councilwoman Rieb has served the City of Lakeville since 1995, including six years on the Lakeville Planning Commission and 12 years on the City Council.

“I am proud to call Lakeville my home and I am excited to be running for mayor,” says Rieb, “I have always made my decisions based on what is best for the community. I do not have any political machine behind me and I don’t represent special interest groups. I  work for the voters of Lakeville.”

According to Rieb, there is a window of opportunity for the city of Lakeville to strongly position itself to meet the fiscal and demographic challenges in the coming years. She believes she has the necessary combination of experience, temperament and vision to boldly lead Lakeville to new and brighter horizons.

“I have been through the booming growth of the city, and also the economic downturn. Both have had their challenges,” says Rieb, “As the city starts to grow again, we have a great opportunity in front of us, and I want to help lead Lakeville into the future.”

Councilwoman Rieb has pushed for a Community Visioning process for the last two years believing that the citizens of Lakeville need to have a greater voice in planning the future of their city.  In addition, Rieb recognizes opportunities for innovation that will help ensure Lakeville continues to be a strong community for decades to come.

“I believe in collaboration. We need to work more closely with our three school districts, our neighboring cities, the county, and the state to find ways that we can work together to maximize our resources and reduce costs for the citizens of Lakeville.”

will have more on the race as elections season progresses.