Lakeville's 2013 City Council Outlines Process to Fill Vacant Seat

Residents have until Jan. 24 to apply to fill the open City Council seat; review will be held Jan. 29 with a final selection will be made in February.

Lakeville's 2013 City Council outlined its plan Monday to fill the vacant seat created by Matt Little's election to mayor. Anyone living in Lakeville can apply to fill Little's vacated council seat, per a resolution approved by the new council on Jan. 7. Applications will be accepted until Jan. 24. On Jan. 29, the council will review applications at a work session, and proceed to interviews if needed. A final replacement will be added to the council in mid-February. When then-Councilor Little was elected to mayor on Nov. 6 last year, his council seat—and the final two years of the term—were to become vacated when he took the oath of office for mayor. That happened on Jan. 7. The council is following the same mold it used last time a …

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Letter to the Editor

Letter to the Editor: Kerrin Swecker—Thank You For Another Term

Letter writer: "I am sincerely humbled and grateful to have been re-elected by the voters to serve another term as your City Council representative."

To the editor, I am sincerely humbled and grateful to have been re-elected by the voters to serve another term as your City Council representative. Throughout my years on the Council and Planning Commission I have had the opportunity to learn from and work with many fine community leaders.  I have been impressed by those who have worked for the betterment of the community; and in doing so conducted the City’s business in a respectful and positive manner. Our town is better for their collaborative spirit and servant leadership. My commitment to this community has not changed, nor will it during my second term as your council member.  I remain steadfast to good fiscal stewardship, a positive business growth environment and ensuring the …

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Election 2012

Anderson, Swecker Elected to Lakeville's City Council

Doug Anderson to join incumbent Kerrin Swecker on Lakeville's City Council.

Incumbent Kerrin Swecker was re-elected to Lakeville's City Council on Nov. 6, and joining her will be Doug Anderson. Anderson fill Laurie Rieb's seat who vacated the council position to run for Lakeville mayor. See the results of that race. Anderson actually led all vote-getters with 13,695 votes, or 37.47 percent of the total. Swecker finished second with 12,960 votes, or 35.46 percent. David Bares finished third with 9,717 votes, good for 26.59 percent. For more election results, see our election results page. Lakeville Patch will have far more on the elections on Wednesday.

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Election 2012

WATCH: Lakeville City Council Candidate Forum

Lakeville's mayoral candidates participated in an election forum on Oct. 16.

Lakeville's City Council candidates participated in an election forum on Oct. 16. The video of the form can be found online. Moderated by the Lakeville Area Chamber of Commerce, the forum, held at City Hall, included incumbent council woman Kerrin Swecker, as well as challengers David Bares and Doug Anderson. Incumbent Laurie Rieb is vying for mayor, and not seeking re-election to her council seat. Lakeville Patch will follow the election through Nov. 6 election day.

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Letter to the Editor

Letter to the Editor: Kerrin Swecker For Lakeville City Council

Letter writer: Kerrin Swecker "understands the responsibilities of this position, and is willing to dedicate the time and effort needed."

Letter to the editor, I am pleased to offer my support to Kerrin Swecker in her quest for re-election to the Lakeville City Council.  Kerrin has lived in Lakeville for over 20 years. Her five years of experience on the Lakeville Planning Commission gave her much insight into the needs, and wants, of the community. These are challenging times and there will continue to be difficult decisions to be made by the Lakeville City Council. Kerrin has been a member of the Lakeville City Council since 2007. She understands the responsibilities of this position, and is willing to dedicate the time and effort needed. I believe Kerrin is the type of person who will continue to serve the Lakeville community well.   I am a twenty plus year Lakeville …

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Election 2012

Lakeville Council Member Kerrin Swecker Announces Bid for Re-Election

Swecker seeks a second term on Lakeville's City Council.

Council Member Kerrin Swecker has annoucned she's running for re-election to Lakeville's City Council. She's been a member of the council since 2007. "It has been my privilege to represent the residents of Lakeville," Swecker said in a news release. “I am excited to continue to be the fiscally conservative, moderate voice, representing the community as a whole." Swecker was first appointed to the council in 2007 and won re-election to the term in 2008. The following is from her news release: Swecker, a former Planning Commission Chair, currently serves as a member of the Personnel and Public Safety Committees, Delegate to the League of Minnesota Cities, Dakota County High Performance Partnership member and as an Alternate to the Dakota …

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Lakeville's David Bares Announces Run for City Council

Incumbent Council Members Laurie Rieb and Kerrin Swecker are both up for re-election this fall.

David Bares, a Lakeville resident, small business owner, and board member on Lakeville's Rotary Club, announced yesterday his intention to run for a seat on the City Council this fall. Council members Laurie Rieb and Kerrin Swecker are up for re-election in November with their four-year terms set to expire on Dec. 31. “I'm running because I want to assure that we have a successful Lakeville today and lay the groundwork for an even stronger city in years to come," Bares said in a statement. Bares has lived in Lakeville since 2000 with his wife and three children, his statement said. He says his main areas of focus will include building a stronger business climate, creating a more efficient delivery of city services, and offering wise …

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Split Council Now Leaning in Favor of Moving Lakeville's Senior Center

Plan to move senior center and historical society into vacant building moves forward despite Mayor calling the plan "substandard."

Two months ago, the Lakeville City Council set a target date of July 1 to place the city’s vacant police station up for sale. But if upcoming votes follow the discussion lines evident at the council’s work session Monday evening, it will be the city’s current senior center that will be getting the ‘For Sale’ sign out front. An overflow conference room crowd prompted the work session discussions on the fate of the vacant police station and senior center to be moved into the City Council chambers. Following a report by parks and recreation director Steve Michaud, the council continued their debate on the pros and cons of relocating the senior center and historical society to the vacant police station. During their April 25 work session, the …

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Lakeville's Senior Center, Historical Society Have 60 Days to Draft Plan to Fund Move to Vacant Police Station

Organizations face a potential $300,000 shortfall for plans to move into city's vacant police station. Fundraising efforts targeted to help solidify deal.

The Lakeville City Council had been waiting for a collaborative report from the Senior Center and local historical society before determining the city’s vacant police station’s fate. The group received it on Monday evening during a lengthy work session but the report failed to sway council members into making a final decision. The fate of the city’s vacant police station on Holyoke Avenue has been a dividing topic for the council as proposals to place the building, previously estimated to have a market value of $1.6 million, on the open market have been shot down. Mayor Mark Bellows and council member Colleen Ratzlaff LaBeau have been in favor of “testing the market” to see what interest might be out there from developers and private …

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Lakeville City Council Makes Budget Reductions, Gives Consent for Malt-O-Meal to Expand

Actions knock $132,000 from 2011expenditures and clear the way for future Malt O Meal expansion plans.

The Lakeville City Council voted unanimously Monday evening to approve more than $132,000 in budget reductions for 2011. The current council had been examining ways to reduce the budget since January. During a Feb. 28 marathon work session, the council and city staff went through nearly 100 pages of recommended and potential line item budget possibilities in an effort to tighten the city’s financial belt. Following that meeting, city staff drafted the resolution based on council recommendations and presented the council with resulting savings that netted the $132,322 total. Council member Colleen Ratzlaff-Labeau moved to amend the budget adjustment so as “not to set a precedent for using the liquor fund to pay for new employee wages." “I …

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