Believe it or not, election season has begun in St. Paul.
All seven seats on the St. Paul will be on the November ballot, arranged by precinct. The races are officially nonpartisan, but that doesn’t stop most candidates from seeking the endorsement of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party. The first step in this process takes place at 1pm on Sunday, when the caucuses in the St. Paul DFL.
The caucuses, held at the city’s high schools, serve as the starting point for electing delegates to ward conventions, where the party will endorse candidates.
In three wards, where councilors Mitra Jalali, Rebecca Noecker and Nelsie Yang so far appear unopposed for re-election, conventions will be held immediately after Sunday’s meetings.
In Wards 1, 3, 5 and 7, where a total of 12 candidates are seeking the DFL endorsement, ward conventions will be held throughout April. There are no incumbents in these races as Amy Brendmoen, Chris Tolbert and Jane Prince are not seeking re-election and Dai Thao moved out of state last summer.
Also, in the ballots of St. Paul as of November are four school board seats held by Chauntyll Allen, Zuki Ellis, Jeanelle Foster and Jessica Kopp. Allen is the only incumbent so far who has said he will seek the DFL endorsement at the June 1 citywide convention; DFL lists four other candidates for those places.
Ramsey County Elections will accept candidate filings August 1-15. A full program and location of meetings and conventions on the premises of St. Paul DFL can be found at saintpauldfl.org.
Republican City Convention in St. Paul is scheduled for mid-April.
