BemidjiNot a ballot

Voter guide · Nov 3, 2026

Bemidji City Council Election 2026

3 of 7 council seats are on the ballot, with 6 candidates running. Updated Oct 5, 2026. Every claim links to its source. How we check

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Nov 3Election Day

How to vote · 11 days left

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Election Day (Nov 3): the election office's notice

These links go to official state and county election sites. Hours and rules differ by state; your election office has the final word.

The candidates

Listed alphabetically by last name. Every position links to its source.

Voters citywide choose the at-large councilor; Ward 2 and Ward 4 each fill one seat. The mayor is not on this ballot.

Election Day · Nov 3

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Also on your Nov 3 ballot

We research city races only. For these races, go to the state's official guide or a nonpartisan one.

Official voter lookupState voter guideVote411 (League of Women Voters)

Districts come from 2020 Census blocks and the district maps for this election. Your address decides your districts.

Already on the council, not on the ballot

Whoever you elect will govern alongside these members.

What the next council decides

01Data center moratorium3 sourced facts

Where it standsThe Planning Board, which includes every council member, voted 6-1 on Sept. 14, 2026 for a one-year moratorium; the Pioneer reports the full council will vote on it at a future meeting.

What's on the tableWhether the council adopts the moratorium and what rules a later data center ordinance sets.

022027 property tax levy3 sourced facts

Where it standsThe council set a 7.1% preliminary 2027 levy on Sept. 21, 2026 by a 6-1 vote; the final levy is set in December.

What's on the tableThe final 2027 levy increase and budget, which can be lowered but not raised from the preliminary figure.

03Sanford Center management3 sourced facts

Where it standsThe council voted 6-1 on Sept. 8, 2026 to end the Legends Global contract in March 2027 and have the city run the event center from April 2027.

What's on the tableHow the city sets up and funds in-house management and staffing of the Sanford Center.

04Comprehensive plan and development rules2 sourced facts

Where it standsTwo incumbents describe the comprehensive plan and ordinance update as unfinished work.

What's on the tableWhat the updated comprehensive plan and ordinances require of developers and homeowners.

  • Josh Peterson wrote that the city needs to finish its comprehensive plan and redo its ordinances. KAXE · Sep 28, 2026
  • Emelie Rivera wrote that she wants to complete the process of updating the comprehensive plan and ordinances. KAXE · Sep 28, 2026
1 note on these statements

Audrey M. Thayer and Ron Johnson are the two candidates for the at-large seat; Grace Wilder was on the primary ballot and is not on the general election list. Ballotpedia

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Who matches you?

Answer any of these questions. We compare your answers with each person's sourced record, and nothing is stored. Questions where no one has a sourced record yet are left out. Tap a selected answer again to skip it.

  1. 1. What should Bemidji do about data centers?

  2. 2. How large should the final 2027 city levy increase be?

  3. 3. Who should run the city-owned Sanford Center?

  4. 4. How should Bemidji change its development rules to encourage housing?

Seat the councilSeat the Council →Pick a winner for each open seat and see where the resulting council stands on each issue.On the recordHow the council voted1 council decision, each member's vote side by side, with a link to the minutes.New · How Bemidji is runWho runs Bemidji, and what it costsThe city manager earns $180,544. See council pay, whether the city is in the red, and where your property tax goes.

Key dates

The seat math

4 stay (not up this year): Mark Dickinson, Lynn Eaton, Gwenia Fiskevold Gould, Jorge Prince3 on this ballot

7 council seats. The council decides by a 4-vote majority.

  • Three council seats are up on Nov. 3, 2026: Ward 2, Ward 4 and At Large, each for a four-year term beginning Jan. 4, 2027. City of Bemidji
  • The council directory lists the mayor, five ward councilors (Wards 1 to 5) and one at-large councilor. City of Bemidji
  • The council meets at 6:00 p.m. on the first and third Mondays of the month. City of Bemidji
  • The mayor voted in the council's December 2025 levy vote and cast the deciding vote. Bemidji Pioneer · Dec 16, 2025

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