East Bethel City Council At Large · Nov 3, 2026
Jim
Smith
Jim Smith, the incumbent, is running for East Bethel City Council At Large in the Nov 3, 2026 election; 4 candidates are running for 2 seats.
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The race · City Council At Large
- 01Mark Duchene
- 02Tammy Gimpl
- 03Aiden Ladner
- 04Tim MillerWithdrawn
- 05Jim SmithYou’re reading
Background
- About
- East Bethel resident since 2014 who has served on the city's Planning Commission and Roads Commission. He has been a council liaison to the Fire Department, Planning Commission and Sheriff's Department.
Jim Smith and Joe Reiter did not respond to ABC Newspapers' candidate questionnaire. ABC Newspapers
On the record: Jim Smith
7 sourced01Sheriff contract1 sourced position
Voted no on approving the 2027 Anoka County law enforcement contract (passed 3-2), and said the council will meet with the Sheriff and negotiate (Sept 2026).
Council voteEast Bethel City Council minutes, Sep 14 2026 · Sep 14, 2026Link
02Development agreements1 sourced position
Voted no on the Final Approach East Bethel Addition development agreement and said he does not think the council should approve anything until it has all the documents (passed 3-2, Aug 2026).
Council voteEast Bethel City Council minutes, Aug 24 2026 · Aug 24, 2026Link
03Short-term rentals1 sourced position
Said he agreed with Councilmember Erkel's proposal to table the short-term rental ordinance; the motion to table passed unanimously (Sept 2026).
Own statementEast Bethel City Council minutes, Sep 14 2026 · Sep 14, 2026Link
04Property taxes and budget1 sourced position
Said he is running to protect property owners' rights, make responsible decisions with tax dollars and help stop unnecessary government spending.
make responsible decisions with your tax dollars, and help stop unnecessary government spending”
Own statementCity of East BethelLink
05Council vacancy appointment1 sourced position
Moved to appoint Stacey Miller to the vacant council seat and voted yes (failed 2-2); voted no on appointing Dino Perfetti (2-2, mayor broke the tie, Aug 2026).
Council voteEast Bethel City Council minutes, Aug 10 2026 · Aug 10, 2026Link
06Planning Commission appointment1 sourced position
Voted no on appointing Julie Lux to the Planning Commission (failed 2-3) and yes on appointing Lindsay Crescenzo (passed 3-2, Apr 2026).
Council voteEast Bethel City Council minutes, Apr 13 2026 · Apr 13, 2026Link
07Resident fee refund1 sourced position
Moved to refund $1,000 in attorney fees and waive a $1,875 bill for a resident, and voted yes (passed 3-2, July 2026).
Council voteEast Bethel City Council minutes, Jul 27 2026 · Jul 27, 2026LinkHow the council voted
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