OronoNot a ballot

Voter guide · Nov 3, 2026

Orono City Council Election 2026

2 of 5 council seats are on the ballot, with 3 candidates running. Updated Oct 20, 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.

Council members are elected citywide. Voters choose two council members from three candidates; Mayor Bob Tunheim and Council Members Steve Persian and Jacqueline Ricks hold terms that expire in 2028.

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

01Budget and property taxes4 sourced facts

Where it standsIn December 2025 the council adopted a 2026 levy that is $647,500, or 6.72%, higher than the 2025 levy.

What's on the tableThe 2027 city budget and property tax levy.

02Shoreline Fire Department4 sourced facts

Where it standsFire protection and emergency medical service moved from the Orono and Long Lake fire departments to the new Shoreline Fire Department, jointly governed by its member cities.

What's on the tableHow much Orono pays toward the Shoreline Fire Department's operating and capital budgets, which each member city must approve.

03Lakeshore setbacks and variances3 sourced facts

Where it standsThe council regularly rules on requests for exceptions to setback and hardcover rules, sometimes on split votes.

What's on the tableHow strictly to apply setback and hardcover limits when property owners ask for variances.

  • In August 2025 the council voted 4-0 to deny an average lakeshore setback variance for a pool cabana at 1530 Orchard Beach Place. City of Orono · Aug 12, 2025
  • In December 2025 the council voted 3-2 to direct staff to prepare an approval of a rear setback variance for a garage addition at 4680 North Shore Drive, after a denial motion failed 2-3. City of Orono · Jan 12, 2026
  • Staff did not find a hardship for the 4680 North Shore Drive variance, and the Planning Commission was split on it. City of Orono · Jan 12, 2026
04Orono 2050 Comprehensive Plan3 sourced facts

Where it standsThe city has begun its Orono 2050 Comprehensive Plan update and gathered input through a community survey and an open house in 2026.

What's on the tableWhat the 2050 plan says about land use, infrastructure and natural resource protection.

  • Orono 2050 is a long-range roadmap to guide decisions about land use, infrastructure, natural resource protection and community priorities for the next 20 years. City of Orono · May 1, 2026
  • The Metropolitan Council requires communities in the seven-county metro area to prepare a comprehensive plan every ten years, with a December 31, 2028 deadline. City of Orono · May 1, 2026
  • The city partnered with Polco on the National Community Survey, which remained open through the end of June 2026. City of Orono · May 1, 2026
1 note on these statements

Maggie Arends, Jon Schwingler and Scott Wellman each answered the Laker Pioneer candidate questionnaire. Laker Pioneer · Sep 24, 2026

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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. How should Orono approach the property tax levy?

  2. 2. What should guide the Orono 2050 plan?

  3. 3. How should Orono approach a proposed data center?

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.

Key dates

The seat math

3 stay (not up this year): Steve Persian, Jacqueline Ricks, Bob Tunheim2 on this ballot

5 council seats. The council decides by a 3-vote majority.

  • Orono is a statutory Plan A fourth-class city whose City Council consists of a mayor and four council members elected at large. City of Orono
  • Local elections are held in November of even-numbered years, and the mayor and council members serve four-year terms. City of Orono
  • The mayor presides at council meetings and has no extraordinary power to make administrative decisions alone. City of Orono
  • The City Administrator is appointed by the City Council and serves as the chief administrative officer. City of Orono

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