KAXE contacted every candidate twice using contact information submitted to the Secretary of State's Office to invite them to participate in our Election Guide.
Candidate responses have not been edited and are published as submitted.
As necessary, our news team added contextual information clearly marked with an "editor's note" and in italics, though responses have not been uniformly fact-checked. With our small team of three, we are unable to proactively fact check every statement made by candidates. But we will make every effort to make note of inaccuracies if they come to our attention.
Please contact our news team at news@kaxe.org with questions or comments or to report any errors.
KAXE's Election Guide only includes candidates in contested races. Visit our full list of who's running for office in Northern Minnesota to see who else is on the ballot.
City Council (Elect Two)
Kavan Lovgren
Incumbent: No
KAXE did not receive a response from this candidate.
Patrick A. Novacek
Incumbent: Yes
KAXE did not receive a response from this candidate.
Keith Severson
Incumbent: No
Age on Election Day: 41
Where are you currently employed, and what is your role?
Polaris Industries - Program Leader
Please share any prior experience that you believe qualifies you for office.
I have held leader roles in over a dozen non-profit and community organizations over the past 20 years. Currently, I serve this community as a board member on the Roseau Tourism Bureau, I am active in Roseau Youth Hockey, and I lead the Roseau Community Engagement group, which is a non-profit organization dedicated to strengthening our community.
Please describe the roles and responsibilities of the office you are running for.
A City Council member is responsible for the staffing, budget, infrastructure and operations of the city.
Why are you running for office?
Through my community work around the world, I have seen a range of approaches to
progressing communities. I believe that transparency is the cornerstone to community trust and support, and as a City Councilor, I will be active in sharing my work and my position on each topic with Roseau residents. Accessibility is also important to me, and I want residents to be able to easily contact me by phone or email with any topics or concerns.
What are your priorities, if elected? Please describe specific policy goals.
Bring more transparency of the issues of the city, more awareness of public meetings, create a long ranger budget and city plan (+5 years)
Across the region, renters and owners are struggling to afford housing. If elected, what would you do to address the issues of availability and affordability for your constituents?
Explore tax incentives or forgiveness plans for new construction and understand what opportunities might exist for smaller/"starter home" construction
What effective policies will you support that will prepare your city now, next year and in the future to improve resiliency against climate change?
Ensure we have a diverse energy source solution and provide the right incentives for people to become more self reliant on person home power generations such as solar, wind or thermal generation
High taxation is a concern for many Northern Minnesotans. Please share any specific opinions you hold related to taxation, and how you plan to ensure tax dollars are used efficiently and effectively.
A long range city plan can create predictability to either adjust the city financial burden on its residence and provide enough awareness and time for any tax adjustment that may be required.
How do you plan to improve transparency and trust in government?
I will ensure my contact information is readily available through city website and will provide regulars social media update on what exactly i am doing and any upcoming public meetings. The more people participating in public meeting and local government the better!
Oliver Ullman
Incumbent: No
KAXE did not receive a response from this candidate.
Still have questions for the candidates? Contact information for all those who've filed to run for office can be found at candidates.sos.state.mn.us.
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