Incumbent, former member advance in Bemidji City Council At-Large race

BEMIDJI — Bemidji voters selected the experienced City Council candidates to advance from the primary on Tuesday, Aug. 11.

Former City Council member Ron Johnson served for more than 20 years as the Ward 3 representative. Redistricting resulted in his home being placed in a different ward, and then he lost an election bid for the at-large seat in 2022. Four years later, he will return to the ballot in November, alongside the incumbent Audrey Thayer.

Johnson, 76, topped the field with 780 votes, or 38.94% of the vote. Thayer was a close second with 712 votes, or 35.55%.

"There's a lot of things that are happening that I've been watching, even though I've been out of the game for a couple of years," Johnson said, mentioning Sanford Center management, infrastructure, public safety and housing among his chief priorities if elected in November. "I still stayed plugged in."

He said in a Wednesday phone interview that he is looking forward to a close and competitive race with Thayer in the months ahead.

Thayer, of the White Earth Nation, has served in the at-large role since 2022, after being elected to the Ward 1 seat in 2020. She is the first Indigenous woman to be elected to the Bemidji City Council.

"Everybody worked very hard and there were friends and relatives," Thayer said. "Most of the people who've been engaged on this campaign are between 30 and 40. That says a lot because their ideas matter to me."

Thayer will be 75 by Election Day.

Newcomer Grace Wilder, 38, fell behind Johnson and Thayer with 511 votes, or 25.51%.

"It's obviously a bit disappointing," she said in a Wednesday phone interview. "I don't mean to sound cliché or whatever, but I did genuinely learn a lot, and I think I'm going to take another crack at it in a couple of years."

Bemidji City Clerk Michelle Miller said in an email that the unofficial results have been canvassed and will become official during a canvassing board meeting at 1 p.m. Friday at Bemidji City Hall.

The Bemidji City Council member at-large represents all five wards of the city and has a four-year term.