St. Cloud Council President Announces Candidacy for Vacant Stearns County Commissioner Seat

(KNSI) – A St. Cloud city councilman is throwing his hat into the ring to fill the vacant District 4 seat on the Stearns County Board of Commissioners.

Council President Mike Conway has entered the race, announcing his candidacy on KNSI Radio live Friday morning. Conway says he is looking for a new challenge and doesn’t want to be a long-term incumbent who falls into a rut. “A decision I was going back and forth [on] as to whether or not I was going to run for a third term at city council. And I remember when I ran my first term at city council, I kept complaining that people stay in the office too long. So, I’m going to go ahead and see if I can help the county.”

District 4 for the Stearns County Board of Commissioners covers Waite Park and most of southern St. Cloud, so Conway would still serve a similar constituent base from a new perspective if he wins.

Conway’s big issue would be the law enforcement center property in downtown St. Cloud, something he knows about well from his time in city government. He wants to focus on how to transition the site. “How to make that transition more helpful with the city, and since I’ve been on the city for a while, I kind of have a unique perspective that I can bring to the county.”

Outside of the jail, Conway says his experience at the city level has come with a lot of hands-on training for county politics. “And I’ve been involved in a lot of county activities because I’ve been on the Emergency Services Board. All of the emergency services, the police, fire, 911, all those groups get together, and those are county organizations. But you would not believe how difficult it is for the counties to talk to each other.”

Conway hopes to replace former District 4 Commissioner Leigh Lenzmeier, who retired earlier this year. The primary is set for August, and the general election will be held in November.

The filing period is open until June 3rd.

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