City Council Cuts List Of Candidates For Open Council Seat To Three

Following three days of interviews, the Rosemount City Council has cut the list of potential candidates for a vacant council seat from 18 down to three.

In a working session Saturday morning, the council heard from the final group of candidates before making a decision. They had the option of picking someone to fill the seat, or asking some of the candidates to return for a second interview.

Mayor Bill Droste, along with Council members Mark DeBettignies, Kim Shoe-Corrigan and Jeff Weisensel each listed their top five choices. Two of the candidates were on all four lists, and one person appeared on three lists. Those top three candidates were chosen to return on Wednesday evening for a second interview.

The three finalists (in no particular order) are Pamela VanderWiel, Robert Leuth and Matthew Kearney.

Mayor Droste said he was impressed with the level of expertise among all of the candidates, "and honestly, I think any of them would have made a fine member of the council."

Council member Kim Shoe-Corrigan echoed those comments and said that the council ended up with three candidates, all of them "equally matched in my eyes."

The Mayor and the council hope to make a decision following the second round of interviews, since discussions on the city budget and other financial issues will begin soon.

Council member Jeff Weisensel said that a candidate's ability to quickly get up to speed on the city's economic issues was one of the factors in his decision about which of the 18 should move forward. "We have some candidates with a strong grasp or background of budgeting issues, and I think that's an important consideration for me."

The seat has been vacant since December, when former Council member Kurt Bills resigned his position after his successful campaign for a seat in the Minnesota House of Representatives.

The council decided to fill his seat via an appointment rather than a special election.