I do solemnly swear...

• Carlson

New Alexandria Mayor Sara Carlson took the oath of office Wednesday from City Attorney Tom Jacobson. (Photo by Al Edenloff)
• Miller

Owen Miller will once again represent residents in Ward 3.
• Jensen

Todd Jensen was sworn in as the new Ward 5 council member.

Talk about it

Newly elected members of the Alexandria City Council took their oath of office Wednesday at City Hall.

Mayor Sara Carlson is Alexandria’s second female mayor. Dorothy Kobs was the first, winning the position in 1987.

Carlson, who has represented Ward 2 for the last nine years, won the mayoral seat by defeating challenger Mark Pederson by a margin of 3,771 votes to 2,216 this past election.

The council formed a committee that is screening applicants for the Ward 2 seat. It is interviewing seven candidates this week and will make a recommendation to the full council soon.

Todd Jensen becomes the council’s newest member. He defeated Ward 5 incumbent Elroy Frank, 489 to 377. Frank served the ward for 14 years.

Incumbent Owen Miller resumes his Ward 3 position. He defeated challenger William Stark, 736 to 462.

The new city leaders took the following oath, which is included in Alexandria’s charter:

“I do solemnly swear that I will support the Constitution of the United States, the Constitution of the state of Minnesota, and that I will faithfully and impartially discharge the duties of the office of [ward or mayor] of the city of Alexandria, to which I have been elected, to the best of my knowledge and ability, so help me God.”

The Alexandria City Council meets the second and fourth Mondays of the month (unless there are holidays) at 7 p.m. at City Hall. All meetings are open to the public.

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