Two Newcomers Elected to Maple Grove City Council
After all of the ballots were counted Tuesday night, voters in Maple Grove elected Kristy Janigo and Rachelle Johnson to serve on the city council.
According to the Minnesota Secretary of State website, Janigo received 24.55% of the vote (12,192 total votes). Johnson, meanwhile, received 22.35% of the vote (11,103 total votes).
Longtime council member Karen Jaeger, who’s served on the council since January of 1999, finished third among the seven candidates who ran for the two open council seats. Jaeger received 19.14% of the vote (9,505 total votes).
In the candidate statement Janigo recorded for CCX News, she described herself as a U.S. Army veteran and a graduate of the Maple Grove Citizens Police Academy. “Lately our town’s been growing with lots of new folks. We can be proud of that. And to make good decisions about housing, keeping our community age friendly, leaving a healthy, beautiful Maple Grove to our youth, we need a fresh perspective,” Janigo said in her statement.
In Johnson’s candidate statement, she described herself as a teacher with a background in finance. She said: “if elected, I will fully support our public safety efforts to create a safe environment that allows our city to thrive. I believe local governments need to stay small and be focused on providing high quality services balanced with common sense spending. We need mindful community development that recognizes the relationship between growth and preservation while also planning for reinvestment as our city ages.”
Sales tax increase approved
Meanwhile, Maple Grove voters also approved a sales and use tax increase of one-half of one percent (0.50%) to help fund renovations and expansion of the Maple Grove Community Center. The tax was approved by a margin of 55.43% to 44.57%.
