Four candidates are seeking two seats on the Wayzata City Council in Tuesday’s election.
WAYZATA, Minn. — Wayzata voters will choose two City Council members today, Tuesday, November 3, with incumbents Molly MacDonald and Dan Koch facing challengers Adam Elg and David Paul Struck.
The two candidates receiving the most votes will serve four-year terms beginning in January 2027.
The candidates have offered different approaches to property taxes, development, downtown businesses and the demands placed on city services by Wayzata’s popularity as a regional destination.
The candidates are presented below in the order they appear on Wayzata’s official sample ballot.
Molly MacDonald has served on the City Council since 2021. Her connection to Wayzata began long before that. She worked at Rexall Drug, sold skis at Sports Hut and later worked for Graham Jewelers before opening her own Lake Street retail store in 2016.
MacDonald wants to reduce pressure on property taxes by exploring additional municipal revenue sources, including a possible food-and-beverage sales tax, municipal enterprise funds and revenue-generating events.
“Our city’s success should benefit the people who live here,” she writes on her campaign website.
MacDonald also points to her work on increased front-yard setbacks in the R3A zoning district, additional sidewalks, police staffing and improvements at Bell Park. She identifies neighborhood character, public safety and maintaining city services as priorities. Read MacDonald’s campaign positions.
Adam Elg, a member of the Wayzata Planning Commission, has made downtown business vitality and fiscal sustainability central to his campaign. A former retail owner and co-founder of the Northfield Downtown Development Corporation, Elg has proposed incentives for landlords who provide below-market retail space, paid parking options and consideration of a food-and-beverage sales tax.
“The City Council must be an active, collaborative partner to ensure our storefronts stay occupied by thriving independent businesses rather than sitting vacant,” Elg writes on his campaign website.
He also supports preserving older rental housing, allowing additional housing options in appropriate locations and strengthening residential design standards. Pedestrian safety along Wayzata Boulevard is another priority. Read Elg’s campaign positions.
David Paul Struck, a member of Wayzata’s Charter Commission, has placed particular emphasis on traffic and public safety.
At the September 24 candidate forum at City Hall, Struck called for stronger traffic enforcement and questioned whether the city could generate additional revenue from its existing municipal liquor and restaurant operations.
He opposed a proposed food-and-beverage sales tax and expressed concern about the city’s use of automated license plate reader cameras.
Struck also raised the issue of housing affordability, telling forum attendees that he rents a two-bedroom apartment in Wayzata for $1,450 per month and worries about the possible loss of older, less expensive rental housing.
Dan Koch, an incumbent council member who previously served from 2017 to 2020, emphasizes fiscal discipline, public safety and maintaining the city’s infrastructure.
Koch wants the city to recover more of the costs associated with visitors who use Wayzata’s streets, parks and lakefront amenities. His campaign also identifies exhibition driving on Lake Street and unsafe e-bike use as concerns requiring additional enforcement.
On development, Koch believes the city should plan ahead for likely redevelopment rather than respond to individual proposals as they arrive. He specifically identifies Wayzata Boulevard between Central Avenue and Bushaway Road as an area needing a coordinated plan.
“We need to be thoughtful about scale, density and land use,” Koch writes on his campaign website.
He also cites his involvement with Panoway and supports continued collaboration with the Wayzata West Metro Chamber of Commerce. Read Koch’s campaign positions.
Other contests on Wayzata’s ballot
In the race for governor, DFL candidate Amy Klobuchar and running mate Ben Schierer face Republican Lisa Demuth and Ryan Wilson, along with Green Party candidates Steven Young and Jane Kirby. The U.S. Senate contest includes Democrat Peggy Flanagan, Republican Michele Tafoya, independent Marisa Simonetti and Libertarian Rebecca Whiting.
Wayzata voters will also choose between DFL U.S. Rep. Kelly Morrison and Republican Tyler Bass in Minnesota’s 3rd Congressional District. In the Legislature, DFL state Sen. Ann Johnson Stewart faces Republican Shannon Bruce in Senate District 45, while DFL state Rep. Patty Acomb faces Republican Thomas Bergerson in House District 45B.
Hennepin County voters will choose a sheriff between Dawanna Witt and Joseph Banks, and a county attorney between Anders Folk and Cedrick Frazier. The ballot also includes a proposed Minnesota constitutional amendment concerning distributions from the permanent school fund to school districts, along with other state and judicial contests. View the Minnesota Secretary of State’s ballot information.
Election Day
Polls are open today from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wayzata residents may vote for up to two City Council candidates.
A recording of the September 24 candidate forum and additional reporting on the candidates’ positions are available in Wayzata.com’s earlier election coverage.
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