Moorhead City Council

Nancy Edmonds Hanson

Five men and one woman appeared before the Moorhead City Council Monday to vie for the Ward 4 council seat being vacated at the end of August.

Council member Steve Lindaas, who currently represents the ward in the southeast quarter of the city, is leaving his seat as well as his position as a professor of physics and astronomy at Minnesota State University for the coming year. He and his wife, Alison Wallace, have both accepted fellowships offered by the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Washington, D.C.

At its previous meeting, the council launched the process of replacing Lindaas – who won reelection in 2022 – by asking for applications from Ward 4 residents interested in serving. Eight were received by last Friday’s deadline.

Six of those applicants appeared this week to answer five questions posed by the council pertaining to their qualifications and the issues facing the city. The council is expected to elect one of them to represent Ward 4 at its next regular meeting Aug. 14.

Trenton Gerads, the executive director of the Cass Clay Community Land Trust, lauded Moorhead’s “can-do attitude.” He expressed admiration for how “everybody picks up and helps their neighbors” when the city faces a crisis, as it has done during floods. “Being a border city can be a big concern,” he conceded, with different rules and codes making it more difficult to build in Moorhead. He expressed concern for the shortage of affordable housing at all levels: “Senior housing is a big concern.”

Ryan Larson, who has worked in construction, noted the progress in Ward 4 “from farm fields to neighborhoods” like Johnson Farms, where he resides. He pointed to the history of “compelling issues from across the river,” predicting that the recent work of the Minnesota Legislature and ongoing Moorhead economic development efforts mean that now “it’s our town to grow.”

Sebastian McDougall listed his active participation in several community boards, including the Park Board and Moorhead Public Service, among his qualifications. He owns and operates Waters Edge Consulting. The city’s challenges, he said, include business development and maintaining those that want to stay here, along with attracting investment to the area.

Darren Opsahl, an account executive with Alpha Software, singled out Moorhead’s 2022 Strategic Plan as delineating an “outstanding direction in which we’re looking to grow. The downtown project is huge. … Getting new business over here is the challenge.” He added, “We need to keep being Moorhead – a small town with big-city amenities.”

Andrew Rockhold said he established his business, Catlerock Investment Group in Fargo 15 years  ago because “red tape from St. Paul made it impossible to be here.” He said Moorhead needs “to separate from St. Paul and cut through the red tape preventing some potential growth.” He added that the city should copy what’s going on across the river. “It’s not Moorhead – the state as a whole is hurting us.”

Dorothy Suomala, pointed out that her demographic – retired adults – is underrepresented on the council, despite being the fastest growing segment of the U.S. Population. “We want to serve, not be served,” the retired counselor and university educator said. “Our city must become more age-friendly.” She cited the need for affordable housing for all ages, including seniors, noting that only about 30% of residents can afford homes at the median price of $400,000, according to the F-M Chamber of Commerce.