The six candidates who filed this week, from left, are Deb White (Ward 3); Shelly Carlson (Ward 2); Shelly Dahlquist (Ward 1); and Rachel Stone, Kara Gloe and Tina Walker, school board candidates. All but Gloe, who is running for reelection, are first-time candidates. (Photo/Nancy Hanson)
A record number of female candidates filed Tuesday to run for the Moorhead City Council and Moorhead Area School Board. Six women were among those declaring their candidacies on the first day of filing, which continues through Aug. 14.
Along with already-announced mayoral candidate Brenda Elmer and council member Mari Dailey, who is running for the Clay County Commission, the six are believed to make up the largest number of females to vie for the local offices in a single year. All but one are making their first runs; the sixth, Kara Gloe, is vying for a second term.
Deb White – who is herself a candidate for the Ward 3 council position – leads Minnesota State University Moorhead’s NEW Leadership program, which encourages and prepares women for public office. Two of the current candidates, Rachel Stone and Kara Gloe, are alumna. She says the milestone is significant: “It’s been inspirational” to see them and other women step forward, she says. “I admire the way they are already working to support each other and collaborate. It’s a model of leadership that we don’t see enough of today, and I believe they will encourage others to become more engaged in local government.”
