Roberts Elected Mayor, Larson, Valento Win Seats in City Council Race – Twin Cities

Blake M. Roberts won the race for Mayor of Forest Lake In the election on Tuesday, November 5, 2024, Jeff Larson and incumbent Hannah Valento won City Council seats, as reported by 5 of 5 precincts.

Roberts received nearly 56% of the vote, while his closest rival Sam Husnik received just over 25%. The remaining candidates, Bruce Anderson and Jason T. Mayhew, each received 9%.

On the City Council, Larson and Valento were within about 300 votes of each other, winning 30% and 28% of the vote, respectively. Susan Young came in third with just over 24%, and Jesse Wade Wagner came in fourth with nearly 17% of the vote.

Roberts is a lifelong Forest Lake resident who served on the City Council and was a member of the city’s Economic Development Authority. His priorities include public safety funding, infrastructure improvements and downtown redevelopment, according to responses to a candidate survey conducted by the Pioneer Press.

Valento has served on the Forest Lake City Council since 2020 and currently serves as legal and policy advisor to the executive director of the Mille Lacs Ojibwe Tribe. She told the Pioneer Press she plans to focus on the city’s 10-year budget plan, economic development and strengthening Forest Lake’s internal organization.

Larson did not respond to a Pioneer Press questionnaire.

For more election results on November 5, 2024, visit Twincities.com/news/politics/elections.

To find out what else was on your ballot and other election information, visit the Minnesota Secretary of State’s elections page at: sos.state.mn.us/elections-voting.