Edina Mayor Not Seeking Another Term

By Echo Menges

Edina Mayor Steve Peters announced he would not be seeking reelection in the upcoming municipal election. Mayor Peters told the rest of the council during the Edina City Council meeting held on Monday, January 13. 

Peters said he is not seeking a second term in office for “personal reasons”.

“I’ve chosen not to file for Mayor,” Edina Mayor Steve Peters told the City Council. “I don’t know if anybody has filed for that yet or not, but I’m gonna bow out.”

Peters made the announcement in hopes people would hear about the open seat and file as a candidate for the position before the filing deadline on January 21.

The council was mostly speechless after they were asked for comments. Second Ward Alderwoman Alex Reel broke the silence jokingly asking, “Can you find a replacement?”

By the end of last week, no one had filed to be the next Mayor of Edina.

According to Edina City Clerk Margaret Gibson, candidates must be a registered voter in the City of Edina, must have never been convicted or pleaded guilty to a felony charge in court, must not be in arrears for city tax or the municipal user fee on the last day of filing, be at least 25 years old, be a citizen of the United States, and have been a resident of Edina for one year preceding the Municipal Election in April.

The Mayor of Edina is the highest-paid city council member. The mayor is paid $250 per month for an annual salary of $3,000.

Edina has only had four mayors over the last 46 years. Peters replaced one-term Mayor Eric Hunolt in 2018 who replaced 12-term Mayor Davey Strickler in 2016. Strickler, who served for 24-years in-a-row, replaced nine-term Mayor Paulene Campbell in 1992 at the end of her 18-year role as mayor.