Blaine is booming with growth, plans for new downtown. Candidates have competing visions in election.

Voters next month will elect the Blaine mayor and half the council during a transformative time, as the growing city looks to build a walkable downtown and entertainment center, capitalizing on its millions of yearly sports tourists.

The Nov. 5 election will be key in determining how Blaine is developed in the coming years, as candidates offer competing visions for the future of the city. Blaine has ballooned from about 57,000 residents in 2010 to more than 73,000.

But the city’s evolving identity and other issues have increasingly been overshadowed as tensions on the council boil over. Earlier this month, the council took the rare action of censuring Council Member Lori Saroya, who is seeking re-election, due to accusations that she has mistreated staff.

First-term Mayor Tim Sanders called it an “extremely unfortunate scenario.” He argued that despite the friction, the city has made great strides, including planning ways to connect the city’s “patchwork” of amenities and turn Blaine into a more cohesive destination.




https://www.startribune.com/blaine-city-council-mayor-election/601166265