Former St. Paul City Council Member Debbie Montgomery said Friday she's definitely running to get her Ward 1 seat back, even though she's concerned about "convoluted endorsement" procedures.
Montgomery, a retired St. Paul Police commander, was the incumbent in 2007 but was beaten by Melvin Carter III. Montgomery didn't run two years ago, when Carter easily won re-election, but now Carter will step down in July to take a state education job.
Four other candidates have officially announced runs for the seat, too:
- Kazoua Kong-Thao, a former school board member
- Johnny Howard, who ran against Carter two years ago
- Noel Nix, Carter's council aide
- Dai Thao, an IT manager who's worked on progressive causes
Montgomery said this morning that she's navigating the issues involving endorsements as she plans her campaign, but said definitely: "I am running."
She said she'll campaign on helping individuals and families in her ward, which is being transformed by the light rail line.
"When we move families forward, we move the city forward," she said.
The race will be run in the city's ranked-choice voting system, where voters can designate their first, second, third or more choices for the seat. In a contested race, like this is turning out to be, it's likely that no candidate will get 50 percent of the vote in the first round, so those second and third choice designations may prove decisive.
Montgomery said she's hearing from some residents that they don't understand the ranked-choice system, so education will be important before the November election.
"There seems to be a lack of understanding of how it works," she said. "A lot of communities of color, in particular, don't understand it. We'll need a whole lot of training on it."
Carter leaves the council July 5, less then halfway through his second term, to become director of the state's Office of Early Learning.