A two-way race exists for the open council seat in the City of Minot’s Nov. 8 special election.

Seeking the seat are Roscoe Streyle, who has been serving by appointment since mid-July, and Scott Burlingame. The deadline for filing was Tuesday.

The seat to be filled was vacated by Tom Ross upon his election as mayor in June. The term runs through June 2024.

Both Streyle and Burlingame had been council candidates in 2020. Streyle came in slightly ahead of Burlingame in the five-way race for three seats, but both lost to current council members Carrie Evans and Stephan Podrygula, along with Ross.

Senior vice president at United Community Bank, Streyle served in the North Dakota House of Representatives from 2011-2018, serving six years on the House Appropriations Committee.  

Streyle said he looks forward to addressing the issues during the campaign.

“Keeping property taxes as low as possible would be a goal, while still providing superior service and upgrading our infrastructure,” he said. He said he hopes to use his legislative experience to obtain state funding assistance to advance flood protection and the Northwest Area Water Supply project.

Burlingame is the executive director of Independence, Inc., a nonprofit organization that removes barriers for people with disabilities.

In announcing his candidacy this week, Burlingame listed his  priorities as increasing the availability and affordability of childcare, building a sustainable city budget that relies less on property tax and growing the local economy. 

Burlingame is president of the Minot Alliance of Nonprofits, is a member of the Chamber-EDC Government Affairs Committee and was part of the local Census Complete Count Committee.

On the state level, he is president of Affordable Housing Developers Inc., a nonprofit community housing development organization that develops, preserves and manages safe and affordable housing for lower income households in North Dakota.  He has been appointed to statewide commissions by the last three North Dakota governors to help influence policies and programs in the areas of employment, housing, education and home and community-based services. 

Nationally, he is the immediate past president  of the Association of Programs for Rural Independent Living, which consists of more than 260 member organizations. 

“My experience as a nonprofit leader and from serving on numerous community boards has taught me how to listen to people in need, to bring people together and to work with others to get things done,” he said in his announcement.

Zach Raknerud, who ran unsuccessfully for the council last June and was among 13 people seeking the July appointment to the vacancy, said he has decided not to run but is supporting Burlingame.

“The City Council made the wrong choice appointing Roscoe Streyle to the vacancy,” he said in a prepared statement. “Minot deserves to be represented by someone who cares about vulnerable people in our community and is willing to try new things for the everyman.”