Northfield City Councilor Will Resign from Seat

Councilor Patrick Ganey has accepted a job with Middlebury College in Vermont and will resign from his Ward 4 seat on the Council.

When his resignation happens, however, is still up in the air, Ganey told Patch.

“I’ve accepted a job but I’m still here,” he said. “While I am on the Council, I am on the Council and I am fully engaged in its deliberations. I take my responsibilities very seriously and don’t want that to be compromised.”

Ganey, who came to Northfield nearly 20 years ago and has worked as a development officer for since 2003, said a lot of details are still being worked out with Middlebury. He said with a wife, three children and a house to sell, it’s unknown when he’ll actually leave Northfield.

“With any significant job transition, there are a significant number details. …We’re trying to figure the logistics out,” he said.

For Ganey, the position as a senior development officer, Asia, for Middlebury College is a great opportunity. Ganey, whose wife is Vietnamese, spent time in Thailand as a Peace Corps volunteer and has a strong interest in expanding philanthropy in Asia.

“To be part of that conversation to see how to help shape philanthropy in a lot of countries where there hasn’t been (is great),” he said.

Councilor Betsey Buckheit said Ganey will be missed when he leaves.

“He made an immediate positive impact on the Council when he was elected two years ago. I will miss his careful preparation, incisive consideration of issues and overwhelming commitment to ensuring local government serves the community well,” she told Patch. “The rest of the Council and I have been fortunate to have such a warm, thoughtful colleague and I wish Patrick and his family the best in their new adventure.”

Impact on the Northfield City Council

But the move, whenever it happens, will bring more change to the Council, which could already see as many as four new faces in 2013 after .

Depending on when Ganey officially resigns from his seat will dictate the schedule to replace him, said City Administrator Tim Madigan.

According to city code, if Ganey, who was elected in November 2010 and took office in January 2011, resigns before the calendar year is over, the Council will need to appoint someone to fill his seat for the remainder of 2012 and all of 2013. Should he resign after the New Year, the Council will appoint someone for the remainder of 2013.

In both cases, a special election will be held in November 2013 to elect someone to finish out the fourth and final year of Ganey’s term.

It'll be the second time in about a year that the Council will need to appoint a replacement.

The Council in December 2011 appointed to fill former Councilor Kris Vohs’ seat, who resigned in November. In that case, there was about a five-week turnaround between Vohs’ announcement and Imm’s appointment.

A big difference between last year’s resignation is that Vohs, as an At-Large candidate, represented the entire city. When he resigned, came forward to fill the vacancy. In Ganey’s case, only Ward 4 residents will be able to apply to fill the vacancy.

In the 2010 general election, Ganey received 52.67 of the vote in defeating Dale B. Gehring, who received 46.9 of the vote. The two advanced to the general election after receiving more votes than Ward 4 incumbent Jon Denison in the primary election. This year, Denison is a candidate for Ward 3.

The eventual resignation caps an interesting year of politics for Ganey.

In February, he that he was seeking the DFL endorsement for Minnesota House District 20B. Nearly six weeks later, Ganey from that race and, five days later, for the DFL endorsement for Minnesota's Second Congressional District. At the end of April, Ganey conceded to Eagan's Mike Obermueller at the CD2 before the fourth ballot was counted. 

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