James Lockwood, a communications and brand manager for such high-profile firms as BWBR Architects and Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota, was once a speech writer for St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman.
He's also been a Lifetime Fitness spin instructor (think bicycles, not press releases), and a board member for both United Family Medicine and Pro-Choice Resources, a Minneapolis-based pregnancy and abortion counseling and advocacy group.
Now, he's got a new title to add to his multi-faceted resume: city council candidate. Lockwood plans to challenge St. Paul City Council Member Dan Bostrom -- one of the longest-serving members of the city council -- for his Ward 6 seat on the Greater East Side.
Lockwood's campaign launch is at 11 a.m. Saturday at Sidhe Brewing on Payne Avenue. Scroll down to see his latest media release, below. He currently sits on the community planning and economic development committee for the District 5/Payne Phalen District Council.
This dubious-looking man is also running for election, but to what office, no one knows...
Ward 6 spans Frost Lake, Hayden Heights, Hazel Park, Payne/Phalen, Phalen Village, and Prosperity. It's home to Phalen Regional Park and the Hillcrest Golf Course.
Bostrom, a former St. Paul police sergeant who has spent 11 years been on the city council since 1996, is no Johnny-Come-Lately. His campaign website spells out some of his endorsements, which include AFSCME Minnesota Council 5 and the St. Paul Building and Construction Trades Council. (UPDATE: Fire Fighters Local 3939 have also endorsed Bostrom )
The site lists some 27 major neighborhood efforts and redevelopment initiatives on the East Side that Bostrom would like to take some credit for, from shoreline restoration to a possible new Cub Foods store.
Bostrom, one of the more moderate-to-conservative voices on the council, has been a frequent critic of the Coleman administration, and he's taken aim at everything from an ongoing streetcar study to property tax increases, as well as the city's $800,000 Black Bear Crossings legal settlement.
(UPDATE: Bostrom will host his own campaign kick-off from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 25 at the Hmong Village Shopping Center, 1001 Johnson Parkway in St. Paul. )
It will be interesting to see Lockwood's more liberal progressive take on some of those issues as campaign season unfolds. Let the battle be joined...
All seven city council seats will appear on the Nov. 3 ballot, so watch this space for further announcements...
MEDIA ALERT
Rally to Kick-Off Lockwood Campaign for Ward 6
SAINT PAUL – With the backdrop of the new, growing, diverse economy on Saint Paul’s East Side, James Lockwood will announce his candidacy for Saint Paul’s Ward 6 city council seat on Saturday at the soon-to-open Sidhe Brewing Company.
Running on a platform of opportunity, inclusion and vitality, Lockwood is using the rally to highlight the evolving landscape on the East Side. From the women-owned brewery that will host the rally to the locally owned Plaza del Sol that fronts the brewery to the acclaimed restaurants that have opened around the new businesses on Payne Avenue, the face of the expansive part of Saint Paul has changed, demanding new energy, innovative ideas, and spirited representation of the community’s potential.
The rally will include music from The May North, an up-and-coming blue grass/country band that calls the East Side home. In 2014, the 5-member band released their sophomore album, Interstate Lives, and will play later in the evening at the East Side’s namesake restaurant, Ward 6.
What: Kick-Off Rally for James Lockwood for Ward 6 city council campaign
Where: Sidhe Brewing, 990 Payne Ave., Saint Paul
When: 11 a.m., Saturday, Jan. 17For more information, go to facebook.com/JamesLockwoodWard6.
To contact, call James Lockwood at 651.504.4219.
The post James Lockwood to challenge Dan Bostrom in Ward 6 appeared first on City Hall Scoop.