Downtown art gallery owner and civic activist Bill Hosko has been approached, time and again, with the same question: Are you going to run for City Council for a fourth time?
Hosko, the proprietor of the Hosko Gallery, has been focused on the launch of his second business -- the 1,300-square-foot Music Forest Cafe, which is taking longer to complete than initially imagined. But he hasn't ruled out a run for the Ward 2 council seat this November, which would pit him against what's shaping up to be a crowded field of candidates.
In fact, he's probably going to do it.
Here's a selection from his open statement to the public, sent out Friday, Jan. 23:
Regarding politics, with respect to regular inquiries and stepped up nature of this race, I will say that at this time it is likely I will seek the Ward 2 council seat again, but not until later this spring. I hope most voters can agree that a six-month city council campaign can be long enough. The filing deadline is August. This would be my fourth campaign.
Hosko recognizes he has his share of followers and detractors, but he notes that in his two most recent races against outgoing Council Member Dave Thune, he came in second.
All seven city council seats are on the Nov. 3 ballot, which will be decided by ranked-choice election. While the political party endorsements may cause a few candidates to drop out, there will be no primary, and the ballot is open to whichever ward residents pay a filing fee and choose to run.
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