歪歪漫画

BEMIDJI 鈥� Daniel Jourdain will challenge incumbent Jorge Prince in Bemidji鈥檚 mayoral race at the Nov. 5 general election.

After the pair made it through the Aug. 13 primary election, Jourdain had announced in a since-deleted Facebook post that he was dropping out of the race. Since then, he has restarted his campaign and reentered the race.

The Pioneer reached out to Jourdain for more details on his decision to reenter the race but did not receive a response.

Jorge Prince, 53, has served as Bemidji mayor since 2020. He was motivated to pursue a second term upon recognizing challenges that the city continues to face along with opportunities for improvement.

鈥淎s a council we have achieved many wins on behalf of our citizens including securing millions of dollars in outside funding for our city, navigating our city out of the Covid-19 pandemic, securing clean water in our city for generations to come and strengthening relationships,鈥� Prince said. 鈥淗owever, I know there is still much work to do.鈥�

If reelected, Prince hopes to address affordable housing, crime, mental health, addiction and inflationary concerns. Collaboration between city government, businesses, community organizations and citizens will be paramount in overcoming these issues, he noted.

"The issues facing our city are complex as they are intertwined and impacted by the disproportionate level of poverty in our community," he added. "These challenges require all of us to be engaged."

Prince said he will advocate for low property taxes, putting forth regulations to encourage housing developers to build affordable homes in the area, and making investments in Bemidji鈥檚 police, fire and legal departments.

About the candidate

• Age: 53
• Residence: Has lived in Bemidji for 48 years
• Education: Has a bachelor's degree in accounting from BSU and Economic Development Finance Professional certification through the National Development Council
• Occupation: Chief financial officer and partner with LaValley Industries, LVI Supply, Evolve Creative, GreenEdge and IdeaWorks

Daniel Jourdain, 39, previously served as an At-Large City Councilor following a February 2021 special election until the end of 2022. Jourdain entered the mayoral race with some encouragement from community members.

鈥淭oo often, important decisions are being put off, and I believe I have the capacity to make hard decisions and encourage others to work together,鈥� Jourdain said. 鈥淭here are a number of tough decisions about which projects make sense for the city, and I believe there is not currently enough being done to support and encourage the staff who do the work.鈥�

Jourdain emphasized partnership and teamwork as two ingredients to address issues that Bemidji faces. Among Jourdain鈥檚 top concerns are affordable housing, wages, reliable access to transportation, crime and substance abuse.

鈥淲e need to support public safety initiatives and find ways to encourage housing development to replace aging housing stock,鈥� he added. 鈥淪trategic planning, economic development and evaluating land use needs will also be major issues for the city in the coming years.鈥�

Jourdain said he would provide leadership by promoting citizen involvement and working toward long-term planning for the city鈥檚 future.

About the candidate

• Age: 39
• Residence: Has lived in Bemidji for 10 years
• Education: Has an associate's degree in law enforcement
• Occupation: Cultural coordinator at the New Day Center