Grand Forks City Council member Jeannie Mock will seek another four-year term at City Hall this June. Her announcement, the first in Ward 4, means each of the three Council races on the ballot this year will have at least one candidate.
Mock, 33 and an environmental scientist with AE2S, first was elected in 2014. In a prepared announcement, she described interest in improving roads, minding the city's budget and helping residents "stay connected" with City Hall. She cites her interest in working with other Council members' ideas as well as her engagement with constituents chief among qualifications for re-election.
"I've served for four years, and I always do my best to listen to both sides of the issue and take seriously all the comments received from people in the public," Mock said in an interview. I think that's really important for a council member."
Mock also added her interest in "infill" development to keep the city building more efficiently. That means growing a city more denser instead of broader - something proponents like Mock say can save costs on infrastructure and leave more money for road repair.
"In terms of connecting people with the ctiy, we've done ward meetings," she said. "I think that's something good to continue doing - not just when you've got a sales tax vote."
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A 2007 graduate of Concordia College in Moorhead, where she studied biology and environmental studies, Mock went on to earn a master's degree from UND in 2009 in earth system science and policy. Her husband, Corey Mock, is a the minority leader of the state House of Representatives, and the two have an nine-month-old son, Grayson.
Mock's announcement is the first in Ward 4, which includes neighborhoods along the eastern edge of the city stretching from Lincoln Drive Park to South 20th Street to 28th Avenue South.
Other Council races are in Ward 2, which includes neighborhoods east of UND, where incumbent Crystal Schneider has declined to run for re-election. Mark Rustad and Katie Dachtler have announced campaigns to succeed her.
In Ward 6, which includes regions around the city's south and west, City Council President Dana Sande is the only publicly known candidate.
