Incumbents re-elected to Grove City, Minn., council

GROVE CITY -- Voters in Grove City returned the incumbents to their seats, despite a race that generated a full slate of candidates.

Mayor Melissa Drange received 187 votes, defeating challengers Michael Bredeson, a former mayor and former city councilman, who received 82 votes, and Sean Gallagher who received 34 votes, according to unofficial returns.

Incumbent City Council member Gwen Cram was re-elected, and Karl Nelson, a current member who was appointed, was elected to his seat Tuesday.

Cram received 177 votes and Nelson 171 votes. Cram is a longtime councilwoman and Nelson was appointed to the council earlier this year after the resignation of Councilman Bill Houselog.

The other City Council candidates were Tim Nelson, who received 99 votes, and Dean Rueckert, who received 86 votes.

Melissa Bergstrom had filed to run for a seat in the City Council, and received 31 votes, but last month she accepted the job as the new city clerk of Grove City. It was too late to take her name off the ballot prior to the election.