But he said many of the endeavors, such as the water treatment plant, have been discussed for years and are badly needed. The problem, Martig explained, is that Northfield’s relatively small stock of big, tax-paying businesses forces homeowners to foot large shares of the bill for projects. Officials are attempting to attract companies and prime land for development to expand the city’s tax base, he added.

Tasked with leading Northfield through this is mayor-elect Erica Zweifel. The former three-term Council Member will replace in January current Mayor Rhonda Pownell, who didn’t earn enough votes in the primary to advance to the general election.

Much of the campaign centered around spending, though candidates and voters voiced different ideas about the city’s fiscal future.

If you ask Northfield residents what they think about recent projects, many will chime in with criticism of the bike lanes.

In 2023, the City Council greenlit a street improvement project that included several cyclist thoroughfares. The approval followed months of protest against the cost, safety and functionality of lanes that would place a curb between cyclists and drivers.

Today, mixed feelings about the lanes remain. Landsteiner said it’s difficult to negotiate his pick-up truck through newly narrowed streets. Tom Bisel, the owner of Downtown Bicycles, said he’s “always supportive of bike infrastructure” yet questioned whether Northfield “needs bike infrastructure like a big city.”

Fresh off the Democrats’ losses in the presidential election and for control of the U.S. House and Senate, the longtime chair of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor party is putting his name in the hat to lead the Democratic National Committee.

Ken Martin, 51, of Eagan, announced his intention Tuesday in a video posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.

“I’m ready to get to work to rebuild our party,” he wrote in a caption accompanying the 2:20 minute video.

Martin began his career in the 1990s as an intern for former U.S. Sen. Paul Wellstone. He has served as leader of the state’s Democrats since 2011, making him the longest-serving chairman in the party’s history. Martin also serves as vice chair of the DNC and president of the Association of State Democratic Chairs.

“When I took over Minnesota’s Democratic Party, we were deep in debt and disarray, reeling from major losses. But we brought people together, we built a winning coalition and we delivered results,” he said in his video. “Since then we’ve won every statewide election. Twenty-two in a row. “And we are the last of blue wall states still standing. “

Martin, who attended Eden Prairie High School and graduated from the University of Kansas, said he entered politics because he was angry and frustrated with what he saw with politicians. He said Wellstone told him the only way to change an institution is to get involved and shape it from the inside.

“That is why I am running for the chair of the Democratic National Committee,” Martin said in his video. “My motto is to build, to expand, build to last. When the Trump agenda fails Americans, as it most certainly will, they need to know that we have their backs.”

The owners of the CC Club in Minneapolis’ Uptown neighborhood say they are open to selling the famous dive bar in the near future after running it for more than a decade.

Randy Segal, one of the co-owners of the bar, said there have been no formal plans to sell the bar yet. But with both Segal and his co-owner Steve Shapiro recently turning 75 in March, he says he is contemplating retirement.

“With all the stress of running businesses, you get older, and reality hits,” Segal said on Monday.

The dive bar was first opened in 1933 at the intersection of Lyndale Avenue and 26th Street. It developed a legendary status in the city as a place for hipsters and musicians. The bar has seen a lot of music style evolution from rock-and-roll to today’s punk-focused music scene.

Notably, a few songs by the Minneapolis rock band The Replacements were inspired by their time at the CC Club, including the track, “Here Comes a Regular.”

Earlier this year, Segal had mentioned to others that he would look to retire and sell the business to when he turned 75, which happened in March. While there have been no advertisements or formal talks about selling, Segal said he would consider offers.

“It’s the kind of thing where if something came along and it was the right deal, I suppose I’d listen to it,” Segal said.

First opportunity, however, would go to the bar’s workers if they wished to collectively buy the bar, the owner noted. Still, Segal said he wants whoever eventually takes over the club to have knowledge of bars, business and being a manager.