For the first time in four years, Ely will have a contested race for mayor.
First-term council member Emily Roose is looking to move up after two years in city office. She has entered Ely’s mayoral election and will challenge incumbent Heidi Omerza.
Six contenders, including two incumbents, a former council member and three first-time candidates will be part of Ely’s city council election.
Current council members Al Forsman and Angela Campbell will be joined by former councilor Mark Zupec, as well as Josh Brang, Abby Dare and Lacey Squier on the ballot.
The top three vote-getters in the council election will win four-year terms, while the mayoral seat carries a two-year term.
Just one more council candidate and one more mayoral hopeful would have triggered an August primary. Instead, those now in the race will proceed directly to the general election in the fall.
Omerza served 16 years as a council member before winning the mayor’s seat in 2022.
She was re-elected without opposition in 2024 but will have to fend off a challenge from Roose to stay in office.
Roose was the top vote-getter in the 2024 council election - her first run at public office - and has at times clashed with Omerza at the council table.
“I just felt compelled to represent the people of Ely and take this next step,” said Roose. “Being on the council the last year-and-a-half I’ve really enjoyed it, I’ve enjoyed connecting with people from other cities at the state level.”
Roose said that if elected “I would start with a period of learning and wouldn’t make any rash changes. After that I just plan to continue to increase community engagement and involvement in our city.”
In the council race, Forsman is seeking a fourth term in office while Campbell goes after a third term in November.
The third incumbent, Adam Bisbee, first filed for re-election and later withdrew from the race.
Bisbee’s withdrawal ensures there will be a new face on the council in 2027, but if Zupec wins it will be a familiar one.
Zupec has been out of office for more than a decade but previously served several terms on the council.
Three first-time Ely council contenders will also be on the ballot - including two who have been highly visible in community affairs.
Dare is a local business owner and former director of VisitEly, also known as the Ely Tourism Bureau. She made frequent appearances before the council late last year and again in early-2026 amid the public controversy over the distribution of local lodging tax funds.
Squier works for the Northeastern Minnesotans for Wilderness organization Boundary Waters Connect and has been the longtime emcee at the weekly Tuesday Group luncheons at Grand Ely Lodge.
The general election takes place on Tuesday, Nov. 3.
