St. Joseph’s newly elected officials — Mayor Adam Scepaniak and Councilmember Adam Schnettler — were sworn in Monday night.
The two were sworn in after former Mayor Rick Schultz and Councilmember Bob Loso departed from the council. Loso ran for mayor this Nov. 5 election but fell short to Scepaniak.
St. Joseph Mayor Adam Scepaniak swearing in Councilmember Adam Schnettler.
St. Joseph politics: Minnesota’s first municipal dispensary may be in St. Joseph
With Scepaniak being elected to mayor, a city council seat is now vacated. To apply for this position, Scepaniak said residents can submit a one-page résumé to the city by Friday, Jan. 10. The St. Joseph City Council must appoint someone to the city council within 30 days or it will spark a special election.
The council unanimously approved appointing Kelly Beniek as acting mayor in the event Scepaniak cannot perform his duties for a given event. Beniek was reelected to the city council this Nov. 5 election.
St. Joseph Mayor Adam Scepaniak presiding over his first St. Joseph City Council meeting as mayor.
“If the mayor of St. Joseph was supposed to go to an Area Planning Organization meeting or is supposed to be somewhere and I don’t do my job, then the acting mayor can fill it,” Scepaniak said. “It can be beneficial.”
Scepaniak told the St. Cloud Times efforts to bring a community center to St. Joseph and discussions on the municipal cannabis dispensary are expected conversations this upcoming year.
Corey Schmidt covers politics and courts for the St. Cloud Times. He can be reached at cschmidt@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on St. Cloud Times: Scepaniak takes charge as St. Joseph’s new mayor