Candidate guide for 2026 Roseville City Council Primary Election
Get to know the candidates
This year there are eight candidates running for two seats on the Roseville City Council, which means a Primary Election has been called for this race. The Primary Election will be held on August 11, 2026. Early voting and absentee voting has already begun. The four candidates who get the most votes will move forward to the General Election on November 3, 2026.
There are five city council members total on the Roseville City Council, including the mayor. A city council member is a part time elected position in Roseville. Learn more about how city governance works in Roseville here.
The Roseville Reader reached out to each candidate for city council and invited them to respond to questions for a candidate guide. What follows is information about each candidate based on that questionnaire, candidate websites, and publicly available information about each candidate. Direct quotes were copyedited and may have been edited for length. (Shortened quotes are indicated with an ellipses [...]) The candidates are listed in the order given on the Minnesota Secretary of State candidate filing website.
On your Primary Election ballot, you'll be able to vote for up to two candidates for Roseville City Council. Here's who is running:
Siafa Barclay
About the candidate
Siafa Barclay is a candidate for Roseville City Council. He also ran in 2022.
Barclay did not return our request to fill out a candidate questionnaire or submit a photo. A campaign website could not be found.
Bruce K. Bester
About the candidate
Bruce K. Bester is a candidate for Roseville City Council who has lived in Roseville for twenty-three years. Bester is a US military veteran who served in combat as a commissioned officer. He was employed for 40 years as the CFO at Opportunity Partners, Inc., which provided a range of services for adults with disabilities. As CFO he worked with lobbyists and negotiated contracts with Hennepin County and the Minnesota Department of Human Services. During that time, Bester was awarded the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Magazine's CFO of the Year-Lifetime Achievement Award.
Bester volunteered for eleven years with Courage Center Adaptive Waterski program on Lake Owasso. Bester has been a board member in numerous statewide associations for persons with disabilities and a volunteer at Central Park Elementary School in Roseville. For the past three years, he has served as a board member and treasurer of Fleur Royale Condominium Association. He also served on the Roseville Finance Commission for six years, including as chair.
"I believe that working upstream is the better way to support families and solve problems. I also believe that progress and success will happen one person at a time. I have a strong wellness orientation. For me that includes waterskiing, tennis, golf, ballroom dancing, and time at the YMCA. Roseville has a grand park system that supports community wellness. I think we should make it even better!" Bester wrote in his questionnaire.
Why are you running for Roseville city council?
"As a lifelong volunteer, I have learned how to make a difference in my various communities. My communities include those at all levels—national (military), state (human service), local (Roseville) and even individual person level (as mentor/advisor). I recently completed six years on Roseville's Finance Commission, including time as its Chair. I invested an extraordinary amount of time learning the details of Roseville's finances. I believe I can help leverage that knowledge and understanding to the advantage of the city, its businesses, and residents. I feel I can make a valuable contribution to help make Roseville and even better, more affordable community. Better more prosperous businesses lead to better jobs. Upstream thinking in supporting individuals and families makes for a healthier community."—Bester
Describe how you would approach decision making as a city councilmember
"I start by listening, I take time to do thorough research on the topic at hand. I am a compassionate problem solver, at home with complex matters that may be difficult or sensitive. After research, I make suggestions and recommendations. And I am bold enough to say it like it is (respectfully)."—Bester
Describe your values and priorities as they relate to city government
"I am a compassionate problem solver. I am at home with complex matters. My values include honesty, transparency, and integrity. Some of my priorities are described in the next question and response. At the same time, sonder tells me that every person has their own view of what is important and what is of concern. At the city level I think we need to be prepared to think and act at the individual citizen and business level."—Bester
On Bester's campaign website, his listed priorities are:
- Parks
- Public Safety
- Fiscal Responsibility
- Strong Neighborhoods
What is a recent decision or ongoing discussion at Roseville City Council meetings that you're particularly invested in?
"My observation over the past few years, and especially in the most recent year, is that residents are particularly concerned about safety/security and the tax levy. Operation Metro Surge resulted in a response from Roseville citizens unlike any before. City Council chambers and adjacent hallways were crowded with some 350 citizens expressing their fears and concerns about their safety. While I believe all undocumented persons should be working a path to citizenship, we need to be aware of the reality of the Metro Surge situation. Minnesota is estimated to have 100,000 undocumented persons, while Texas, Florida and California are estimated to have over 1,000,000 each. Roseville businesses lost revenue and workers lost wages. To a great extent citizens acted in their own defense, and they were recognized for their bravery. Still, solving this is a complicated matter. We need to keep in mind the Supremacy Clause and be aware of risk to grants and federal income. I suggest we start with a strong show of loyalty to our citizens and businesses.
Second issue is the Roseville tax levy. Over the past few years, the city levy has exceeded the cost-of-living indexes by multiples in most cases. For the year 2026 the combined impact of levy, new sales tax and new franchise fees (a city tax on utility bills) means Roseville taxpayers will experience a double-digit tax increase. Commitments in place suggest that will continue into the future. I will come with suggestions about how to mitigate the potential future increases."—Bester
Rebecca Carlson
Rebecca Carlson is a candidate for Roseville City Council. Carlson did not return our request to fill out a candidate questionnaire or submit a photo. A campaign website could not be found.
Alexis Cran
Alexis Cran is a candidate for Roseville City Council. Carlson did not return our request to fill out a candidate questionnaire or submit a photo. A campaign website could not be found.
Wayne Groff (incumbent)
About the candidate
Wayne Groff is running for re-election to the Roseville City Council for a third term. His first term began in 2019. Groff was born and raised with his six siblings on a farm in North Dakota. After receiving a degree in horticulture from North Dakota State University, Groff moved to the Twin Cities for further education in Scandinavian Studies from the University of Minnesota. He has worked as a realtor with Edina Realty for over 45 years and lived in Roseville with his husband for the past seventeen. They have been together for 45 years and were married in 2013 when it became legal in Minnesota, according to Groff. He and his husband enjoy gardening/landscaping, classical music, and midcentury architecture/design. Groff also enjoys doing the Wordle and Connections puzzles in the NYTimes.
Before he was elected to the city council, Groff served on the Roseville Planning Commission and Human Rights Commission. He is a former board member for Roseville Area League of Women Voters and Arts Roseville and a current board member for Northeast Youth and Family Services and Visit Roseville. Groff is a member of the Roseville Optimists Club and the Roseville Historical Society.
"I answer my phone, return calls, and respond to texts and emails. I look forward to hearing from and communicating with the citizens of Roseville," Groff wrote in his questionnaire.
The Roseville Reader interviewed Groff for a profile published in March 2025. You can read that here:
Naomi Krueger
Why are you running for Roseville city council?
"If re-elected I would like to continue representing you on issues such as addressing climate change on a local level, supporting the Community Action Team in our police department to address housing insecurity, domestic violence, and mental health issues in Roseville, and using our tax dollars judiciously to support our parks, safety, recycling, and many other programs that benefit life in Roseville."—Groff
Describe how you would approach decision making as a city councilmember
"Listening and hearing actively is key to functioning as an effective city council member. I believe it is necessary that all voices be heard in order to make good decisions. As a city council member I inform myself by listening to residents and carefully reviewing, studying and researching the packet provided by Roseville city staff outlining the topics to be addressed in each meeting. I value those things I then refer any questions I have back to the staff in advance of the meeting. I will always base my decisions on a balanced evaluation of resident input and researched information."—Groff
Describe your values and priorities as they relate to city government
"I value and prioritize those things that good government in Roseville provides for us all through our tax dollars.
• Safety and security through our well-trained and equipped Police Department.
• Quick, timely response to fire and medical emergencies from our Roseville Fire Department.
• Quality of life enhancement provided by our Roseville Parks and Recreation Department - a walk in the woods, inclusive space for families, education opportunities to expand our horizons.
• Top notch services provided by our Public works Department - prompt snow removal, maintenance and updating of water, sewer, and streets."
What is a recent decision or ongoing discussion at Roseville City Council meetings that you're particularly invested in?
"An important, ongoing project is the new Public Works facility. This project is a major endeavor and an investment in the future of the City of Roseville and will insure the maintenance of our city's infrastructure. It will also include a new, efficient licensing and passport center for Roseville residents."
Cassie Iverson
About the candidate
Campaign website
Campaign Facebook page
Campaign Instagram
Cassie Iverson is a candidate for Roseville City Council. She grew up in rural Minnesota, with a mother who was a nurse and father who was a business owner in construction and sales. Iverson was recruited to Hamline University as an athlete and finished her degree in English at the University of Saint Thomas. After graduating in 2008 during the Great Recession, Iverson worked various jobs in retail, bartending, event security, and pressure washing parking ramps before landing a job in elder law as a receptionist. Eighteen years later, she is now a paralegal specializing in Medical Assistance benefits for aging and disabled individuals. She has lived in Roseville for three years with her fiancé Vic and her two kids, who split their time with their other household in a southern Twin Cities suburb, according to Iverson.
"We may look different from the outside, but the love and the commitment to showing up for each other are the same as any family. That experience has given me a firsthand understanding of what families actually need from their community, whether that's grandparents raising grandchildren, single parents, blended households, or families that have never had to explain their shape to anyone," Iverson wrote in her questionnaire.
Iverson has been a member of Saint Anthony Park United Church of Christ for twelve years and has served on the board of trustees and a representative to the church council. When living in Robbinsdale, Iverson was part of a neighborhood crime prevention team. She is currently involved in community safety initiatives through Unidos MN and Monarca. Iverson stays active through Girls on the Run, No Quit Fit, the Twin Cities Goodtime Softball League, and is training for her third YWCA Women's Triathlon.
Why are you running for Roseville city council?
"I've spent my career in the gap between what systems promise and what families actually experience trying to access those promises. That's where my values became a career. The decisions being made right now in Roseville about housing, development, transit, and neighborhood investment will shape this city for years to come. I want to bring that same accountability and commitment to City Hall and make sure those decisions work for everyone who calls Roseville home."—Iverson
Describe how you would approach decision making as a city councilmember
"Listen first, ask hard questions, and make sure the people most affected by a decision have a real voice before that decision is made. I don't lead from a distance. I believe in being accessible not just at council meetings but out in the community, so that input happens before a vote rather than after. I'll be honest about what I don't know, eager to learn, and straight with people about tradeoffs. Residents deserve to understand not just what the council decided but why and what it cost."—Iverson
Describe your values and priorities as they relate to city government
"Local government works best when more people are in it. Not just the people who already know how to navigate City Hall, but renters, working families, seniors, first-generation voters, and anyone who has ever felt like decisions were being made around them instead of with them. ... As a queer person, a working mom, and someone who has spent their whole career showing up for people who need an advocate, I want this seat to prove that Roseville's leadership reflects it's residents.
Transparency isn't just about publishing information. It's about making sure residents can actually understand what their government is doing and why, and that they have a real opportunity to weigh in before decisions are made, not after.
...I support the already "in motion" ADU reforms, courtyard cottages and zoning restructuring that will create more options for multigenerational living, seniors, renters and first-time buyers. Any development proposal should answer the same question: does this serve a full range of people who call Roseville home?
Smart, community-centered development in the Rosedale corridor and beyond, with genuine community input before approvals, developers held accountable to their commitments, and growth that serves Roseville's 2040 goals rather than just the bottom line. Small businesses and local entrepreneurs need room to start and grow, and I'll advocate for cooperative commercial spaces that make that possible.
A connected, accessible Roseville where getting around doesn't depend on owning a car. Sidewalk gaps closed, trails completing the network, dedicated bike infrastructure, and transit connections that actually work. This is an equity issue, a safety issue, and a climate issue all at once."—Iverson
What is a recent decision or ongoing discussion at Roseville City Council meetings that you're particularly invested in?
"What is compelling to me about the Aldine Street right-of-way isn't just where I land on it—it's what the issue IS. A 30-foot strip of city-owned land, a path that never appeared on any master plan, residents who built something meaningful out of something the city had forgotten about. And then, when it was nearly taken away permanently, neighbors showed up—passionately, on both sides, with real stakes and real convictions.
That's local government doing exactly what it's supposed to do. Not abstract policy, but decisions that touch how people actually live—where their children walk, whether a tree survives, what a neighborhood loses when public land disappears quietly. The people in that room on June 8th weren't performing concern. They had been using that path for 30 years, or watching it encroach on their property for just as long. Both things were and are true at once.
That's what drew me to run for this seat. Not the big ceremonial votes, but the unglamorous, genuinely hard ones, where reasonable people disagree, where the tradeoffs are real, and where getting it right matters to real people. Our neighbors."—Iverson
Kevin Nicholson
About the candidate
Kevin Nicholson is a candidate for Roseville City Council. He was also on the ballot in the 2024 General Election. Nicholson has lived in Roseville for 30 years and is retired from his business Minnesota Low Vision and retired from Hennepin County Medical Center. He is a former board member for the North End Medical Center and the merger board for Maternity of Mary and Saint Andrews Catholic Schools in St. Paul in 1989. He was once the chair of the Saint Paul DFL, but is now a Republican, according to the candidate. Roseville City Council is a nonpartisan elected office.
"God willing I give you four to six years of representation," Nicholson wrote in his questionnaire. Roseville City Councilmembers serve for four years at a time, but there are no term limits.
A campaign website could not be found.
Why are you running for Roseville city council?
"To represent senior citizens and all homeowners in Roseville."—Nicholson
Describe how you would approach decision making as a city councilmember
"Roseville is a well-run city. I want to keep it that way and to keep my eye on the budget."—Nicholson
Describe your values and priorities as they relate to city government
"Value for our tax dollars and safety for our personal well-being."—Nicholson
What is a recent decision or ongoing discussion at Roseville City Council meetings that you're particularly invested in?
"No disagreements here."—Nicholson
Erik Noren
About the candidate
Erik Noren is a candidate for Roseville City Council. Noren did not return our request to fill out a candidate questionnaire or submit a photo. A campaign website could not be found.
Noren also ran for Roseville City Council in the 2024 General Election.
Roseville Mayoral Election
This year there is also an election for Roseville Mayor. Learn about the three candidates running for that seat in 2026:
Naomi Krueger
Voting information
Early voting has already begun and the last day to vote in the Primary is August 11, 2026. For information on when and where to vote, check out the Ramsey County website:
Find your polling place, update your voter registration, and view sample ballots here.
