City Council member Jake Spano won 77.76 percent of the vote in an election to fill the vacancy created by Saint Louis Park mayor Jeff Jacobs’ retirement, according to office of the Minnesota Secretary of State.  

Spano said his victory in the Nov. 3 election adds another chapter to a story of lifelong political interest.

“I got started just by volunteering on a political campaign and ever since then, I’ve been involved,” Spano said.

According to Spano’s campaign, Spano previously served as a City Council member and Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon’s chief of staff.

Spano’s opponent, Conrad Segal, gained 21.92 percent of the vote, according to the office of the Secretary of State.

Segal said the election allowed for an exchange of ideas not seen in St. Louis Park since before the appointment of Jacobs over 20 years ago.

“I would say this was a great opportunity to raise issues, especially on things where my opponent and I disagreed,” Segal said.

According to junior Camarie Martin, the election of a new mayor brings uncertainty.

“A new mayor is more of an unknown than a mayor who has been in the office before,” Martin said.

Segal said he emphasizes the cordial nature of the campaign.

“It was a good clean campaign without any of the things people usually complain about,” Segal said. “My opponent has good intentions and I think that this was a healthy race.”

Spano said, as mayor, he looks forward to increasing coordination between the city and the schools.

“I would like to see a little bit closer cooperation between the School Board and the City Council to make sure that the policies we implement at the city level support what’s going on at our schools,” Spano said. “Our schools are one of the main attractions for people to come to our city.”

According to freshman Will Staib, Spano’s past political experience translates into a proven record.

“Having served on the City Council, I’m sure (Spano) will do a good job for St. Louis Park and the school system,” Staib said.

Spano said high school students’ participation in local politics matters.

“Find somebody you are excited about working for or run for yourself,” Spano said. “Get up and get involved.”