Election Results Shouldn't Rock the Boat Too Much

While nearby Golden Valley saw a Tuesday night when challenger Shep Harris beat four-term incumbent Linda Loomis for the mayor's seat, St. Louis Park's election provided no such changing of the guard.

Newcomers and won , while joined three incumbents in .

Of course, only time will tell how these three mesh with their respective colleagues and what policy decisions will emerge. But an educated guess would suggest that St. Louis Park won't be in for a drastic change.

On arguably the biggest issue facing the city—the proposed freight rail reroute—Hallfin and Spano have voiced opposition. So did the current council, by a . Phil Finkelstein and Paul Omodt, the incumbents that Hallfin and Spano will be replacing, were among the majority. So, don't expect much of a change here.

Hallfin and Spano also each have experience with their respective neighborhood associations, leading me to believe that they should be fairly well-versed in how local politics works. I'd expect a fairly smooth transition, and good working relationships among the seven council members.

Same can be said for Joe Tatalovich. He has experience running the legislative action committee for local schools, SLP ICARE, and also worked on the district's strategic planning committee in 2009. By all accounts, Tatalovich has already established solid relationships with the other board members. And with six out of seven members returning next year anyway, the impact of one new member would be minimal no matter what his or her views were.

Again, only time will tell what impact Tuesday's election results will have. But the smart money is on more of the same—or similar. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing—sometimes staying the course can be wise.

If you'd like to weigh in on this, check out our poll question below, and feel free to leave a comment as well.