Lawsuit Seeks Review of Rochester City Council Election

Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - A current member of the Rochester City Council has filed a civil complaint in Olmsted County Court challenging the results of the November 5 election.

The unofficial results of the election have 4th Ward City Councilmember Kelly Rae Kirkpatrick losing to challenger Andy Friederichs by a 190 vote margin. Kirkpatrick is now asking the court to review the results by claiming that Friederichs does not live in the 4th Ward.

Get our free mobile app

According to the civil complaint, Kirkpatrick and three other 4th Ward voters claim Friederichs' family's home is in Marion Township, outside the city limits, and that he does not meet the city's election residency requirements even though he now lists his address as a rental unit on East Center Street.

The lawsuit contends that makes Friederichs ineligible to run for an elected position in the City of Rochester.

The Olmsted County Sheriff's Office previously looked into an anonymous tip concerning the location of Friederichs' home and an investigator found that the candidate application he filed in May listed an apartment along Marion Road southeast as his residence and that he later moved to the East Center Street apartment. The investigator also indicated that Friederichs' driver’s license listed the East Center Street location as his address and that he stated his intent to live at that location indefinitely.

A court hearing concerning the civil complaint has yet to be scheduled.