Thom Boncher announced to day that he will be seeking election to the Jordan City Council.

The seats held by Jordan Mayor Ron Jabs and fellow city councilmembers Sally Schultz, Mike Shaw, and Barry Ullmann are up for election this November.

Jabs announced his intention to run for re-election and challenger Pete Ewals' supporters wore campaign T-shirts during the Scott County Fair. Ullmann is not running for office. Schultz and Shaw are expected to run, but they have not officially announced their intentions.

For the city council election, the filing period runs from Aug. 26 to Sept. 9.

“I'm not a politician,” he wrote in an e-mail. “My intent is to put Jordan first.”

City officials are being influenced by the Metropolitan Council, the Minnesota Department of Transportation, and Scott County.

“Not all of what those outside influences want is in the best interest of Jordan,” Boncher said.

His e-mail continued:

“I also believe the city needs to protect and preserve its core before it can start to expand again. Homeowners in partially developed subdivisions are seeing diminished home values because of the empty homes and vacant lots in their areas. Their property values should be protected before the city starts looking at expansion. Downtown Jordan is plagued by empty buildings.

“Currently, the primary responsibility for urban renewal downtown rests on individual property owners. The city provides little more than design guidelines and zoning regulations. And the Mini-Met (a true jewel in this community) needs more support to enhance the efforts of the many volunteers who make it such a great ballpark.

“Of course, there are many pluses we can build upon. Jordan is safe, thanks to our police and fire departments. We need to make sure they continue to have the staff and equipment to do their jobs.

“There's a lot more to say and do, but that should be enough to get things rolling. Hopefully, other people in Jordan will feel my views mirror their own. Also hopefully, a few more of them will enter the race.”

Boncher, 60, has lived in Jordan for more than five years and in Scott County for more than 22 years.

He said he and Sandy, his wife of 30 years, chose to live in Jordan because of its friendliness and small-town atmosphere.

While living in Prior Lake, Boncher co-founded the Prior Lake Taxpayers Coalition, an organization that opposed a tax-increment financing plan that would have raised taxes without taxpayers having a say.

He is not affiliated with any political party, Boncher said.

The upcoming terms for city council seats would run from January 2009 to December 2012.

For more information, call 952-492-2535 or go to the city hall, 201 First St. E. in downtown Jordan.