Scott County Board Chairman Bob Vogel announced today he
will not seek a third term, “because when I decided to run for this
office in 2002 I made a personal commitment to myself to impose a term
limit of no more than two terms, the second of which will expire this
year,” he said in a news release.

Filing for county offices opened today. Vogel, of New Market, represents District 2, which includes Elko New Market, Savage Precincts 6 and 8, as well as the townships of Cedar Lake, Credit River, New Market and Spring Lake.

Vogel said that with the self-imposed term limit, “I
knew that by limiting the time I would be in office my determination to
face and address issues would be accelerated because I would need to
address them with more intensity than if I were to be in office for an
undetermined amount of time. Secondly, I have a personal belief that
elected office is best done with short-term leadership devoted to
public service, rather than long tenures which risk the loss of
objectivity due to the constant pressures faced by the necessities
re-election campaigns can cause.

“For me the best way to eliminate that risk was to
make up my mind when I began my service that if re-elected for a second
term I would not seek a third.”

At least one person is already lined up to take Vogel's place. Savage resident Tom Wolf, who has previously sought a spot on the county board, submitted his candidacy on the first day of the filing period.

The other County Board member whose term expires this
year is Babrbara Marschall, who represents District 4, which includes
Prior Lake and four Shakopee precincts. She announced earlier that she
will seek re-election and she also filed on Tuesday.