After 33 years serving on various city commissions and on the City Council, Stillwater City Councilman Dave Junker said Monday he has decided not to run for re-election.
“It was a very difficult decision to make, but all good things must come to an end,” said Junker, 67, of Stillwater.
Candidate submissions for the Ward 2 council seat close Tuesday at 5 p.m.; Sirid Kellermann and Frankie L. Peterson have declared their candidacy.
There is also an election in Ward 3. Larry Odebrecht has filed for re-election to his seat and Ed Nelsen is also running.
Junker is the son of former Stillwater Mayor David “Choc” Junker, who died in 2014 at the age of 80. Choc Junker served two terms as mayor of Stillwater, from 1974 to 1982, and served on the City Council for two years. From 1985 to 1986, until he was appointed director of the city’s Public Works Department, a position he held for twenty years. He also served on the Stillwater Area School Board for twelve years.
“He was the most honest person I ever knew,” Dave Junker said. “He taught me to be honest with everyone, to listen to people first and to use common sense. You have to serve the city because you love the city.”
Before being elected to the council in 2014, Junker served on the council from 2003 to 2006. He ran unsuccessfully for mayor twice in 2006 and 2010, losing to former Mayor Ken Harycki. He served on the Parks Commission for thirteen years and on the Parking Commission for six years.
He also served two years as president of the Greater Stillwater Area Chamber of Commerce in 2001 and 2002.
Junker worked in banking for US Bank for 25 years and then worked at the Anytime Fitness headquarters in Woodbury for eight years. He retired in 2020.
“Thanks to great efforts and cooperation from the municipality, the staff, the police chief, the Chamber, businesses and residents, Stillwater has become the place to be,” said Junker. “I am proud of how all of these groups have worked toward a common goal: making Stillwater a premier destination and city to live in.”
Junker said he is especially proud of how the city handled the closure of the Stillwater Lift Bridge in 2017 and its reopening in 2020 and the construction of a plaza connecting the bridge and the Loop Trail.
Among the highlights of his time on the City Council: the approval of 339 new apartment buildings on Stillwater’s north side; approval of the 1902 Carnegie Library expansion in 2004; being part of more than 1,000 new housing projects in Stillwater, including two new senior housing projects; and making Stillwater “a year-round town rather than a summer destination,” he said.
“I loved being involved and making decisions based on discussion and doing the homework necessary to make those decisions,” he said. “It was a great honor and privilege to serve.”
