Alongi, Nelson retain seats on city council

Tony Alongi and Tony Nelson both faced opposition in their re-election bids to the Hastings City Council, and both won.

Alongi defeated Michael Grady by a margin of just 36 votes, 1,171 to 1,147. Nelson’s victory margin over Brian Meek was much larger, 1,869 to 699.

“I’m feeling good,” said Alongi early Wednesday morning. “I’m grateful to the ward and the constituents who voted for me and I’m looking forward to the next four years. I want to continue to earn the trust people have placed in me.”

Nelson said:

“I’m pleasantly surprised by the number of people who turned out and who voted for me.”

Both Alongi and Nelson said the most frequently asked question from the residents was about the upcoming trash collection changes. Last month the city council approved the change in vendors, beginning in 2013.

“A lot people asked me about it,” said Nelson. “They asked about changes and how much money actually was being saved with the change.”

Alongi’s constituents asked similar questions, he said. They wanted information about the new company and the changes.

“They also asked about the new bridge and what may be happening to the Hudson site,” he said. “Some, too, asked about taxes and the city budget issues.”

The other two incumbents, Joe Balsanek, 2nd Ward; and Danna Elling Schultz, 4th ward, had no opposition and were also re-elected with 1,978 votes and 2,064 votes respectively.

There will be one new face on the Hastings City Council in January. Mike Slavik, an at-large City Council member, was elected to the Dakota County Board of Commissioners Tuesday. (See separate story.)

Tags: news, hastings, minnesota, spiral, local