St. Joseph Mayor Rick Schultz won’t seek reelection after 14 years in office

St. Joseph — Central Minnesota’s local politics are expected to shift this November. St. Joseph Mayor Rick Schultz announced he won’t seek reelection this fall, joining St. Cloud Mayor Dave Kleis in passing on the reins.

“Being mayor is the best job I've ever had,” Schultz told the St. Cloud Times. “It's challenging and stressful, but it's very rewarding. I'd encourage anybody to try politics and public service.”

Schultz held the office for 14 years and was on the city council before taking on his current post. The mayor said he enjoyed watching the city grow in size. St. Joseph had a population of roughly 4,600 people in 2000 compared to 7,000 in 2020, according to the U.S. Census.

This brought income to the city, which is among the mayor’s biggest accomplishments. He said new developments helped alleviate the tax burden on individual residents. Among the developments Schultz is most proud of is the industrial park complex off County Road 133.

“We worked with deed and got some state money for infrastructure and now the industrial Park is almost full,” Schultz said. “That reduces taxes for residents. The more properties we get, the less burden there is on resident tax.”

As for what’s next for Schultz, it remains a mystery. The mayor wants to take time to enjoy retirement but said he will stick around St. Joseph to ensure a smooth transition for his successor.

“I have no plans. I'm not moving on to run for anything else and I don't plan to stay involved in politics,” Schultz said. “I'm not looking for anything else right now.”

Those interested in becoming St. Joseph’s next mayor or Councilmember can file for candidacy from July 30 to Aug. 13, according to the city’s website. There are two City Council seats up for grabs.

— Corey Schmidtis a freelance reporter for the St. Cloud Times.

This article originally appeared on St. Cloud Times: St. Joseph mayor Rick Schultz not running in 2024 election