ROCHESTER – Molly Dennis’ tumultuous time on the Rochester City Council is coming to an end.
On Tuesday, the first-term council member was defeated in a four-way primary race for her Ward 6 seat. Preliminary results show Dennis finishing last in the race with just 14% of the vote. The two candidates advancing to the November general election in Ward 6 are Dan Doering, a Lutheran pastor, and Mark Schleusner, a programmer at Mayo Clinic.
Leading up to the primary, Dennis’ challengers made the case that the Ward 6 rep had become a distraction during her first term on the council. In March 2023, Dennis was formally censured by the council for inappropriate behavior, including allegedly harassing city staff. The measure limited her interactions with staff for a year and led to ongoing disputes during meetings, including in May when she was kicked out of council chambers following a heated exchange.
Dennis has argued that she is being pushed aside for raising tough questions about how the city spends public funds. Dennis — who has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) — has also filed a lawsuit against the city, along with two council colleagues, alleging that she has been discriminated against for how she processes information.
After Tuesday’s tally, however, it was clear voters shared concerns about her performance as a council member. Dennis finished with 267 votes, about a quarter of the number she received in the 2020 primary.
In the race for Rochester City Council president seat, Randy Schubring and Shaun Palmer are moving on to the general election. Palmer, the sitting Ward 5 council member, led the way with 46% of the 10,756 votes cast. Schubring, the director of community relations at Mayo Clinic, finished with 43%.
Schubring is on a leave of absence while he campaigns and has said he will resign from Mayo if elected council president. The seat was left open after incumbent Council President Brooke Carlson opted not to seek reelection after one term in office.
In the two other council primaries: Nick Miller, a financial analyst, and Tripp Welch, an administrative leader at Mayo Clinic, are moving on in Ward 2 after incumbent Council Member Mark Bransford decided not to run for a second term. Business owner Andy Friederichs and incumbent Council Member Kelly Rae Kirkpatrick easily advanced in Ward 4.