Confronted Rochester council member was eliminated in the primary

ROCHESTER – Molly Dennis’ tumultuous tenure 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 seat in Ward 6. Preliminary results show Dennis finishing last in the race with just 14 percent 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 Mayo Clinic programmer.

Leading up to the primary, Dennis’ challengers argued that the Ward 6 representative 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 alleged harassment of city staff. The move limited her interactions with staff for a year and led to ongoing disputes during meetings, including in May when she was kicked out of board chambers following a heated exchange.

Dennis argued that she is being sidelined because she has raised difficult questions about how the city spends public funds. Dennis — who has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) — filed a lawsuit against the city, along with two fellow council members, alleging she was discriminated against in the way it 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 he received in the 2020 primary.

In the race for Rochester City Council President, Randy Schubring and Shaun Palmer are moving on to the general election. Palmer, the sitting Ward 5 council member, led the way with 46 percent of the 10,756 votes cast. Schubring, the director of community relations at the Mayo Clinic, finished with 43 percent.

Schubring is on leave 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 chose not to seek re-election after one term.

In the other two council primaries: Nick Miller, a financial analyst, and Tripp Welch, an administrative leader at the Mayo Clinic, are moving on in Ward 2 after incumbent Mark Bransford decided not to run for another second term. Business owner Andy Friederichs and incumbent Kelly Rae Kirkpatrick easily advanced in the 4th Ward.