The race for an Orono City Council seat on Tuesday is on.

The special election was in doubt until the Minnesota Supreme Court said Friday that the contest for the seat currently held by Claire Berrett could proceed.

The court’s order affirmed a lower court decision against former Orono Mayor Dennis Walsh, who had sought to stop the election. He had argued the contest would prematurely end the term of Berrett, whom he had appointed to fill a vacancy while he was still in office.

The special election Tuesday is the latest twist in the political drama that has rocked Orono in recent months. The city of about 8,000 on Lake Minnetonka has seen controversy over the fire department, rancor on the council, debate over a nearly $17 million public works facility and, recently, the lawsuit.

A big-money election last fall shook up city government and ousted Walsh, and another City Council member resigned from his seat. Walsh appointed Berrett before leaving office, intending for her to serve until November 2026, and then sued when the council passed an ordinance allowing the May 13 special election for the seat.

The court’s order sided with the city, whose lawyer argued that Orono had the authority to pass the ordinance allowing an earlier special election and to order Tuesday’s contest.

Here are the candidates who will be on the ballot:

Ryan Kanive works for the Long Lake Fire Department and as a Delta Airlines captain. He said he‘s running for council to give back to his community.

Kanive, who previously also served on the Orono Fire Department, said he disagreed with splitting up Orono and Long Lake firefighters. He said he served with both departments because his house could have been covered by either, and praised recent work to consolidate the two.

Kanive said he thinks the city’s public works facility will prove a good long-run investment. “They needed something new and needed more space,” he said.

He said his professional experience with labor groups would help the city negotiate contracts.

Bruce Lemke is a landscape architect who said he‘s running to help keep the city on what he sees as a more positive track since last year’s election.

“I really want to be part of that and just continue the positive direction that the city’s taken,” he said.

He criticized previous city leaders’ decision to create what he called a “redundant” fire department and praised the decision to consolidate with Long Lake. Lemke also criticized the public works facility, which he said is unnecessarily large and expensive.

He said his previous experience on the planning commission could help Orono with its upcoming comprehensive plan.

Jon Schwingler, who previously served on the city’s planning commission, said he‘s running for council to continue momentum since November’s election.

He said he never understood the decision to form a separate Orono fire department and supports consolidation.

“Fire departments are coming together, not growing apart, because of lack of resources to purchase new equipment, lack of resources for firefighters,” he said.

He takes issue with what he sees as a lack of transparency about the public works facility’s construction, especially considering potential future tax ramifications for residents. He said he would emphasize planning to balance the cost of maintaining city roads, sewer and water.

Schwingler ran unsuccessfully for one of two seats up in November’s election. He is the only candidate to have filed a campaign finance report for the special election and reported raising $3,325.

Aigul “Gigi” Simpson, a senior at Drake University, said she‘s running because she felt that the previous council didn’t listen to residents.

“I want to be there for the people and actually represent their voices and take the time to listen to them and ensure that we don’t go down that path again where these decisions are costing people‘s money but their thoughts and actual interests aren’t being taken into account,” she said.

She said she agrees with the decision to consolidate fire departments and said moving forward will require being considerate of both Orono and Long Lake.

She said she recently toured the new public works facility and said the decision to build it wasn’t fiscally responsible.

Todd Trettel runs a Lake Minnetonka boat charter and a finance and consulting company. He said he‘s running to preserve Orono‘s natural beauty, neighborhoods and thoughtful development.

Trettel said he thinks consolidating the Orono and Long Lake fire departments is the right move for the city now, and he hopes it will bring better coverage to Orono.

He said he supports the city’s investment in its public works facility.

“When we can plan out the bill, you’re going to have the funds for it,” he said.

Trettel said his background in accounting and finance could benefit the city.

A League of Women Voters candidate forum can be found on the city’s website.