In April, Rebecca Noecker and Maria Isa Perez-Vega both sought the endorsement of the Ramsey County DFL for the District 5 seat on the county board. Stuck in a virtual deadlock after the first ballot, both candidates agreed to call it a tie and walked away from the endorsing convention empty handed.

Rebecca Noecker. (Courtesy of the City of St. Paul)

Noecker, who is president of the St. Paul City Council, and Perez-Vega, a state representative, will meet in a rematch of sorts on Tuesday during the non-partisan primary for the county board seat.

Perennial candidate Charles Barklind, a downtown resident and former newspaper deliveryman and golf caddie who has run for the seat almost every four years since the late 1970s, also is on the primary ballot.

The district all three are running to represent covers Dayton’s Bluff, downtown St. Paul, the West Side, West Seventh Street, Highland Park and the lower part of Macalester-Groveland.

Noecker on Thursday said she was 10 years old the last time the District 5 seat was open. That was 32 years ago.

Rep. María Isa Pérez-Vega. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

With County Commissioner Rafael Ortega choosing not to run for re-election following her campaign announcement last winter, Noecker said she believes her 10 years on the city council lend themselves to finally getting a long-delayed street reconstruction underway on West Seventh Street, improving county social services and bolstering downtown and general city-county relations.

Pointing to projects like the abruptly-canceled Riverview Corridor streetcar and the long-delayed RiversEdge development downtown, she’s called the county’s visibility and role in the ward stagnant.

“Services are not great,” said Noecker, a West Sider and mother of two boys who is in her second year as city council president. “I hear people tell me Ramsey County is one of the hardest counties to get services from, and we have one of the highest poverty levels.”

Perez-Vega, who has deep roots on the West Side, has garnered Ortega’s endorsement in the race. The socially conscious performer, who dubs herself the “rep who raps,” has pointed to legislative bills she’s worked on to secure funding to expand pre-K seats for kids, back the downtown Listening House day shelter for the homeless and boost housing assistance.

Charles Barklind. (Courtesy of the candidate)

If elected, Perez-Vega, the only “Boricua” — or woman of Puerto Rican lineage — in the state House, would be the first Latina on the county board. She has served in the Legislature since January 2023.

“I am a small business owner, an artist, youth worker, and a mom to a St. Paul Public Schools first grader, and a proud daughter of the West Side,” said Perez-Vega, in her campaign materials. “My life and my work are grounded in this community.”

Here are other candidates running in the primary for municipal offices in Ramsey County.

Maplewood

Incumbent Mayor Marylee Abrams, as well as Chonburi Lee, a current council member, and Diana Longrie are running for mayor. Two of these candidates will advance to the November ballot.

Roseville

Matthew Drwall, Roger B. Hess Jr. and incumbent Dan Roe are running for mayor. Two will go on to the November ballot.

Also in Roseveille, eight are running for two seats on the city council: Siafa Barclay, Bruce K. Bester, Rebecca Carlson, Alexis Cran, incumbent Wayne Groff, Cassie Iverson, Kevin Nicholson and Erik Noren. Four of these candidates will advance to the November election.