Baytown Township: Incorporation measure fails, pro-township slate of candidates elected

Voters in Baytown Township on Tuesday made it clear that they want the township to stay a township.

Eighty-two percent of voters voted against an advisory referendum regarding incorporation. The town board, concerned about the threat of annexation from neighboring cities, decided earlier this year to put the matter to the residents.

A slate of candidates who want Baytown to remain a township won overwhelmingly in their contested races.

Nicole Dahl, who helped lead the effort against incorporation, defeated Jon Wood, who was pro-incorporation, in the race for Seat 1. Dahl won 72% of the vote, and Wood received 27%. Supervisor Rick Weyrauch, who currently holds Seat 1, decided not to run for re-election.

Pro-township candidate Christopher “CJ” Randazzo defeated town board supervisor George Dierberger, who helped spearhead the push for incorporation, in the race for Seat 2. Randazzo received 65%; Dierberger received 34%.

Paul Johnson, who also supported staying a township, defeated town board supervisor John Hall in the race for Seat 5. Johnson received 65%, and Hall received 35%.

Dahl told the Pioneer Press in October that she believed that taxes would go up if the township becomes a city.

Dierberger said becoming a city would help Baytown maintain its rural roots and prevent its annexation by a neighboring city. The township, which has a population of 2,200, borders Oak Park Heights, Lake Elmo, Bayport and West Lakeland Township.

Other townships, particularly in the metro area, have opted to incorporate to protect their rural character. Grant Township, for example, was reorganized as the City of Grant in 1996; New Scandia Township became the City of Scandia in 2007; and Empire Township, in Dakota County, became a city in 2023.

For complete results from county, city and school board races, go to twincities.com/news/politics/elections.