Meet Your Reps

Representative profileNeeds post-deadline election review

Last checked: 2026-05-28Sources verified against official West St. Paul city records.

Councilmember, Ward II

John Justen

West St. Paul · Term expires December 2026

Official recordWest St. Paul City Council Staff DirectoryAccessed 2026-05-28Contact

The 60-second read 1 min

John Justen serves as a Ward II councilmember on the West St. Paul City Council. This page explains the council role, term timing, official contact source, and when voters next get a say. West St. Paul operates under a council-manager form of government: the council sets city policy and the city manager handles day-to-day operations. The Ward II seat is on the November 3, 2026 general election ballot.

Regular City Council meetings are generally held on the second and fourth Monday at 6:30pm. Work sessions are usually held before regular meetings and start times should be verified from published agenda headers.

Can I vote for this seat?

This is a ward seat. Voters usually vote for this seat only if their registered address is inside Ward II.

Ward map and election information: Official ward and election information (Official record, accessed 2026-05-31)

Meet Your Reps explains how this seat is elected. Your official address-based ballot is the final source for whether this race appears for you.

Look up your ballot: Minnesota Secretary of State: Polling Place Finder (Official state source)

Verified

Verified public facts

Current office

Councilmember, Ward II, West St. Paul City Council

Official recordVerify

Term expires

December 2026

Official recordVerify

Official contact

Listed by the City of West St. Paul staff directory

Official recordVerify

Planning Commission liaison

Council Liaison to the West St. Paul Planning Commission.

Official recordVerify

EDA board role

Economic Development Authority Board Member (all seven council members serve on the EDA Board).

Official recordVerify

Meet

Who is John Justen?

Public context status

The official staff directory entry confirms the office, ward, and contact information. The official Planning Commission page confirms the Council Liaison role (accessed 2026-05-31). The official EDA page confirms the EDA Board Member role (accessed 2026-05-31). This page has not yet found a verified public biography source for John Justen. Bio content will be added when it can be sourced from an official or clearly labeled candidate-provided source.

Committee and board roles

Planning Commission Council Liaison. Economic Development Authority Board Member (all council members serve on the EDA Board).

Official profile page

View official city profile

Reviewed 2026-05-31. Residents can verify this through the official city website.

Know the office

What this office does

Adopts city ordinances, approves the annual city budget, authorizes land use decisions and rezoning, approves contracts above the city purchasing threshold, sets city policy direction, and appoints the city manager.

Full legislative power

Exercises all legislative power of the City and determines city policy.

Creates boards and commissions

Creates or abolishes commissions and boards by ordinance, resolution, or other lawful method.

Appoints commission members

Appoints commission and board members when it creates those bodies.

Appoints City Manager

Appoints the City Manager.

Removes City Manager

May remove, discharge, or suspend the City Manager under the charter rules.

Full financial authority

Has full authority over the financial affairs of the City.

Adopts annual budget

Adopts the annual budget by budget resolution.

Sets tax levy

Levies sufficient taxes to provide adequate resources for budgeted expenditures.

Adjusts appropriations

May reduce appropriations or authorize budget transfers by resolution.

Approves major contracts

Approves purchases and contracts above the charter threshold after City Manager recommendation.

Approves labor agreements

Approves final labor agreements negotiated by the City Manager.

Override mayoral veto

Can override a mayoral veto through the charter's reconsideration process, with at least five members-elect voting in favor by roll call.

Term · Four years per seatCycle · General election in November; council seats are staggered across election cyclesSource · West St. Paul City Charter

Attribution limit:Council authority belongs to the Council as a body. Do not attribute a council decision to an individual council member unless meeting minutes or a roll-call vote confirms that member's specific vote or action.

Source note:The West St. Paul city charter is published online as a convenience. The official printed charter is maintained by the City Clerk. West St. Paul City Charter

Know the record

What the public record shows

Record status

Selected record items are being reviewed. This profile will list actions only when the source confirms the body, date, action, and attribution limits.

Election

When voters get a say

Next voter say

November 3, 2026

West St. Paul, Dakota County, MN

The Ward II council seat is on the November 3, 2026 general election ballot. Candidate filing closed June 2, 2026. The candidate withdrawal deadline passed June 4, 2026. The Minnesota Secretary of State filing page shows John Justen filed for Council Member Ward 2 as of June 6, 2026. The state primary date is August 11, 2026, if a primary is needed. Verify final ballot wording when sample ballots are posted.

Offices on ballot

City Council, Ward II

West St. Paul Elections and Voter Services

Take action

What you can do

AContact a memberReach the council office BAttend a meetingAgenda, location, and schedule CWatch the recordMeeting videos on demand DRead the minutesAgendas and recorded outcomes EGet voting infoDates, ballot, registration FRequest a correctionTell us if something is off

Source trail

Where this information comes from

Every claim on this page links to one of the following official sources. You can check any of them directly.

Source · city code or charterPrimary source