Grace Wilder joins Bemidji city council at-large race

Grace Wilder has entered Bemidji’s city council at-large race, putting childcare access, housing and transportation at the center of her campaign for a seat that speaks for all five wards in the city. Her candidacy adds another name to one of three council contests on the 2026 ballot, alongside Ward 2 and Ward 4.

Wilder works as digital organizing manager at HeadCount. Her campaign says she has worked in nonpartisan civic engagement since 2015 and in voter engagement at the national level since 2018, a background she is using to frame herself as a citywide advocate rather than a ward-only voice. In a city of 14,574 people, the at-large seat carries a broader mandate than the ward races, because its winner represents residents across Bemidji, from downtown to the outer neighborhoods.

The race already includes incumbent Audrey Thayer and former city council member Ron Johnson. That gives voters a field that mixes an incumbent, a former officeholder and a newcomer with a national organizing background. Wilder will need to explain how her perspective differs from both Thayer and Johnson, and why she believes her priorities fit an at-large role that requires looking beyond one part of town.

City election materials say the filing period for Bemidji’s 2026 council race runs through June 2. Candidates must file an Affidavit of Candidacy, provide proof of residency and pay a $5 filing fee. Beltrami County is helping administer local elections across city, township and school district races, adding to a busy ballot year in the county.

Wilder’s entry also comes as Northern Township moves toward becoming a city in 2027, another sign that local government is shifting across the region. For Bemidji voters, the at-large race will be an early test of which issues rise to the top, and Wilder will have to spell out where she stands on housing, public safety, infrastructure, taxes and downtown development if she wants to build a case to represent the entire city.