“Our work is not done here,” Coleman told supporters gathered in a ballroom at the St. Paul Hotel shortly after the polls closed. “We’re on the verge of something great here in old St. Paul.”

Coleman’s margin of victory was almost identical to four years ago, when he ousted incumbent Randy Kelly. Ng was endorsed by the Republican party — a mark of dubious distinction in a town dominated by Democrats.

Coleman openly flirted with a run for governor next year. But he surprised supporters and political observers last month when he announced that he would not seek the state’s top post.

In St. Paul’s school board contests, incumbent Elona Street-Stewart was the top vote-getter, with support from 22 percent of voters. She’ll be joined by fellow Democrat John Brodrick and newcomer Jean O’Connell. Incumbent Tom Goldstein fell fewer than 400 votes short of retaining his post. O’Connell was the only candidate in the field to be endorsed by the St. Paul Federation of Teachers, a distinction that likely helped put her over the top.

In the contest to fill a two-year post on the school board created by the departure of Tom Conlon midway through his term, Democrat Vallay Moua Varro defeated Republican Pat Igo by a 59-40 percent margin.

St. Paul residents narrowly voted to adopt instant-runoff voting for municipal elections. The ballot measure drew support from 52 percent of voters. Given how contentious the contest was between the pro- and anti-IRV advocates, it seems likely that the result will be challenged. Minneapolis utilized the instant-runoff system, whereby voters rank candidates in order of preference, for the first time on Tuesday.

St. Paul school board candidates at the Rice Street Parade. Via brodrick4kids.blogspot.com

John Brodrick spent 34 years teaching social studies and coaching hockey in St. Paul public schools. Throughout that time he was a dues-paying member of the St. Paul Federation of Teachers.

So it was little surprise that Brodrick was endorsed by the teachers’ union when he first ran for the school board eight years ago. The Democrat went on to win a seat with more votes than any other school board candidate. In 2005, again with the backing of the teachers’ union, he easily won a second term.

Brodrick is currently seeking a third term, but he’ll have to do so without support from the union that he belonged to for more than three decades. Brodrick’s not alone either. The other two incumbent school board members, Tom Goldstein and Elona Street-Stewart, both of whom have been endorsed by the teachers’ federation in the past, are also running without support from the union.

“Obviously as a former teacher and as a lifetime member of the St. Paul Federation of Teachers I was personally disappointed,” Brodrick says of the snub. “I am very proud of the work I’ve done over the last eight years. I think in many instances I have been a true voice for teachers.”

The political split stems from a rift that’s played out between the teachers’ union, which has roughly 3,600 members, and the school board over the last two years. Budget shortfalls, labor contract negotiations and proposed school restructurings have all contributed to the tension. Further exacerbating matters has been what the union perceived as heavy-handed tactics by former superintendent Meria Carstarphen.

“To borrow a phrase from a popular children’s book, it was a series of unfortunate events,” says Mary Cathryn Ricker, president of the St. Paul Federation of Teachers. “It wasn’t any one big thing.”

Late last year, for instance, the school board was presented with a plan to restructure staffing at three schools — Arlington High School, Humboldt Senior High School and Humboldt Junior High School — that had failed to meet student performance standards. Essentially employees at the three schools, many of whom were veteran teachers, would be required to re-apply for positions within the district. The teachers’ union, according to Ricker, was not asked for any input in the matter.

“The school board was absolutely thrilled with the restructuring plan and our teachers found it be an absolute disaster,” she recalls.

Then in February, the school board publicly supported freezing teacher salaries and benefits for next year in order to deal with looming deficits. The teachers’ union felt like this was a violation of the traditional negotiating process, whereby the two sides hash out contract details jointly.

“Completely ignoring the collective bargaining process was extremely offensive to our members,” says Ricker.

Goldstein counters that they didn’t have much choice given that the school district faced a severe budget deficit for the upcoming year. “This is a difficult time,” he notes. “If this is how the teachers think they need to handle it, I respect that. They’re a union. They have to look out for their members.”

Shortly after the blow-up over the proposed salary freeze, the teachers’ federation held its first screening for school board candidates. The outcome: It opted not to endorse any candidates. Then in June, after Tom Conlon announced that he was stepping down from the board, creating an opening for a partial term, the union screened candidates again. The federation settled on two challengers: Jean O’Connell for a full term and Vallay Varro to serve the remainder of Conlon’s term. None of the incumbents were endorsed.

With the election looming next month, the teacher’s union remains at loggerheads with the school board over a new labor agreement. The current two-year contract expired in June, but Ricker says it’s not unprecedented for negotiations to drag on beyond that point.

“Historically St. Paul has not settled before the contract runs out,” she says. “It’s not unusual for us to begin a new school year without a contract.”

Despite the rebuff from the teachers’ federation, Brodrick continues to view himself as a strong ally of unions. Indeed, he’s endorsed by numerous labor organizations: the Service Employees International Union, the Teamsters and the St. Paul Regional Labor Federation, among others. He expresses bewilderment at the teachers’ federation’s political tactics.

“I’m very personally disappointed, but am I angry?” he asks. “No, at my age I try not to get angry.”

St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman addresses a union rally in Hastings

It’s election day — although you’d be hard-pressed to find much evidence of that fact. Even Joe Soucheray could be forgiven for failing to remember to vote. Minneapolis has no primary because it’s utilizing instant-runoff voting for the first time. The Minneapolis DFL is holding three events tonight to educate people on the new voting process and will conduct a gubernatorial straw poll.

In St. Paul there’s a primary election, but not much at stake. Mayor Chris Coleman faces three challengers, but only one with any credibility: Republican-backed Eva Ng.

There are also four slots on the school board up for grabs. Incumbents John Brodrick, Tom Goldstein and Elona Street-Stewart are all seeking re-election, and they’re joined by four other challengers. In addition, four candidates — Vallay Moua Varro, Quyen Nguyen, Pat Igo and Lucky Rosenbloom — are seeking to fill out the final two years left on departing board member Tom Conlon’s term.

The Ramsey County suburbs offer a little more drama. White Bear Lake initially had four candidates file for the mayoral contest, but two subsequently dropped out, eliminating the need for a primary. The Ward Four city council contest features three challengers, meaning one will be eliminated after today’s vote.

The most engaging contests are undoubtedly in Maplewood, which is notorious for its fractious politics. The mayoral race features seven challengers, including incumbent Diana Longrie. Also likely to draw some votes: former mayor Bob Cardinal, current council member Will Rossbach and former council member Marvin Koppen. That field will be winnowed down to two today.

There are eleven challengers for two city council posts. Incumbent Kathleen Jeunemann is seeking another term, while former council member Rebecca Cave is looking to return to her post. Four candidates will advance to the general election.

In Hennepin County, only Bloomington and part of St. Louis Park have primary contests. In the latter municipality, three candidates — Thomas Peterson, Julia Ross and Bill Theobald — will vie for two spots on the general election ballot in the Ward Four city council contest. Current council member C. Paul Carver is not seeking re-election.

In Bloomington there are four challengers for an at-large spot on the city council: Ryan Gopaul, John “Stretch” Kjenstad, Karen Nordstrom and Tom Tomlinson. Nordstrom is the incumbent.