Exclusive: Fargo Mayoral Candidate Shannon Roers Jones talks adversity, mission in campaign

(Fargo, ND) -- One of the perceived front runners in the upcoming mayoral election here in Fargo is sounding off on her experience during her campaign, as well as which areas the city needs to improve in.

Current State House Representative Shannon Roers-Jones says the past few weeks, let alone months, have been a whirlwind as she pushes to represent all of Fargo, not just a section.

When asked about the recent dealings with her father, Jim Roers, and the city Commission when it comes to townhomes being built in North Fargo, Roers-Jones expressed optimism about the project being completed by years end. She told WDAY Midday during the 'Last Word: A conversation with every Fargo Mayoral candidate ahead of the election' series that how the situation was handled, be it from current city commissioners or Mayor Tim Mahoney himself, definitely raises a few eyebrows. However, she insisted that if elected she would put the city of Fargo first, and they're would be no harbored or 'hard feelings' moving forward.

As to her campaign, Roers-Jones says there remains a strong push on addressing rising property taxes and special assessments, but there is also a major concern on Fargo's infrastructure. She says after talking with multiple departments, the city is roughly five years behind when it comes to updating its key facilities and other projects tied to sustainability and growth. She hopes to tackle those issues if elected Tuesday.

When asked for the first time on our airwaves about mandates, including for things like masking or in general, Roers-Jones says she is in favor of none when it comes to her role. While she wouldn't dive into 'what if's' in the future, her stance is against a mandate when it comes to a response against COVID-19, and she believes the people of Fargo are able to make smart, intelligent decisions about their health when it comes to the bottom line.

The current North Dakota State House member was also asked about the thought of the election being a "two horse race" between herself and incumbent Mayor Tim Mahoney, which Roers-Jones admitted to hearing multiple times, but noted while her push has been to focus on Mahoney and what she could do better for the city, that there are several solid candidates for not only the mayor's seat, but across the board for City Commission, park board and School board as well.

To learn more about Shannon's campaign, as well as all your June 2022 election information, click here.