By Rich Larson
Alyssa Melby has announced a campaign as a write-in candidate for the Northfield School Board, seeking to fill what is expected to be the only contested seat in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election.
Three seats are up for election this fall, but only two candidates, incumbent Ben Miller and Jeff Quinnell, have filed to appear on the ballot. Under Minnesota election rules, voters may write in the name of another candidate in the space provided on the ballot. If Miller and Quinnell secure two of the three seats, the remaining seat would go to the write-in candidate who receives the most valid write-in votes.
A statement released by Melby’s campaign said she entered the race because she did not want the final seat decided by chance.
“As a mom with three kids in the district who will be attending Greenvale Park Elementary, the Middle School, and the High School this upcoming year, I did not want to leave this third seat to chance,” Melby said in the statement.
She praised the leadership of outgoing Superintendent Matt Hillmann and said the district needs a board prepared to support incoming Superintendent Tim Anderson while maintaining strong academic programs and financial stability.
If elected, Melby said her priorities would include strengthening the district’s financial outlook amid declining enrollment and stagnant state funding, advancing academic goals through the Northfield Promise initiative, supporting Anderson’s transition into district leadership and developing strategies to attract and retain high-quality educators.
Melby currently serves as director of the Svoboda Center for Civic Engagement at St. Olaf College, where she has worked for the past nine years. Before joining St. Olaf, she was executive director of the Northfield Arts Guild and previously worked in arts education and administration in Pittsburgh.
Her community involvement includes six years on the board of the Healthy Community Initiative, where she has served on finance and personnel committees and was co-chair for the past two years. She also served on the Northfield School District’s Legislative Action Committee for three years and recently concluded service on the League of Women Voters board as voter services chair.
The Northfield School Board election will be held Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026. Voters wishing to support Melby must write her name in the designated write-in section of the ballot.
Rich Larson is the owner and General Manager of KYMN Radio. Contact him at rich@kymnradio.net
