KROX is kicking off our 2026 Election coverage with an introduction to the candidates for City Council, Mayor, and School Board.
Today, we present two candidates for the Crookston City Council in Ward 4.
The candidates running for Crookston City Council in Ward 4 are incumbent Don Cavalier and his opponent, Jake Fee. We asked each candidate a series of questions.
Tell us about your family.
Cavalier: “My wife’s name is Mary Cavalier, and I have two kids: David Cavalier and Todd Cavalier.”
Fee: “I’m married to my wife Ellie Fee, and we have three kids: Sophia, Kasey, and Kolson.”
Why are you running for City Council?
Cavalier: “Well, I have a committee set up for Ward Four, and we meet four to five times a year. And about three weeks ago, we had our fourth meeting, and we talked about all the things that we were doing and have done. And then I really wasn’t thinking of running, but then some of the ward members stood up and said, “You can’t.” At the end of the meeting, I stood up, and I said, “Well, I might resign, and so forth for the ward”, and they said, “Don’t resign, don’t resign.” And I said, “Well, oh, I’ll ask my wife,” and I went home, and she said, “What do you want to do?” And I said, “Well, I think the people are a little bit satisfied with what we’re doing”, so I put my name in again. So I’m happy to do that because I really think that we’re going in the right direction with the downtown. Downtown is part of the ward, and there are a lot of things going on with the ward. You know, with the river and the eight houses that are being threatened by the river, and we’re working on that right now. Also, the downtown Tri-Valley building. We have talked about that, and we’re making some decisions now. So it’s that, and then the highway is going to be worked on, so there are a lot of things going on, and I think I’d like to be a part of that, so I’d hope that people would think about it. And I do have a lot of experience, eight years in the ward already, and I really enjoy it because people are willing to do some work.”
Fee: “So I wasn’t overly seeking to get back into public service, but as the filing period kind of moved along, it was kind of appearing that Ward Four wasn’t necessarily going to have a choice between a couple of different candidates, and I just felt like it was important to give Ward Four options. So maybe it wasn’t quite what I was seeking at the time, but I just felt like you know, kind of was born with a servant’s heart and thought maybe I’d get back into it, and so yeah, we’re gonna put it out there and give Ward Four residents an option come November.”
How will your previous experiences help you if elected?
Cavalier: “Well, while being set up already with a committee, we have 26 members of that committee that come in and talk about what the ward needs, and then we take those needs back to the city council, and we have people come and talk about, you know, different things that are needed, like dogs barking and playground. Our two playgrounds that we have need to be cleaned up and so forth in the now and in the future. And there are a lot of things that need to be done with trees and roads, keeping the roads not full of potholes and so forth. That’s a big problem down in Ward Four, and the city has done a great job doing that.”
Fee: “I served in Ward One starting in 2016, and did one term, and that was a, you know, there’s a learning curve to it, and then also a good experience overall when I kind of look back at it. Maybe not always when I was there, but when I look back at it, I do have some fond memories of it. It was kind of a tough time in Crookston at the time, so a lot of different things were going on there. So a break from public service was kind of enjoyed for a little while, but yeah. So other than that, I sit as the president of the Happy Joe’s franchise board, so I sit on that. Also, I help run the Eagles here in Crookston. Also sit on the state executive board for the Eagles as well, and then do some stuff with our national organization as an agent for them. So some different leadership roles here, you know, in the last 10 years that have hopefully grown as a person a little bit and kind of have improved my leadership skills, hopefully, and so it kind of made sense to put my hat in for Ward Four.”
Is there anything else that you want voters to know?
Cavalier: “Well, I’m kind of excited tonight because I’ve had a good experience over the last eight years, and made a lot of friends and watched the city grow homestead-wise, but it’s things are happening right now, and I think I’d like to be part of that.”
Fee: “I just want everybody to know that if elected, I just wanted to provide a strong voice as an option for Ward Four. I’ve kind of felt like maybe over the last few decades, Ward Four is one of our oldest wards in Crookston, and it’s kind of been neglected for a couple of decades. So I just want to provide a strong, strong voice for Ward Four. We got some road issues. We got an erosion issue on Houston Avenue, and some different things that I’m going to be very passionate about and try to put Ward Four as a priority, especially the Woods Addition of Ward Four.”
