Six candidates have filed for the special election to replace  the late Steve O’Neil as the St. Louis County Commissioner for District 2. They include:

• Patrick Boyle
• Adam P. Jaros
• Scott Keenan
• Nick Patronas
• Jim Stauber
• Cary A. Thompson-Gilbert

Boyle is the current Duluth City Council president. Stauber is retiring from the city council and is one of the city’s most prominent conservatives. Thompson-Gilbert is a church administrator and wife of former city councilor and prominent progressive Greg Gilbert. Jaros is the son of former State Rep. Mike Jaros. Don’t know much about Keenan and Patronas. Could be a donnybrook.

The special election primary will be Nov. 5. The general election will be Jan. 14, 2014. The winner will serve out the rest of O’Neil’s 4-year term which expires at the end of 2016.

Duluth holds primaries for school board and city council races next Tuesday. More on that later.