2026 Chanhassen Mayoral Candidate

“Local engagement starts with meeting residents where they are. That’s why I championed the Chan Check-In, our award-winning digital effort to keep Chanhassen issues front and center. I want to build on that with more proactive public forums, so residents weigh in before decisions are made, not after.”

— Mark van Oven —

Name: Mark von Oven
Website: https://www.facebook.com/vonovenforchanhassen/
Email address: mvoforchan@gmail.com
City of residence: Chanhassen

Professional and volunteer background: 

I currently serve on Chanhassen City Council and in 2025 as deputy mayor. Before that, I chaired the Planning Commission. Professionally, I’ve made a career using analytics to drive better decisions. As an executive at P&G, Target and now Accenture, I’ve built and run best-in-class organizations focused on the people we serve. I bring that same rigor to City Hall: asking hard questions, checking assumptions against data and staying focused on residents as our true clients. I’ve also served six years on the Lotus Lake Conservation Alliance Board, working to keep our lakes healthy for generations to come.

What makes you the best candidate in this race: 

Chanhassen deserves a mayor who pairs council experience with a track record of getting results. As a council member, I helped deliver a new City Hall within budget and championed the new recreation center. As former Planning Commission chair, I understand development decisions from the ground up. I bring a data-driven, hands-on approach from my analytics career to every budget line and policy question, asking hard questions before votes, not after. I’m proud of what my service to Chanhassen has achieved thus far, and I’m ready to lead the next chapter with that same rigor and resident-first focus.

What would be your top 3 priorities if elected as mayor: 

• First, fiscal responsibility: keeping levy increases in check by scrutinizing every budget line, especially as debt service on recent investments play out.
• Second, finishing what we started downtown: delivering the civic campus vision and the 2050 Comprehensive Plan in a way that revitalizes our downtown corridor without sacrificing Chanhassen’s character.
• Third, public safety: making sure our first responders and emergency services keep pace with a growing city, so residents feel safe as we grow.

These aren’t abstract goals. They’re the disciplined, data-driven follow-through I’ve brought to Council for four years, and the standard I’ll hold as mayor.

With future growth projected for your community, what factors do you feel are important to consider as opportunities arise: 

Growth has to pay for itself and fit who we are. That means infrastructure (roads, utilities and sewer capacity) has to be planned ahead of development, not scrambled after. It means holding onto the small-town character that makes Chanhassen special, through thoughtful design standards rather than maximizing density. And it means every major project is evaluated for its true fiscal impact, so new growth strengthens our tax base instead of quietly shifting costs onto current residents. The 2050 Comprehensive Plan gives us the framework; my job as mayor is making sure we hold the line on these standards.

What does good mayoral leadership look like to you: 

A great leader brings out the best in an organization by respecting the opinions of residents, staff and fellow councilors, then using that collective voice to reach the best solution. I bring my own ideas and opinions to the table, but I’ve also grown (over seven years with the city) in my ability to listen without bias and, at times, set aside my own view in favor of a community-based solution that gets us to a better place. Good leadership means residents trust that their voices shaped the outcome, even when the final decision wasn’t exactly what they proposed.

What would you suggest would help to build an informed and engaged citizenry: 

When the Chanhassen Villager closed, I was an early advocate for the Chan Check-In, our award-winning digital effort to keep residents informed through social media. I’ve also pushed for total transparency (utility billing, road assessments, city budgets, council decisions) because an informed electorate makes better decisions alongside its representatives. We’ve built on that with opt-in email summaries of Council meetings and tools like See-Click-Fix, so residents can log and track day-to-day issues in real time. Building trust starts with giving people the full picture, and I’ll keep pushing City Hall to make information easier to consume.

What is your vision for the future of the city and how do you hope to achieve that vision: 

Chanhassen’s motto is “A Community for Life,” and that’s my vision: intentional growth that keeps our small-town charm as we build out the 2050 Comprehensive Plan. Our new civic campus and recreation center are community-focused gathering places, not just for the 4th of July, but year-round. I’ll promote smart housing growth paired with infrastructure and design that attracts retail, dining and entertainment, serving residents of every age. I’ll guide these investments to completion with fiscal discipline, to get there without placing an undue tax burden on the families who call Chanhassen home.

How would you address, if at all, ongoing property tax increases: 

Recent levy increases reflect rising home values, investments in our city and real cost pressures. The Sheriff’s contract, state-mandated benefits and debt service on the Civic Campus & Recreation Center investments are already in our budget. I continually push to scrutinize every budget line, cut programs that don’t deliver value, and challenge our levy forecast. As mayor, I’ll keep that same rigor, treating every taxpayer dollar as carefully as I would my own family’s budget.

With so much attention focused on state and national issues, how will you engage the community to increase awareness of local issues? 

Local engagement starts with meeting residents where they are. That’s why I championed the Chan Check-In, our award-winning digital effort to keep Chanhassen issues front and center. I want to build on that with more proactive public forums, so residents weigh in before decisions are made, not after. In a divisive political climate, I’m proud our council has stayed genuinely non-partisan, focused on results over ideology. That collaborative, resident-first approach is what I love most about local government here, and it’s exactly the leadership I’ll bring as mayor, putting Chanhassen’s shared interests ahead of partisan noise.