St. Paul DFL party to be led by 25-year-old

The new chair of the St. Paul Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party is a 25-year-old who won the position this week after running unopposed.

Libby Kantner of Frogtown was the only candidate Thursday for the DFL chairmanship, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reported (http://bit.ly/1jnbb2p ). Her role will involve vetting candidates for the mayor's office, city council and school board.

"I'm really excited about it," Kantner said. "I've been involved in St. Paul campaigns since 2008."

She replaces Darren Tobolt, who chose not to run again.

She'll also be responsible for making sure caucuses and conventions run smoothly, particularly in the wake of what happened in June 2011. That year, Chris Tolbert won the DFL endorsement for St. Paul City Council over John Mannillo.

A few months after Tolbert won the November election, the state party issued a formal "statement of admonition" to St. Paul DFL leaders. The state party said the endorsing convention was marred by poor advance notice, inadequate keeping of records and minutes, and confusion over who was allowed on the floor during restricted times.

"Next year we want to make sure that's not going to happen," Kantner said.