Council Members
Mayor Shelly Carlson
Ending 12/31/2026
Contact
Phone: 218.299.5307
Committees (Subject to Change)
- Metro Flood Diversion Flood Authority Board
- Metro Flood Diversion Finance Committee
- Metro Flood Diversion Authority Planning Committee
- Moorhead Clay County Joint Powers Authority (MCCJPA)
- Regional Red River Dispatch Center Board (RRRDC)
- Board of Appeals & Equalization
- Legislative Workgroup
- Alternate - Red River Basin Commission
Mayor Shelly Carlson was elected in November 2018 as a City Council Member and appointed Mayor in February 2021, simultaneously assuming the Chair position on the Metro Flood Diversion Authority Board. In 2022, she was elected to serve as Mayor. Born and raised in Minot, ND, Mayor Carlson came to Moorhead in 1990 to attend Moorhead State University where she earned both her Master’s in Public Administration and a Bachelors of Science in Paralegal Studies.
During her 30-year professional career, Mayor Carlson has worked at non-profit and government agencies advocating on behalf of crime victims, specifically victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. For the last 8 years, she has been the Special Projects Manager at the Minnesota Elder Justice Center delivering training and advocating for systems change on behalf of elder abuse victims.
Shelly and her husband Ron (a Moorhead native!) own Signature Home Technologies, have 2 adult children (both of whom live in Moorhead), and 2 four-legged “children” who live at home and bark obnoxiously at every UPS, Amazon, or postal worker who dare enter the neighborhood.
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Council Member Ryan Nelson
Ward 1
Term
Ending 12/31/2026
Contact
Phone: 218.299.5549
Email Council Member Nelson
Committees
- Regional Red River Dispatch Center (RRRDC)
- NW Regional Emergency Communications Board
- Historical Cultural Society of Clay County (HCSCC)
- Legislative Workgroup
- Oakport Joint Powers Committee
Council Member Nicole Mattson
Ward 1
Term
Ending 12/31/2028
Contact
Phone: 218.299.5541
Email Council Member Mattson
Committees
- Clay Co. Collaborative Board
- Metro Cog – Planning
- Community Access Television
- Clay County Joint Powers Committee
- Community Facilities Task Force
- Oakport Joint Powers Committee
- Alternate: Planning Committee
- Alternate: Clay County Planning Committee
Nicole Mattson graduated with a BA in American Studies from Smith College. She has worked in marketing, communications, and web development for more than 15 years, and currently works in communications at NDSU. She served on Planning Commission for seven years and on the Moorheart Award selection committee for four years. She is married to Jeremy and has two children, Owen and Chloe.
Council Member Emily Moore
Ward 2
Term
Ending 12/31/2028
Contact
Phone: 218.299.5543
Email Council Member Moore
Committees
- Library Board
- Lake Agassiz Regional Library Board
- Economic Development Authority
- Board of Appeals & Equalization
- Park Advisory Board
- Community Fund Advisory Committee
Emily Moore earned her BA in Political Science from Salisbury University. She previously worked environmental policy and program management roles for Booz Allen Hamilton and the United States Air Force. She is married to Steve and they have a blended family of four children, Nicholas, Eric, CJ, Cassidy as well as two grandsons, Holden and Leighton. She enjoys reading and hiking with her 4 Luv of Dog Rescue pup Padmé Amidala.
Council Member Heather Nesemeier
Ward 2
Term
Ending 12/31/2026
Contact
Phone: 218.299.5547
Email Council Member Nesemeier
Committees
- Public Housing Agency Board
- Clay County Extension
- Cass/Clay Food Commission
- Clay County Solid Waste Advisory Committee
- Resource Recovery Center Advisory Committee
- Airport Committee
Heather Nesemeier has spent decades building community & advocating for social justice in our local communities. She has had central roles in co-planning & facilitating three PB&J School Lunch Fundraisers, expanding the local community gardens at the Ellen Hopkins Nature Play Park, working with local teachers to bring nature, farm, garden, & prairie education into classrooms, & more. She currently serves on local boards in her free time and enjoys reading, gardening, and traveling.
Council Member Deb White
Ward 3
Term
Ending 12/31/2026
Contact
Phone: 218.299.5548
Email Council Member White
Committees
- Transit Coordination Committee (MAT Bus)
- Metro Flood Diversion Authority Land Management Board
- Clay County Joint Powers Committee
- Community Facilities Task Force
- West Central Initiative – Economic Development
- Economic Development Authority
- Greater Fargo Moorhead Economic Development Corporation
Deb White earned her AAS in Business Administration at Broome Community College, Binghamton, NY, her BA in Economics and PhD in Sociology from the University at Albany. She has been a professor of Sociology at Minnesota State University Moorhead since 2000 and coordinator for NEW Leadership Northern Lights, MSUM since 2001. She is also a member of the Moorhead Planning Commission (2011 - 2015). She is married to Rob Kupec and has one son, Quinn.
Council Member Lisa Borgen
Ward 3
Term
Ending 12/31/2028
Contact
Phone: 218.299.5544
Email Council Member Borgen
Committees
- Metro Flood Diversion Authority Board of Directors
- Moorhead Clay County Joint Powers Authority
- Moorhead Public Service
- Legislative Workgroup
- Alternate: NW Regional Emergency Communications Boards
Lisa Borgen is a lifelong resident of Moorhead, a graduate of Moorhead High School (Go Spuds!), a graduate of MSU-Moorhead (Go Dragons!), and earned a law degree from the University of North Dakota School of Law. She served as Clay County Attorney from 1999-2006, District Court Judge in Moorhead and Detroit Lakes from 2006-2013, and most recently was a Vice President at American Crystal Sugar Company in Moorhead, from 2014 through 2024. She is married to Brad - they have four children and four grandchildren. She enjoys traveling, gardening, cooking, lake fun, and listening to books.
Council Member Chuck Hendrickson
Ward 4
Term
Ending 12/31/2026
Contact
Phone: 218.299.5545
Email Council Member Hendrickson
Committees
- Metro Flood Diversion Authority Board of Directors
- Moorhead Clay County Joint Powers Authority
- Art & Culture Committee
- Clay County Solid Waste Advisory Committee
- Metro Cog – Planning
- Red River Basin Commission
Chuck Hendrickson earned his BA in Political Science and English Writing from Concordia College and his MBA from the University of Mary. He is employed at Koerber. He attends Trinity Lutheran Church in Moorhead and enjoys music, playing guitar, family activities, sports, current events, and the outdoors. He is married to Renae and has four children, Hannah, Martin, Maxwell and Gavin.
Council Member Sebastian McDougall
Ward 4
Term
Ending 12/31/2024
Contact
Phone: 218.299.5542
Email Council Member McDougall
Committees
- Human Rights Commission
- Metro Cog – Planning
- Transit Coordination Committee (MAT Bus)
- Board of Appeals & Equalization
- Planning Committee
- Clay County Planning Committee
- Alternate – Park Board
Sebastian McDougall earned his BS in Exercise Science from NDSU. He is a small business owner who works as a consultant. McDougall has served on the City of Moorhead Park Advisory Board and the Public Service Commission. He also volunteered for the Moorhead Basketball Association and has been part of Spud Boosters for many years. He is married to Tracy and has two grown sons.