Who is Jim Mogen?

Jim Mogen has lived in Falcon Heights for eight years and is deeply invested in its future. With 25 years of experience as a real estate and environmental lawyer, he has worked alongside cities, counties, and watershed districts across Minnesota on housing, infrastructure, municipal finance, and environmental protection. He has served four years on the Falcon Heights Planning Commission and is a member of the 2025 UMN Les Bolstad Visioning Committee, helping guide decisions that will shape the community for decades to come.

Jim and his son Jamison

A lifelong advocate for community and democracy, Jim has volunteered in youth sports and Scouting, provided pro bono legal assistance, and supported efforts to strengthen voter rights, fair elections, and civic participation. Above all, he is a proud father to a 17-year-old son, a lifetime fan of the Minnesota State Fair and the Minnesota Vikings, and is committed to ensuring Falcon Heights remains a vibrant, sustainable, connected, and welcoming community for generations.

Jim at the Falcon Heights City Hall

  • U of M Development Spurs Mogen to Join Race for City Council

    FALCON HEIGHTS, MN - August 11, 2025 - Jim Mogen (54) filed for one of two at-large seats on the Falcon Heights City Council today.  When asked, Mogen explained the plans for the University of Minnesota to sell the Les Bolstad Golf Course to a developer motivated him to seek a seat on the City Council. “The redevelopment of 140 acres of land in Falcon Heights is an opportunity and challenge that I believe I can have a positive impact on,” Mogen provided in a statement.

    Mogen, an eight-year resident of Falcon Heights, currently serves on the City’s Planning Commission and the newly created U of M Golf Course Visioning Committee that was established to work with the University on its request for proposals (RFPs) for the sale.  Mogen is a real estate attorney with more than 25 years of experience working with municipalities and counties, including on development and redevelopment.  He is active in Scouting America (formerly known as Boy Scouts of America), is an amateur actor with the Landmark Center’s History Players group, likes to sail on Lake Superior, and says he is his son’s “most vocal cheerleader” in track & field and cross country.

    The upcoming golf course development is larger than the recent redevelopment of the Saint Paul Ford Plant, now known as Highland Bridge, or of the Hillcrest golf course, currently being redeveloped in Saint Paul.  “As a golfer, I am sad at the loss of a historic golf course.  But, the redevelopment, if done right, promises to usher Falcon Heights into the future,” Mogen said.  “I am looking forward to working with the University and the successful developer to build lifecycle housing, community businesses, valuable open spaces for all of Falcon Heights’ neighbors, and to build a tax base that will be sustainable for our small city.”

    Mogen’s campaign co-chairs, Trista Martinson and Mark Miazga, are excited about the experience Mogen brings to the position and look forward to his work to increase public safety and invest in the City’s parks and other amenities.  Miazga explained, “Jim will be a great representative of all of Falcon Heights, and will balance the needs of the community with the many demands on city resources.”

    • Field Director, Janezich for US Senate

    • Constituent Relations Aide, Metro Council

    • Assistant Attorney General, State of Minnesota

    • Political Director, Minnesota League of Conservation Voters

    • Public Defender, Mogen Law Office

    • Municipal Attorney, Rinke Noonan Law Firm

    • Assistant County Attorney, Ramsey County

    • Adjunct Professor, Mitchell Hamline School of Law

    • Assistant County Attorney, Hennepin County

    • Student Council, Minneapolis Community College

    • Board Member, Minnesota Community College Student Association

    • Student Council, Hamline University

    • Student Bar Association, William Mitchell College of Law

    • President, Delta Theta Phi, WMCL Chapter

    • President, Central Minnesota Transportation Alliance

    • Board Member, University United

    • President, Lexington Hamline Community Council

    • Member, Lexington and University Forty-Acre Study

    • Chair, St. Paul DFL Party

    • Board Member, Macalester-Groveland Community Council

    • Voter Protection Director, Minnesota Victory 2004

    • General Counsel, Capitol Region Watershed District

    • General Counsel, Ramsey County Charter Commission

    • President, Minnesota Eminent Domain Counsel Association

    • Committee Chair, Scouting America Troop 564

    • Planning Commissioner, City of Falcon Heights

    • Commissioner, MNUFFC Fantasy Football League

 Questions

 via Jim’s Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey

  • With the redevelopment of the Les Bolstad Golf Course, Falcon Heights is at a crossroads—facing decisions that will shape our city for years to come. This project is one of the largest in Ramsey County in the last 40 years, and it will take thoughtful leadership to ensure a successful future.

    And I offer that leadership. I bring 25 years of experience as a real estate and environmental lawyer, working with cities and counties on housing, infrastructure, finance, and protecting our natural resources. I’ve partnered with developers—and pushed back when needed—to make sure projects serve the community, not just private interests.

    I also have experience with land use planning, including four years of service on the Falcon Heights Planning Commission, and work with planning organizations across Minnesota. My background includes environmental law, focusing on rules to protect stormwater and surface water resources, and municipal finances, ensuring a strong and sustainable tax base.

    Beyond profession experience related to the redevelopment, I volunteer as a pro bono attorney, serve as a leader in Scouting America, advocate for voter rights, and support single fathers in maintaining strong connections with their children.

    I have lived in Falcon Heights for eight years with my 17-year-old son and our 12-year-old dog, cheer for the Minnesota Vikings, love the winter, and I am a devoted fan of the Minnesota State Fair.

    • With good development, the City can do good. The ability of the City to invest in its residents depends on smart stewardship of the City's tax base. The upcoming redevelopment provides us with the opportunity, if done right, to ensure the City's future is sustainable. This allows us to invest in positive, progressive ways for the betterment of our community.

    • A strong city is built on connections. Falcon Heights should be walkable, bikeable, and transit-oriented to support our neighborhoods and local businesses. Parks, open spaces, and trails provide shared areas where neighbors can meet and create lasting experiences. The City must continue to foster connections between our neighbors, and to support those institutions and opportunities that provide support for each of us.

    • We all do better, when we all do better. Our diversity is at the core of what makes Falcon Heights great. Our neighborhoods— whether University Grove, Falcon Farms, or Hollywood Court — each contribute to the unique character of our city, and all deserve to be valued equally as part of the whole community. We must be inclusive of all our residents, and welcome our new friends with open arms.

  • I am passionate about the impact municipal planning has on a communities sense of self, its economy, and it long-term viability.

    I am passionate about civic engagement, particularly encouraging participation in the electoral process and advocating for a voice in public policy, and protecting voter's rights.

    I am passionate about development citizenship and leadership in children, and value programs such as Scouting, team sports, and youth in government.

    I am passionate about parent's rights, and policies that support both fathers and mothers in being active participants in all aspects of their children's lives.

  • Paul Wellstone. He was a principled progressive that earned the respect and esteem of people from many political backgrounds. He also was willing to admit he was wrong, an unheard-of characteristic for an elected official.

  • The ability to listen to a diverse universe of people, to seek out and take in the best information available, and the courage to make the tough decisions for the betterment of all.

  • I would like to know that my son, and other children I have interacted with, have felt supported and encouraged to do wonderful things.

  • I remember "voting" in my elementary school election for president in 1980. I followed my dad's advice and voted for Gary Anderson, the independent candidate.

  • I was a paperboy from when I was 11 years old. I delivered every morning and had one of the largest routes of anyone I knew. I built my empire by assuming my friend's routes when they quit, forcing me to get up some mornings at 3am to get to all of the houses. I held that job until I was about 15 years old.

  • AFSCME Council 5; LiUNA Minnesota