A musician with a vision for Mandan is one way to describe Gerald "Jerry" Serhienko who is running for a seat on the Mandan City Commission.

Serhienko, a member of the Mandan community for 40 years, is the only candidate to have turned in a petition as of Thursday. There are two seats up for grabs on the commission with long-time commissioner Dan Ulmer saying he will not seek re-election.

Commissioner Sandra Tibke said she is running again, but has yet to file a petition. Candidates have until April 11 to file for the June municipal election.

Serhienko, a Killdeer native, has made Mandan his home for 40 years. He is a graduate of Bismarck State College and the University of Mary with a degree in accounting and a minor in business. Serhienko works for the state's Child Support Enforcement regional office. He and his wife Connie raised two children in Mandan.

Since moving to Mandan, Serhienko has been a performing musician playing with a number of bands and groups. He was a member of the local musician's union, which was affiliated with the AFL-CIO, and was president for a number of years.

The union disbanded and became the Bismarck-Mandan Musicians Association, which sponsors the Mandan Buggies-n-Blues event. Serhienko was chairman of the committee that built the band shell in the park.

"After the band shell was built, several of the board members and myself wanted to do an event, something to capture a lot of people," Serhienko said. "We were thinking about a blues event. We also knew there were nine car clubs putting on different shows at that time, so we thought of including them and invited them to participate in a car show for everyone. We talked to the city commission and it was fine with them. So we set up Buggies-n-Blues. It came out of my kitchen."

Serhienko said he believes the city commission is taking the right steps in redeveloping the downtown, and said to carry it through, the city needs commissioners with a vision.

"Mandan is sitting today with an opportunity it will only have for the next year. Mandan is on the edge of something that can be initiated if people have a vision on how to get there. If not, nothing will change," Serhienko said.

For more information on the candidate, there is a Web site at www.Jerry.Serhienko.net.

(Reach reporter Gordon Weixel at 250-8255 or gordon.weixel@bismarcktribune.com.)