Jesse Ventura

Ventura reinvented himself yet again in 1990, when he ran for mayor of the Minneapolis suburb of Brooklyn Park. He had waged a fight against that city over the placement of a storm sewer and a housing complex he believed would harm the wetlands near his home. He took his fight straight to the top by running against 18-year incumbent James Krautkremer, and winning easily. Voter turnout was high, at 71 percent.

Ventura used his charisma to push through several initiatives in which he believed strongly, including a new highway. When necessary, he went on lobbying trips to Washington, D.C.

Ventura's career in Hollywood continued to occupy his time, and he missed a fifth of Brooklyn Park's City Council meetings. He had also landed his own talk show on the St. Paul radio station KSTP, further distracting from his mayoral duties. In 1994, Ventura said he would not seek re-election.