Gander has served as Mayor of East Grand Forks for the past eight years. He previously served as Council Member at Large. Other past service includes Chair of the East Grand Forks Chamber of Commerce, President of the Minnesota Optometric Association, and service on his local church council. Gander attended school in East Grand Forks, the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks, and the Illinois College of Optometry in Chicago, where he graduated Magna Cum Laude in 1987.

Gander lives in East Grand Forks. He and his wife Rosalynd have been married for 34 years. They have two grown sons, Tom and John, a daughter-in-law Bailey, and two grandchildren. In his free time, he enjoys running marathons, singing, hunting, fishing, kayaking, snowmobiling, scuba diving, woodworking, and riding motorcycle. Gander is a die-hard Vikings fan. He also enjoys other professional and amateur sports.

"In 1975, the group Northern Light recorded the song 'Minnesota'. If you want to recall what you love about our state, go back and listen to that song. It starts out, 'Minnesota-I can almost smell the air. I can feel her hand, and my feet in the sand, in the lakes under trees back home' Let's make this the kind of place we can be proud of-with great opportunities for people of all ages."