The slate for candidates running for local races in the Nov. 8 general election appears set now that the filing period ended Tuesday.
For Eden Prairie School Board, six candidates are running for four open seats, and two candidates have filed to run in a special election for another seat. All four seats have a four-year term, while the special election will fill the final two years of the seat currently held by Francesca Pagan-Umar.
Filing for the four board seats are:
- Incumbent Steve Bartz won a special election last November to fill the seat that opened when Veronica Stoltz resigned in May 2021.
- Incumbent Aaron Casper.
- Incumbent Debjyoti “DD” Dwivedy.
- Abby Libsack.
- Incumbent Francesca Pagan-Umar was appointed (after placing second behind Bartz in the special election) to fill the seat vacated by Beth Fletcher’s resignation in September 2021.
- Jody Ward-Rannow.
Filing for the special election seat to finish out the final two years of Beth Fletcher’s term that Pagan-Umar had been appointed to last November:
- Isaac Kerry.
- Dennis Stubbs.
School Board chair Adam Seidel, whose seat is up for reelection, opted not to run for another term. Seidel, elected in 2015 and 2019, gave his reasons on his Facebook page.
“This was not an easy decision, but my wife and I are confident it is the right one for our family,” he wrote. “I am looking forward to the opportunity to spend more time focused on my growing family, especially our precious three-month-old daughter, Eden.”
In the Eden Prairie city races, two people are running for mayor, while four people are running for two open city council seats.
Filing for mayor:
- Incumbent Ron Case.
- Tracey Schowalter.
Filing for council:
- Incumbent Mark Freiberg.
- Greg Lehman.
- Incumbent Kathy Nelson.
- Micah Olson.
Candidates have until 5 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 18, to withdraw.
EPLN will provide more detailed information on the candidates soon.