The Eden Prairie School Board candidate forum on Sept. 14, 2022. File photo by Juliana Allen
Eden Prairie School Board candidates will answer questions in a public forum from 7 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 5 — minus at least one candidate who currently has COVID-19.
Ann Bradsher, John Cermak, Kim Johnson, Kim Ross, Dennis Stubbs, and Jody Ward-Rannow are running for three open seats on the school board. Ross and Stubbs, both incumbents, are seeking reelection. The third seat is being vacated by board treasurer Charles “CJ” Strehl, who has decided not to run again.
The League of Women Voters (LWV) of Minnetonka, Eden Prairie, and Hopkins (MEPH) notified people on their email list Wednesday afternoon that Cermak and Ross tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this week.
Despite this turn of events, the forum will continue as scheduled at Eden Prairie City Center, 8080 Mitchell Road.
Sharon Borine, president of LWV MEPH, said Cermak and Ross may participate if they meet Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines.
Borine said, “In consulting the CDC website, we have learned that folks who have COVID may ‘go back to … normal activities when, for at least 24 hours, both are true: symptoms are getting better overall, and [one has] not had a fever (and … [is] not using fever-reducing medication).’”
Ross has indicated that, due to her currently mild but active COVID-19 symptoms, she will not be attending the forum. If he attends, Cermak will be seated away from the remaining candidates to the extent possible and asked to wear a mask, following CDC guidelines, Borine said.
Borine said LWV MEPH wanted to notify anyone planning to attend the forum in person of the circumstances so they could make an informed choice about attending.
The forum will also be streamed live on the City of Eden Prairie website and rebroadcast on the MEPH website and the City of Eden Prairie YouTube Channel. Questions can be submitted in advance through the LWV MEPH’s website.