Mayor
City election is for a mayor and two council members
By: Mark Weber
It was Abraham Lincoln who said, “Elections belong to the people.”
There’s a Nov. 8 election that belongs to Eden Prairie people. It’s called the city election, and it has to do with hiring a mayor and city council members while taking stock of the services received from the City of Eden Prairie: police and fire protection, roads and sewers, parks and recreation, and more.
You can participate this fall by voting for Eden Prairie mayor and two council members, which are the three city positions on the ballot. (The Eden Prairie City Council is composed of five members total, one of whom is the mayor. Terms are staggered, so only the mayor and two council member seats are up for election in 2022.)
Two persons are vying for mayor: Incumbent Ron Case; and challenger Tracey Schowalter.
Four people are seeking two council-member seats: Mark Freiberg; Greg Lehman; Kathy Nelson; and Micah Olson. Freiberg and Nelson are incumbents.
The persons with the highest vote totals for mayor and council win terms starting in January, joining council members PG Narayanan and Lisa Toomey.
Eden Prairie Local News asked readers for topics of concern, and that input was used to formulate questions posed to city candidates. The candidates had roughly three weeks to respond. They were given word limits for their responses, and responses were edited for ease of reading. EPLN thanks the candidates for their participation.
Now, it’s your turn. We encourage readers to review candidates’ backgrounds and responses. Do they seem qualified for city office? Did they respond to questions with specific and thoughtful answers? Does their vision align with yours? Check their candidate websites for more.
Then, head to the polls and prove Lincoln correct.
Position: Eden Prairie Mayor
Candidates
- Ron Case (incumbent)
- Tracey Schowalter
JOB POSTING
Eden Prairie is seeking an executive, called the mayor, who represents the City of Eden Prairie in many matters over a four-year term and joins with other council members in making city-related policy and legislative decisions – including budget and tax-levy decisions – but delegates administrative duties to the city manager.
COMPENSATION
The executive elected as mayor is paid an annual salary of $15,077.30, as of 2022.
QUALIFICATIONS
Must be 21 or older and a resident of Eden Prairie at least 30 days before the election.
ABOUT THE HIRING PROCESS
Four city council members and a mayor are elected to four-year terms, but terms are staggered. As a result, the 2022 election is for mayor and two city council members. These are at-large representatives, not assigned to specific wards or areas of Eden Prairie. The top vote-getter for mayor will serve a four-year term starting in January 2023.
Candidate Profiles
These are the candidates running for mayor of Eden Prairie. Click the candidate’s name to view each profile. Candidates are listed in alphabetical order.
Incumbent
Case has served 26 years on the Eden Prairie City Council, four years as mayor. He is a 40-plus-year resident, a retired Eden Prairie Schools teacher and adjunct college psychology professor, currently employed at UnitedHealth Group as director of operational effectiveness for the Optum Financial Team. He is married to Kathie Case, president of the Eden Prairie Historical Society. They have four adult children who graduated from Eden Prairie Schools, and five grandchildren. He has a doctorate degree in leadership, master’s in counseling/psychology, and bachelor’s in education.
Schowalter and her husband, Mike, are five-year residents of Eden Prairie. She worked nine years as a customer service representative for the City of Eden Prairie, and in many of its departments, including four years as an administrative assistant to the police chief. She also spent two years in a part-time position with the Farmington Police Department. She has worked for three different churches, and volunteers with her homeowners association and children’s activities as team manager. In addition, she and her husband have volunteered to serve church youth groups and in other church activities. She says she is self-taught in constitutional law and was part of a group that sued Gov. Tim Walz over his pandemic policies. She was an applicant for a seat on the Metropolitan Council.
EPLN Q&A
Question #1: If you could accomplish just one major thing during your term in office, what would you want that to be, and why?
Click each candidates name to see their answer.
Expand the positive trajectory Eden Prairie is currently on with its strong tax base, low taxes, incredible park and trail system, connected and engaged community, amazingly high resident and business quality of life survey scores, and “best in class” public safety police and fire departments.
I would like to educate and empower the people of Eden Prairie to be the checks and balances that they were intended to be for their government representatives. People nationwide have been traumatized by the pandemic, negative and fearful legacy media campaigns, and governmental overreach. It’s time we step into that power to influence and take action. The fundamentals of our nation were built for the people to have all political power. I hope to instill courage and confidence in others by showing that a knowledgeable Eden Prairie citizen can contribute, lead, and exercise those inalienable rights as provided and written into our Constitution.
As far as tangible accomplishments, I would like to find new and innovative ways to carry out the business of government services. It’s time we start looking for new and creative places to develop land for necessary projects; find or create new programs so people who are working hard but are unable to get ahead have programs they can easily access and step out of as needed.
I would also like to support our law enforcement so that they can keep people safe from harm in these tumultuous times.
Question #2: What recommendation, if any, from the Race Equity Report prepared for the city in 2021 deserves the council’s highest attention?
Click each candidates name to see their answer.
We need to continue the work of partnering with all of our diverse communities to build connections, ensure equity and inclusion initiatives are strengthened, and improve our hiring practices by proactively building relationships earlier in the pipeline.
Remaining committed to what you said you’d do is of utmost importance. For instance, saying you want to celebrate and respect indigenous people and actually doing it in a way that means something to them is important. Festivals and celebrations are one way to celebrate different cultures and ethnicities, but when it comes time to show the respect they are due, is of utmost importance.
After reading the Race Equity Report, it seems that melanated people and indigenous people perceive the efforts of the city as somewhat disingenuous. The only way to find a solution is to approach them in their own communities and speak to them about what is holding them back.
I would love to see more town hall meetings in areas of the community that make them accessible for BIPOC (Black, indigenous and people of color) people to attend. For example, if you want to know what the Hispanic community is thinking and feeling, then hold an event closer to where they reside in the community so it’s convenient for them to attend and feel comfortable. To take it one step further, I would love to attend one of their events and then have conversations in a setting that is natural to them.
Question #3: The city has been enacting 2020 task force recommendations to create more affordable housing. Would you favor staying the course, slowing those efforts, or accelerating those activities? Why?
Click each candidates name to see their answer.
Affordable living units occupied by people who have salaries in the $40,000-$70,000 range are in short supply across the metropolitan area. This is not just an Eden Prairie issue, but it is one that every southwest suburban community needs to address in order to keep the region economically strong and safe. Our new inclusive housing policy is a great step in the right direction that will allow police officers, teachers, and city staff to have the opportunity to live in our community.
The amount of housing seems to be stabilizing, but the cost of housing is rising rapidly. I see many homes for sale and there are numerous rentals available, but the cost is above what most people can afford.
I don’t think we need more high/medium density housing to fix this problem. If higher density units are necessary, there are areas that can be redeveloped because their commercial tenancy is not at full capacity.
I would also like to find a way to use “affordable housing” monies through grants for aiding people to purchase homes as well as rent. The City of Eden Prairie has received federal grants for affordable housing projects. I want to understand more about how these grants can be used and what the stipulations are.
We need to find ways to help people upgrade the homes they are already in, to provide assistance for those that want to own, and provide a stepped system to allow them to build assets at the same time they are receiving vouchers.
Question #4: The Eden Prairie City Council adopted a Climate Action Plan in March 2020, with the overall goal of achieving community-wide carbon neutrality by 2050. Do you support this plan? What changes in this approach would you favor, if any?
Click each candidates name to see their answer.
This was a critical campaign pledge of mine in 2018 that is one of my three proudest accomplishments of my first term. We are the first city in Minnesota to have a goal of carbon neutrality by 2050, a goal of all electric fleet vehicles by 2030, and the first Minnesota city to purchase electric police cars within the past year. If EV cars and trucks continue to become more available in all vehicle types, I would like to see the city accelerate the transition to an all-electric fleet. Additionally, I’d like to see the city incentivize our business community to place solar panels on all flat rooftops over the next decade.
I believe we need to be more responsible with our energy choices. I support a lot of what is in the Climate Action Plan, but I want to know more about the ordinances that the city is looking to adopt.
Whenever we start to make new policies on what residents and taxpayers are required to do, I believe they should be a part of the process. It’s not just about educating people, it’s about having conversations to come to realistic expectations.
I believe in energy diversity. One form of energy is not going to fix all our problems and save the planet. Diversifying our energy and creating a balance between all of them is key. We live in Minnesota, where we may not see the sun for many months, therefore solar cannot be the only answer. The batteries needed for electric energy storage are made from lithium and the mines are very destructive and we haven’t a proper avenue yet to recycle them.
Corporations that do business in Eden Prairie also need to take ownership in these conservation practices as well. Many times residents are sanctioned for not adhering to ordinances, but businesses do not have the same rules.
Question #5: In your view, do Eden Prairie residents currently receive a level of city services that is too low, too high, or about right compared to the amount of city property taxes they pay? What changes, if any, would you make in this area?
Click each candidates name to see their answer.
According to our resident surveys, our high-quality services relative to our low city taxes receive high scores and positive comments. We should continue to aggressively pursue efficiencies, new technologies, and work to maintain our phenomenal city cadre of employees who are truly the best in class.
Eden Prairie’s taxes are definitely higher than in a lot of other communities, but as I said in the forum on Aug. 31, the amount of amenities here are amazing. We have beautiful parks, trails, a community center, and so much more.
I do believe that my job as mayor will be to ensure that people’s money is being spent wisely. To do this, I would make sure the flow of finances is an easy and open process to see and request. Money is tight for everyone, and I feel it’s necessary to give people fiscal transparency.
The tax base of Eden Prairie is already substantial. I’d like to investigate the need for continued increase. Forecasting should be done for future years and projects so that a mature community like Eden Prairie is not struggling to make ends meet. Maybe it’s time to review current spending and see if there are places to trim out the excess before big decisions are made to add high density housing in order to increase the tax base.
Question #6: City council members need to collaborate in order to get things done. What role should the mayor play in promoting council member collaboration, and how and where have you demonstrated the kind of collegial and collaborative skills that get things done?
Click each candidates name to see their answer.
It’s critical for the mayor to ensure that the city council operates in a functional, positive, and collegial fashion. That does not mean unanimity of philosophy, opinions, or perspectives. In fact, the public is well-served when there are diverse opinions being shared and acted upon. But it does mean maintaining a healthy respect for each other as servants of the public. From my 33 years of running classrooms through to my current role as a corporate facilitator in conjunction with my mayoral duties, I’m very proud of the intelligence, hard work, and energy demonstrated by the current five city council elected officials who have represented the people of Eden Prairie over the last several years.
I collaborate with people of all walks of life on a daily basis. I work with people of all skin colors, all religions, and all political leanings. I have found ways to empathize and see a person from their point of view, even when it’s completely different than my own. Sometimes I’ve changed my mind because they showed me things I didn’t see before; and sometimes those conversations have strengthened my own views.
No matter what the outcome, collaborating is all about being respectful and communicating your thoughts in a professional way. When people adhere to these basic principles, they can get a lot done.
I’m not opposed to compromise. Finding a common thread that everyone can rest on, and building on that, is how we co-exist as individuals while being respectful of each other’s perspectives.
This page is part of EPLN’s 2022 Voter Guide. Get info on each of the races by choosing from below.
