Update: Osmek withdraws from candidate forum
The two candidates vying for the Minnesota Senate District 33 seat will no longer be participating in the Oct. 9 forum in Orono.
District 33 GOP candidate and Mound City Councilor David Osmek said that he would be unable to attend the forum because he had a city council meeting that night.
“Unforunately, I have a responsibility to the residents of Mound to perform the duties of my office as councilmember,” Osmek noted in an Oct. 4 e-mail. “The Mound City Council meets in regularly scheduled sessions at 7 p.m. on the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month, and are clearly posted on our city’s website. In the future, I would hope the League of Women Voters would review the regularly scheduled meetings of elected officials prior to setting events. I informed the LWV over two weeks prior to the event, when it became obvious that my meeting would not be cancelled. I would note that I indeed did participate in a LWV forum prior to the Aug. 14 primary and did offer to participate in a rescheduled event.”
Judy Rogosheske, the District 33 DFL candidate, is expected to be in the audience at the forum in Orono City Hall and will be available to talk with voters.
Senate District 33 includes the cities of Corcoran, Deephaven, Excelsior, Greenfield, Greenwood, Independence, Long Lake, Loretto, Maple Plain, Medina, Minnetonka Beach, Minnetrista, Mound, Orono, Shorewood, Spring Park, St. Bonifacius, Tonka Bay, Wayzata and parts of Chanhassen.
The Minnesota House District 33A and the Orono City Council forums will still be held Oct. 9. The Minnesota House District 33A candidates are Democrat Todd Mikkelson of Orono and Republican Jerry Hertaus of Greenfield. House District 33A includes the cities of Corcoran, Greenfield, Independence, Long Lake, Loretto, Maple Plain, Medina, Minnetrista, a portion of Orono, St. Bonifacius and Wayzata.
There are four Orono City Council candidates for two available seats. Those candidates are Kristi Anderson, incumbent Doug Franchot, Lizz Levang and Dennis Walsh. Orono voters will also vote for a mayor, but incumbent Lili McMillan was the only person to file for the office and, according to information from the League of Women Voters, the forum will only include the candidates for the contested council seats.
The District 33A forum is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. and run until 7:30 p.m. The Orono City Council forum is scheduled to begin at 7:40 p.m. and run until 8:40 p.m. Orono City Hall is located at 2750 Kelley Parkway.
Written questions will be taken from the audience during the forum and people may also submit questions prior to the event by e-mailing them to lwv.wayzata.plymouth@gmail.com.
More information on the general election and voting is available through the Minnesota Secretary of State’s website at www.mnvotes.org.
