Clear Creek Amana candidates outline priorities at forum; write-in process for two seats explained

Clear Creek Amana Community School District hosted a candidate forum in advance of the upcoming election, where five candidates described priorities including teacher retention, community engagement and facilities planning, and officials clarified that Districts 2 and 4 will not list candidates on the printed ballot and instead must be filled by write-in votes or subsequent appointment.

At the forum, Board President Lisonbee Momony and Vice President Abdulman Bila opened the event and asked each candidate to introduce themselves. Candidates were Braden Smith (running as a District 2 write-in), Casey Cooney (at-large), Rick Hergert (at-large), Gabe Schapfeld (running as a District 4 write-in and currently serving in an at-large seat), and Nick Pfeiffer (on the ballot for District 3 to fulfill the remaining two years of a seat). Momony explained the ballot process and the sequence of appointments that would follow if a write-in candidate who currently holds an at-large seat wins a district seat.

The forum organizers explained the election…