UPDATE: Berger Withdraws from School Board Race

Less than a week after taking part in a , Jason Berger has left the race.

Berger, who said he decided to run for the for the board as "a way of giving something back to the district," on Monday notified Edina Public Schools he was withdrawing his candidacy. He's the second candidate to do so after the Aug. 18 withdrawal deadline—— meaning his name will still appear on the Nov. 8 ballot.

Berger was the subject of a number of , largely related to allegations he hadn't been truthful regarding past online writings. While Berger has not yet provided comments to Edina Patch, he did disclose his reasons for dropping from the race in a letter to the Edina Sun-Current.

"I have attracted the attention of a local blogger who has been attacking candidates of both parties for many years now," Berger wrote. "He has cut and pasted comments I have made and some I have not in order to fulfill a political agenda. When placed in their proper context, the statements I have actually made are easy to defend, but have little to do with my qualifications as a school board member. On closer examination, it becomes clear that this information is not news or journalism."

"It's been my pleasure to have gotten to know the other candidates in recent months as we've gone through the various profiles and debates," he continued. "I know that they will all do an excellent job of guiding the school district. It is with this confidence that I will exit the race to protect my family from further harassment."

Berger's departure leaves three people—Cathy Cella, Sarah Patzloff and Leny Wallen-Friedman—in the running for the Board of Education's three open seats, effectively ending any sense of competition.