WHY I’M RUNNING:
Our parks enrich lives and strengthen communities in countless ways. Ensuring their long-term vitality requires strong leadership and thoughtful stewardship. Along with ushering exciting new projects through to completion, such as Graco Park, Upper Harbor Terminal and North Commons Park, the Minneapolis Park Board will face complex challenges in the coming years. These challenges include a changing environment, tightening budget constraints, and managing existing maintenance needs. We need board members who will listen closely to the community, understand budgets and policy, and do the hard work of reading, researching, and responding thoughtfully to the issues. With my experience in community leadership, policy advocacy, and data-informed decision-making, I’m ready to do that work — and am honored to step up for our parks and the people who rely on them!
MY KEY ISSUES:
Minneapolis residents value safe, well-maintained, and truly accessible parks. MPRB commissioners work on many issues related to this, big and small. Here are the overarching principles that will animate my work:
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We’re fortunate to have one of the best park systems in the country — and as it continues to grow, we must prioritize maintaining what we already have. Every park, trail, lake, and fishing pier requires consistent upkeep and operating funds. Let’s invest in caring for our current assets to ensure they remain safe, functional, and welcoming for everyone.
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Geographic proximity isn’t enough — parks must also feel safe to be truly accessible. That means supporting the people who make our parks work: recreation leaders, naturalists, park police, and all staff. It also means investing in modern safety infrastructure, including lighting, cameras, and equipment that many other cities adopted long ago.
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Healthy lakes and waterways are vital to a thriving ecosystem — and they’re all connected. I'll prioritize water quality improvements and collaborate with watershed districts, neighboring cities, the county, and the Met Council to make meaningful, lasting progress together.
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Decisions coming out of Washington are likely to create financial challenges at every level of government. While our park system benefits from strong community support, we must remain vigilant with our budgeting to ensure residents aren’t burdened by excessive taxes. As part of a large and competitive metro area, Minneapolis must balance fiscal responsibility with continued investment in the high-quality parks and programs our residents expect and deserve.
OTHER IMPORTANT ISSUES:
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A healthy urban tree canopy is critical as we face the challenges of climate change. The Minneapolis Park Board is responsible for caring for our boulevard trees, and our foresters do incredible work. I'm committed to ensuring our forestry staff has the resources they need to keep our tree canopy strong and thriving - and to control buckthorn!
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Our parkways were designed over a century ago for recreation, but today's traffic and cars have changed how they function — especially West River Parkway. I want to engage the community in thoughtful conversations about whether and how we can redesign these spaces to improve safety and better connect neighborhoods, while maintaining accessibility and functionality for all.
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The Minneapolis Park Board's mission is to protect and preserve our city’s parkland to ensure it remains open and welcoming to all. It’s essential that we enforce rules preventing encroachment, vandalism, camping, and other misuse of these shared spaces.
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Decisions coming out of Washington are likely to create financial challenges at every level of government. While our park system benefits from strong community support, we must remain vigilant with our budgeting to ensure residents aren’t burdened by excessive taxes. As part of a large and competitive metro area, Minneapolis must balance fiscal responsibility with continued investment in the high-quality parks and programs our residents expect and deserve.
