Women dominate new Minneapolis Park Board after high-turnover election

Minneapolis Park Commissioner Meg Forney showed up at the elections office on the first day of candidate filing with a contingent of women who'd pledged — despite a variety of life experiences and political views — to work collaboratively on the Park Board.

Three months later the results are in, and women had swept seven out of nine seats on a body where they had previously been a minority voting faction.

"It's a real statement of support for women, who I believe can govern in a more collaborative way," said Forney, who was elected Tuesday to her third term. "That has been so apparent, on every level of government, what has been missing is that willingness to work together to govern."

In the first election following the Park Board's controversial and short-lived promise to provide refuge for homeless encampments last summer, four incumbents chose not to seek re-election and three incumbents were voted out.

Steffanie Musich of District 5, who represents southeast Minneapolis including Lakes Hiawatha and Nokomis, survived to serve a third term.

Parks observers also noted that the new board will be less racially diverse. One commissioner of color chose not to run for re-election, while At-Large Commissioner Londel French and District 3 Commissioner AK Hassan were unseated by challengers. In the new year, representatives of color will drop from three to one.

"Obviously we are very white, and barring me, I think fairly old, so in some ways we aren't representing a lot of important demographics in the city," said incoming At-large Commissioner Tom Olsen. "That's something I'm very conscious of."

Olsen won his first shot at elected office after working several campaigns behind the scenes. He's an environmental advocate who intends to resurrect the Hiawatha Golf Course master plan, a water-management strategy that was scuttled after members of the Black community rose up in opposition to reducing the historic 18-hole course to nine.

The third At-Large Commissioner-elect is Alicia Smith, a former YMCA executive who is director of the Corcoran Neighborhood Association. It's her first foray into politics — something she said she was motivated to do after seeing the critical role that parks played as a sanctuary for Minneapolis residents throughout COVID-19. Access to safe parks is her biggest priority.

"Given the tone of our city with the level of crime that's been happening, how do we bring some security, of relationships and communities, to the local parks?" she asked. " Whether they're just hanging out, drinking coffee, shooting the breeze, or kids are doing a dance class, or there's a football game or soccer game or someone is playing hockey, you shouldn't have to feel like you're dodging bullets."

Becka Thompson of north Minneapolis was elected in an open race to replace outgoing District 2 Commissioner Kale Severson. In a social media post, she jokingly dubbed the new board "ladies night" after seeing the composition of the commissioners-elect.

"I know my community really well, and it felt really nice to have that validated," said Thompson, who also wants to enhance neighborhood park safety by instituting cultural events that celebrate Black history and making sure the multimillion-dollar North Commons Park reconstruction reflects the community's dreams. "We want to do it in a positive way and in a gentle way to make sure a lot of the neighbors don't get left out... but it's going to be an amazing park. It's like Central Park of the North Side."

Becky Alper, outreach director for the sustainable transportation nonprofit Move Minneapolis, defeated Hassan to represent east central Minneapolis. She said she ran for Park Board because while COVID-19 posed many challenges for working families with small children like hers, the park system stepped up to help with outdoor recreation programs and child care.

"I channeled my energy into where I did find most peace, in the parks … enjoying these bright moments within a really dark year," Alper said.

In District 4, west central Minneapolis, Friends of Thomas Lowry Park President Elizabeth Shaffer ousted Commissioner Jono Cowgill. A moderate who promises to respect her new colleagues and park staff, Shaffer said she was "thrilled and humbled" by the support she received in her race against the current Park Board president.

"Right out of the gate, it's about kind of having a reset on this emotionally charged environment," she said. "What I think will benefit our park system is if we can come in and say, 'I may differ from you on some of these perspectives personally, but we both care about this park."

In the highly competitive southwest Minneapolis District 6 race to replace outgoing Commissioner Brad Bourn, civil engineer Cathy Abene emerged victorious. She attributes her win over several hardworking candidates to voters' positive reception of her expertise in stormwater management, and to her promise to approach her new role as an engineer, not a politician.

"To work collaboratively, to actually think about water quality in a way that is achievable, I know how to do that," Abene said. "That's what the Park Board as an organization really could benefit from: getting laser focused on what actually is its role, where does it lead, and where does it require some strong partnerships."

District 1 Commissioner Billy Menz, an Edison High School teacher who ran unopposed, replaced Chris Meyer.