League of Women Voters, Trust for Public Land, Minneapolis Parks Foundation, and Minneapolis Riverfront Partnership collaborate on questionnaire about some of the important issues facing the Minneapolis Park System

Minneapolis, Minn. – On November 7, Minneapolitans will go to the polls to vote for the next nine commissioners who will begin four-year terms at the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board in January 2018. The League of Women Voters-Minneapolis, Trust for Public Land-Minnesota, Minneapolis Parks Foundation, and Minneapolis Riverfront Partnership jointly invited all 26 candidates to share their views about some of the issues currently facing the Minneapolis Park System. In October, 19 candidates responded to the questionnaire. Community members are invited to view the unedited responses on the League of Women Voters’ website, https://lwvmpls.org/park-board-candidate-questionnaire.

Almost singularly in the United States, Minneapolis has an independently elected governing body overseeing our park system, making this one of the most important decisions that we make as a community. The Park Board sets policy and allocates funding for everything from tree-care to child-care, with far-reaching impacts on the lives of everyone who lives in or visits Minneapolis and the region.

“Minneapolitans have the civic responsibility to elect our Park Board every four years,” says Tom Evers, Executive Director of the Minneapolis Parks Foundation. “Voters need to understand how candidates will approach issues and opportunities in front of the Park Board. This survey provides an additional layer of detail to make an informed choice.”

The League of Women Voters, Minneapolis Parks Foundation, Trust for Public Land, and Riverfront Partnership believe that broad awareness and involvement in Park Board elections is a positive civic outcome. The questions asked in the joint questionnaire are not exhaustive and are not meant to convey a point of view, but are intended to offer each candidate a chance to respond in their own words to recent issues and decisions of the Park Board.

“We thank each of the candidates for committing themselves to service to the city and for taking time out of a very busy season to provide us with responses,” says Margit Berg, Co-chair of the League of Women Voters’ Parks Committee. “Our commitment to each of them is to present their responses without edits or comments and to guide voters to these responses to help them make informed decisions by November 7th.”

Accessing Responses & Additional Resources
Candidate responses are compiled in full, unedited, on the League of Women Voters website, and organized by each of the six Park Board districts, as well as at-large seats. Voters interested in identifying their Commissioner district can find a map at the Minneapolis Park Board’s website.

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