When the Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board commissioners were sworn in Jan. 2, the board was full of new faces, many who ran on pro-labor, pro-worker platforms in light of the Park Board workers strike in 2024.

The board’s former president Cathy Abene was the only district commissioner (District 6) reelected to the board, with at-large commissioner Charles Rucker elected to a new position as District 2 commissioner.  

District 4 is now represented by Jason Garcia, District 3 by Kedar Deshpande, District 5 by Kay Carvajal Moran, and District 1 by Dan Engelhart.

Tom Olsen and Meg Forney were reelected as at-large commissioners and Amber Frederick was newly elected to the third at-large spot.

Two district commissioners, Becka Thompson (District 2) and Elizabeth Shaffer (District 4), left the board to run for City Council. Shaffer won her race in Ward 7 against incumbent Katie Cashman and Thompson lost to Ward 12’s incumbent Aurin Chowdhury. Commissioners Billy Menz (District 1) and Becky Alper (District 3) chose not to run for reelection.

Tom Olsen and Kedar Deshpande were unanimously elected as the board’s president and vice president, respectively, at Friday’s meeting. The 20-minute meeting included a simultaneous swearing-in and, after being elected as president, Olsen quickly listed off commissioner committee assignments. Committee assignments typically run for one year unless otherwise noted.

The board meets to take up its first orders of business on Wednesday, which includes revisiting The Mall’s long-range plan.

Park Board-specific committee assignments

Administration & Finance Committee co-chairs: Forney and Moran

Administration & Finance Committee members:  Deshpande, Garcia, Moran, Engelhart

Recreation Committee co-chairs: Rucker and Frederick

Recreation Committee members: Moran, Abene, Forney

Planning Committee chair: Garcia

Planning Committee members: Forney (vice chair), Deshpande, Engelhart, Moran

Legislation & Inter-Governmental Committee chair: Abene

Legislation & Inter-Governmental Committee: Engelhart (vice chair), Frederick, Forney, Deshpande

Standards & Conduct Committee chair: Garcia

Standards & Conduct Committee members: Engelhart (vice chair), Abene, Forney, Garcia

Operations & Environment Committee chair: Deshpande

Operations & Environment Committee members: Garcia (vice chair), Rucker, Forney, Abene

City-wide committee assignments

Minneapolis Planning Commission: Garcia (two-year term, elected by commissioners)

Board of Estimate & Taxation:  Olsen (elected by commissioners)

Joint Endowment Committee: Deshpande, Forney (two-year term)

Minneapolis Tree Advisory Commission: Garcia

Anti-Displacement Board: Garcia

Minnehaha Creek Watershed District Cooperative Agreement: Abene, Deshpande, Moran

Lake Street Greenway Partnership: Moran

Youth Coordinating Board: Moran

METRO Blue Line Extension LRT Corridor Management Committee: Rucker

Cedar Riverside Partnership: Deshpande

Internal Audit Committee: Engelhart

Minneapolis Institute of Arts: Frederick

Minneapolis Parks Foundation: Rucker, Frederick

Mississippi Watershed Management Organization: Forney

Neighborhood Revitalization Program Board: Deshpande

St. Anthony Falls Heritage Board: Engelhart

Appointed positions

Bike Committee: Kate Adams

Pedestrian Advisory Committee: Edgar Leon Gomez

Saint Anthony Falls Heritage Board: Sally Grans Korsh

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