'Your Parks,Your Vote: Why is the Minneapolis Parks and Recreation Board So Important?' event set for Sept. 29

On Monday, Sept. 29, 2025, the Minneapolis Area Chapter of the DFL Senior Caucus will hold "Your Parks, Your Vote: Why is the Minneapolis Parks and Recreation Board So Important?" to help voters to brush up on what the Park Board does and why it’s important before placing their ballots this fall.
The event will open with a discussion on issues facing the Park Board facilitated by veteran journalist David Brauer with panelists MPRB Commissioner Becky Alper, Board of Estimate and Taxation President Steve Brandt, and LIUNA Local 363 Business Manager AJ Lange. Attendees will then have a chance to talk with up to four candidates through a “speed dating” format.

“Minneapolis parks – the lakes, the river, the creek, the playing fields, playgrounds and pools – are one of the main reasons people want to live in the city,” says David Brauer, panel facilitator. “Minneapolis is also unique in that voters get to directly elect the people who govern the parks. Yet often even the most engaged voters don’t know who’s on their ballot, or why.”

“Our goal is to first give people an overview of the basic issues,” says Cara Letofsky, political director of the local chapter. “And then, we want people to talk directly to the candidates. We’re shaking up the typical scripted candidate forums by trying out candidate ‘speed dating.’ Each candidate will have a station, and through four rounds, people can move from station to station to ask and listen to the questions being asked.”

“Through this event, the Minneapolis Area Chapter of the DFL Senior Caucus is leaning into our mission to educate voters on important issues,” says Bibi Black, local chapter chair. “Our aim is to educate voters about the problems the parks are facing, how our parks are funded, the labor issues, not to mention what the park board actually does, who’s running for it and why.”

As a Democratic Farmer Labor Party unit, the Minneapolis Area Chapter of the DFL Senior Caucus may include only DFL-endorsed candidates. All eight DFL-endorsed candidates have been invited; six are confirmed: At-Large candidates Amber Frederick, Tom Olsen, and Michael Wilson; and Park District candidates Dan Engelhart (1), Kedar Deshpande (3), and Ira Jourdain (6).

Details: Monday, September 29, 2025 from 5:30- 7:30 p.m. at Dr. Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Park, 4055 Nicollet Ave S, Minneapolis 55409. Doors open at 5 p.m. Attendance is free and open to the public.


The Minneapolis Area Chapter of the DFL Senior Caucus is a local chapter of the Minnesota DFL Senior Caucus. Membership is open to any Minnesota resident who shares the values of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party and is concerned about issues that affect elders. Go to https://www.mplsdflseniors.org/ to learn more.