The District 4 Park Board race is a contest between Jono Cowgill, who has served as President of the Board since January 2020, and Elizabeth Shaffer, his opponent.

The Park Board in Minneapolis is a particularly powerful body compared to other cities around the country – it has the ability to levy its own property taxes, has its own police force, and is in charge of the bountiful parkland and recreation programs that exist across the city.

District 4 encompasses the northern part of Southwest and a big chunk of downtown, as seen in the map below:

If some of the answers look overly brief, it's because we forced them to keep their responses to 40-50 words or less, so blame us, not them!

Jono Cowgill

Why do you want to be on, or be re-elected to, the Park Board?
I have learned a lot over my first term, especially while serving as Board President. I know my constituents want the Park Board to deliver excellent parks, face climate change, and address equity issues.  I have the skills, experience, and relationships to be an excellent representative to my constituents.

Do you support the Park Board’s Comprehensive Plan: Parks for All? Is there anything you would change about it?
I was involved in many aspects of the Comprehensive plan's engagement and development. Overall, I support the plan vision which provides action steps for adapting and combating climate change, addressing the historic and systemic racism of our public spaces, and enhancing our world class parks for generations to come.

How would you balance funding physical park improvements vs. investing in programming (services, sports, etc.)?
As someone raised by MPRB programs, I know community starts in our public spaces. Quality programming that responds to community needs can heal and empower. Safe communities are engaged communities. While it is important we make good on MPRB's 20 year Parks Plan, we must focus on equitable programming.

How does equity play a role in how we manage/invest in park and recreation assets? ‍

Equity must be a cornerstone guiding investments. The MPRB equity matrix for capital investments is an important tool that must be constantly revisited to ensure it is accurately capturing equitable investment needs in our parks.

What are some out-of-the-box or interesting things you’d help do to ensure Minneapolis remains the best parks city in the US?

Some cool ideas I'm working on include:

-Establishing a carbon offset program that will expand the forestry division of MPRB.

-Murals across all our parks, made by the youth of this city.

-Methane powered street lamps. Used in Britain, we should try them here.
Do you have any endorsements you'd like us to mention?

I am endorsed by the Democratic Farmer Labor party, the Minneapolis Regional Labor Federation, AFSCME, LiUNA, the Sierra Club, State Senator Omar Fateh, and School Board Chair Kim Ellison.

Elizabeth Shaffer

Why do you want to be on, or be re-elected to, the Park Board?

I have been a leader in my local park the last four years and am passionate about our park system. I will bring grassroots, practical park governance. I will focus on the mission of our parks rather than ideologies in order to ensure access and safe parks for all.

Do you support the Park Board’s Comprehensive Plan: Parks for All? Is there anything you would change about it? ‍

I support the Parks for All plan, highlighting those strategies that are focused on our core competencies and vision. I would be hesitant to deploy the plan’s addendum strategies for parkland disposition as our city’s density is rising. I would be hesitant to disband our independent park police.

How would you balance funding physical park improvements vs. investing in programming (services, sports, etc.)?

I would also include environmental park improvements in this continuum. If we don’t invest in protecting our environmental assets and maintaining our physical structures to acceptable standards, we won’t have the appropriate spaces to implement programming. Without well-cared for fields, courts etc. we will not be competitive to attract participants.

How does equity play a role in how we manage/invest in park and recreation assets?

Equity is paramount in the management and investment of our park assets. I support MPRB’s equity matrix for funding and will prioritize adding park acreage in underserved communities (Trust for Public Land report). Safety is also an equity issue and I’ll work to help make sure our parks are safe for all communities.

What are some out-of-the-box or interesting things you’d help do to ensure Minneapolis remains the best parks city in the US?

I will activate local volunteers around our parks to cultivate input and community action. Some parks already have formal “friends” groups that we can build upon. This summer I hosted events in most District 4 parks, inspired that many want to build community and give back locally.

Do you have any endorsements you'd like us to mention?

I am thrilled to have the Star Tribune Editorial Board endorsement!