Meg Forney
MINNEAPOLIS
Political platform statement
Why I am running for this office: First, I want to thank you for the opportunity to serve you as your City Wide Park Commissioner. It is an honor and a privilege and, daily, I am humbled by my small role in the legacy of our 137 year history. I am proud of our accomplishments during my short two terms: Funding for our neighborhood Rec Centers for 20 years, utilizing a racial equity matrix. Adding strategic parkland to our system, targeting the gaps in underserved areas. Master Planning the entire city’s park system for long-term development and improvements. I seek re-election to address four action items: Equitable Access, Climate Resiliency, Youth and Senior Programming, and Financial Sustainability. I am passionate about our Park System and honored to steward its legacy. I ask for your support--Vote Meg #1
Education/Profession: Realtor since 1978, Mpls/StPaul magazine SuperAgent: http://superrealestateagent.com/agents/meg-forney-(1)/ • Project for Pride in Living, Associate Director, 1975-1977 • Women’s Institute for Social Change, Women and Money Class Facilitator, 1974-1975 • YWCA Minneapolis, Youth Director, 1971-1974 • University of Minnesota, Bachelor of Arts, 1970
Position statement 1: CLIMATE RESILIENCY: Utilize Minneapolis Green Space to Support Climate and Environmental Resiliency • Develop City-wide, equity-driven tree canopy preservation • Develop urban heat-island mitigation, air quality, ecological connections • Establish baselines and annual targets for greenhouse gas and carbon emissions reduction • Improve water quality • Manage regional and park stormwater • Achieve required Clean Water Act standards • Restore natural systems
Position statement 2: EQUITABLE ACCESS: Promote Equitable Park Access for all Minneapolis Residents and Families • Engage older adults in parks and recreation through social connections, creating opportunities and activities for active older adults • Foster multigenerational access to parks and our residents aging in place. • Activate a Health Equity Lens • Connect a diverse and multi-generational audience to the benefits of urban natural areas, through education, programming and accessible facilities • Sustain safety in parks by design, activation, intervention
Position statement 3: PROGRAMMING: Invest in Programming for Youth and Seniors: • Support people’s ability to age in place through accessible engagement, programming, facilities, and passive low-impact recreation opportunities to enjoy all parks • Grow youth violence prevention efforts • Foster collaborative restorative justice • Build youth/police relationships and continue building pathways to foster park safety and keep youth from entering the criminal justice system • Build relationships between youth and park staff across all departments to foster youth employment, development and safety • Expand Learn-to-Swim programs as a Life Skill Necessity • Connect environmental education programs to leadership development and sustainable job opportunities • Grow expertise toward longterm stewardship of natural areas in our parks • Invest in nature-centered play and programming for all ages • Foster Intergenerational Centers of Excellence
Position statement 4: FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY: Operate Parks in a Financially Sustainable Manner • Measure short-term and long-term financial stability of the park system by the development of empirical, equity-driven data metrics • Take a Business/Entrepreneurial Approach to operations and facilities • Diversify funding streams to leverage existing funding with grants site specific revenue generation sponsorships public/private partnerships • Create flexible funding and budgeting that always priorities core aspects of the agency and supports innovation and expansion • Reimagine Enterprise fund programs and facilities across the system based on market-driven approaches that balance ecology and recreational uses
Position statement 5: With several Commissioners declining to run for reelection, MPRB is going to see substantial turn over and many new faces. I have the proven park leadership experience to help bring the new board together to improve the lives of Minneapolis residents and families. I have chaired significant Park Board committees through my tenure — our Administration and Finance Committee, and our Planning Committee. As appointee of our Minneapolis Parks Foundation and on their Development Committee, I am proud of the efforts to leverage more dollars for our RiverFirst Initiative — some 18 million dollars. Basically, I am passionate about our Park System and honored to steward its 137 year legacy. I am an active user of our Park system and an active attendee of our many Park community engagement efforts. We need to reach to the other side of the river and beyond to address these inequities. I get so excited by the legacy of preserving our lands and water for all to access. Increasing accessibility where our City is growing, as well as where the community has been under-served, is what I will continue to pilot.
Endorsements: Minneapolis DFL Senior Caucus, MN Senator Scott Dibble, MN Representative Frank Hornstein, MPRB Vice President LaTrisha Vetaw, Mayor Jacob Frey, Friends of Hiawatha