2025 Candidate Responses - Question 1
The Hiawatha Golf Course Area Master Plan (aka Hiawatha Links) was approved by MPRB in 2022, calling for 9 holes of golf and the ecological restoration of Lake Hiawatha. As commissioner, will you support the master plan and work actively to move forward implementation of the plan?
Jump to: At Large | District 1 | District 2 | District 3 | District 4 | District 5 | District 6
At Large
Meg Forney (At Large):
“YES”
Tom Olsen (At Large):
“I was proud to vote for the plan and will do everything in my power to move it forward efficiently.”
Michael Wilson (At Large):
“I support the Hiawatha Golf Course Area Long Term Plan (formerly referred to as Master Plan), and as commissioner I will work to ensure it is implemented in a way that is equitable, transparent, and responsive to community needs. This plan represents an overdue investment in environmental restoration, and is the product of years of environmental studies, analysis from engineers, and robust stakeholder engagement. The ecological restoration proposed in the master plan is an opportunity to repair harm to the most biodiverse lake in Minneapolis while expanding access to nature for all. I recognize that the golf course has historical and cultural significance, particularly for Black golfers in Minneapolis and around the country. That’s why I support the long-term plan honoring that legacy and ensuring a resilient and playable 9-hole infrastructure that is adaptable for an 18-hole gameplay golf experience for future generations.“
Amber Frederick (At Large):
“Yes. I support the Hiawatha Golf Course Area Master Plan and will work actively toward its implementation. The plan reflects years of public engagement and a careful balance between recreation, flood resilience, and ecological restoration. Restoring Lake Hiawatha’s health is long overdue. Moving forward with the plan will not only protect homes and infrastructure from flooding but also create new opportunities for recreation, education, and connection to the land. My focus will be on ensuring the community remains engaged and informed as we transition from planning to action.”
Mary McKelvey (At Large):
“Yes, I will actively move forward with the plan. There are three options circulating for Hiawatha Links that increase wetland acreage along Lake Hiawatha and Minnehaha Creek by at least 55 acres, which will greatly enhance the stormwater management and pollution filtration in the area. From there, each option includes enhanced opportunities for both greater ecological restoration and more recreation opportunities year-round than people have ever been able to access within the Hiawatha area. I think all of them have something positive to add to our shared park. I will first look to the golf community to choose the best configuration for a drier, 9-hole course and a driving range that is both challenging to avid golfers and encouraging for youth and beginners. From there, we can choose the design of paths and other amenities, making sure ecology is protected.”
Averi M. Turner (At Large):
No response provided
Adam Schneider (At Large):
“Yes, I support the master plan and will actively work to move forward with its implementation. My biggest concern around the Hiawatha Golf Course Area Master Plan is its funding, so I would like to work with state and federal representatives to secure public funding, community and business partners to leverage private funding, and, if necessary, the City of Minneapolis and Board of Estimate & Taxation to issue revenue bonds.”
Matthew Dowgwillo (At Large):
“I am an active mountain biker, skier, and golfer.
Honestly I don’t have a concrete answer for you yet. Though it’s not from lack of trying to come up with one.
The value I bring to the park board is one that will focus on Data, science, and unbiased transparency.
District 1
Dan Engelhart (District 1):
“Yes! Absolutely! Full support and will work actively with community committed to ecological restoration. I will add, I want us to move away from using the word ‘master’ in our plans… but that is possibly tangential”
Dan Miller (District 1):
No response provided
District 4
Andrew Gebo (District 4):
No response provided
Jason Garcia (District 4):
“Yes, I support the plan for the ecological restoration and will work to move that forward if elected.”
Jeanette Colby (District 4):
“This plan involved a great deal of work on the part of the community and Park Board staff. I appreciate the difficult compromises it represents and support the outcome. While the plan requires a significant financial investment, it delivers valuable environmental benefits for future generations. I look forward to working with the Friends of Lake Hiawatha and funders to move the plan forward.”
District 5
Steffanie Musich (District 5):
“Yes, I fully support the Hiawatha Golf Course Area Long-Range Vision Plan and will continue working actively to implement it. Throughout the planning process, I’ve championed the dual goals of preserving golf and restoring wetlands to improve flood resilience and water quality in Lake Hiawatha and Minnehaha Creek. I’ve consistently educated my colleagues on the necessity of this land use change and secured key votes to keep the plan moving forward. If re-elected, I will continue this work to ensure the ecological and recreational vision of Hiawatha Links becomes reality.”
Kay Carvajal Moran (District 5):
“Yes, I do support the Master Plan and will work with neighbors, fellow Commissioners, and staff to ensure it is implemented in the most community-centered manner possible. The Hiawatha Golf Course is a large area of land which holds great significance — we must acknowledge its deep indigenous history, the legacy of Black golfers, and ecological needs when implementing the plan.”
Colton Baldus (District 5):
“I support the master plan and will work to implement the plan in a way that maximizes the amount of ecological restoration of the land but also keeps the golf course intact.”
Justin Cermak (District 5):
“I’m a naturalist. I would like to change a lot of the 1950’s design aspects of the Minneapolis Park system. More natural space for us and for the environment. But, I 100% DO NOT support the ‘Master Plan’ that the current Minneapolis Park Board has developed for the Hiawatha Golf Course property. It is a terrible plan that does nothing to improve water quality in Lake Hiawatha. The plan calls for flooding the golf course with untreated street runoff. There isn’t a wetland on Earth that can filter the pollution coming out of a major metropolitan streets. Between the road salt, fertilizers, pesticides, car chemicals (oil, gas, refrigerants), yard waste and various fecal matter, the swamp that will be at the end of the golf course will be an anaerobic cess pool with very little indigenous animal life. That’s why the National Audubon Society has pulled their support from the project. I believe I have a better, ‘hard architecture’ solution that will make Lake Hiawatha the CLEANEST lake in Minneapolis. Clean water for all!”
District 6
Cathy Abene (District 6):
“Yes.”
Ira Jourdain (District 6):
“Yes I support the master plan but would like to focus on the ecological restoration and conservation efforts that support this. We must good stewards of the environment and waterways that we have direct influence over.”