Meg's Endorsements

Star Tribune
DFL Feminist Caucus
Stonewall DFL (acceptable)
Minnesota Women's Political Caucus
endorsements

25+ Years of Service to the City

  • Above the Falls Citizens Advisory Committee (AFCAC) South Minneapolis Representative, since 2003 Citizen review & leadership in implementing the upper Mississippi master plan for environmental improvements, economic development & community revitalization for the City of Minneapolis & the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board; Above the Falls Phase I Design Development Citizens Task Force, Chair, 2003-2005
  • Midtown Greenway Land Use & Development Committee Appointee, West Calhoun Neighborhood Steering Council, 2005
  • Theodore Wirth Beach Redevelopment Citizens Advisory Committee Chair, 2002-2003
  • Committee on Urban Environment (CUE) Chair, 1997-2002; Committee Member (Mayoral Appointee) 1989-2004; Chair, Friends of CUE, 2002-2004 (a not-for-profit fundraising entity) Advisory Committee to the City Council & Mayor; CUE Awards Chair, 1991-2004
  • West Calhoun Neighborhood Council (WCNC) Chair, Vice-Chair & Treasurer, 1995-2003; WCNC Revitalization Program Steering Committee Chair and Vice-Chair, 1996-2003
  • People for Parks Chair & Treasurer, 1982-1989 Promotion & Fundraising for the Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board; People for Parks News Editor, 1989-1999
  • Lake Harriet Bandstand Fundraising Co-Chair, 1983-1985
  • WESAC Girls Soccer Coach, 1986-1989
  • The East Calhoun News Co-Editor, Layout Editor, 1979-1989; East Calhoun Community Organization Treasurer, 1977-1979
  • Realtor, Coldwell Banker Burnet, since 1978

For information about volunteering and contributions, please visit the Contact Meg page.

THANKS!

Meg’s Response to North/Northeaster Newspapers

1. What is one of the first things you would do if elected?
Establish productive and positive relationships with my follow Commissioners, Park staff and the public. Team building is the first action the Board can embark on to establish a mutual vision and an action plan to achieve this. A clearly stated vision is priority number one for the staff to do successful implementation. The public needs to be strategically included in the future vision of the parks. Listening to each stakeholder pro-actively and acknowledging their value is essential.
Establishing new funding sources and completing a current comprehensive plan can serve as vehicles for the above.

2. What are the top priorities of the body you are running for?
Residents need an effective, collaborative Park Board to get the job done, to maintain and build on services and features that define our quality of life.
It is imperative to address funding gaps through new revenue options like an endowment fund that could tap estate gifting; to protect and secure our park lands through a land trust; to continue the inclusive public process of guiding and supporting the implementation of the Above the Falls Master Plan; to nurture relationships with multi-jurisdictions, rebuilding collaborative relationships and strong partnerships. Through my extensive civic involvement, I have already established productive relationships with these leaders.

3. What can you bring to this position that sets you apart from the other candidates?
With 28 years of city wide volunteering, most specifically with our urban environment, I have hands-on understanding of our park system:
1) I am the only at-large candidate appointed to a dozen Citizen Advisory Committees (CAC), a critical Park Board planning process; the last two, Above the Falls and Theodore Wirth Beach Redo, I was appointed as chair;
2) I have the proven results and track record of collaboration, consistently being asked by my peers to chair committees such as: People for Parks: 3 years, member 10 years; Committee on Urban Environment(CUE): 5 years, Mayoral appointee 15 years; chairing 10+ Annual CUE Award Juries and Awards Events.

4. How does the Park and Recreation Board status quo as quasi-independent of the City Council help or hinder the people who use the parks?
Our parks define the quality of life here. The independence of our Park Board is essential for the long term health and security of our quality parks. To incorporate the park system into the City bureaucracy would mean the vitality of our parks would get lost in a large quagmire of competing issues and programs. The City’s attention is focused on critical services like police and fire and should never have to directly compete with services of the parks. The challenges of efficient management are outweighed by greater accountability and embracing citizen participation that an independent board can offer.

5. How should the Park and Recreation Board balance the needs of small neighborhood parks (e.g. Audubon and Logan parks in Northeast) with those of larger community parks (e.g. Boom Island, Powderhorn, Chain of Lakes parks)?
The Park Board’s present Comprehensive Plan dates to the ‘60’s and needs to be brought current. We need a plan of organized, democratic, inclusive outreach to involve all citizens’ voices to set the vision of what citizens envision for their home parks as well as our regional parks. Your home park and regional parks are funded and managed differently. Above the Falls Citizen Advisory Committee (AFCAC), that I am appointed to, has pro-actively included the neighborhood, as well as, environmental and industrial voices in implementing the AFCAC Master Plan’s vision which consists of establishing strong connections to neighborhood parks.

6. Please provide us with the following background information:
Name: MEG FORNEY
Are you an incumbent? no
Bio:
Above the Falls Committee, 2003+; Midtown Greenway Land Use, 2005; Wirth Beach Redevelopment, Chair, 2002-2003; Committee on Urban Environment (CUE), Chair, Member,1989-2004; CUE Awards Chair, 1991-2004; West Calhoun Council/NRP, Chair, Vice-Chair, Treasurer, 1995-2003; People for Parks, Chair, Treasurer, Editor: 1982-1999; Lake Harriet Bandstand Fundraising, Co-Chair, 1983-1985; Married with 3 Adult Step-Children & 4 Grandchildren; Realtor