ENDORSEMENTS

59-year Brooklyn Center Resident
Barb Jensen
With a heart filled with hope, I support April Graves' candidacy for Mayor! Hope for healing for our community. Hope that all will be heard and respected. Hope for truth in leadership and rigorous consideration of options and their consequences. Graves as Mayor opens opportunities, possibilities and, yes, lots of work to bring OUR Brooklyn Center to a city that we can ALL be proud of and safe within. Leadership matters!

2022 DFL Endorsed Candidate for Brooklyn Center Mayor
Brooklyn Center DFL
"Thank you to all who came out to participate this morning at the Brooklyn Center DFL convention! I am honored to receive the DFL endorsement for Mayor!
Thank you to all the volunteers and delegates that make sure events like these happen. Our community is so beautiful in its diversity and critical in its thinking. It was uncomfortable at times but educational and connecting as well. Tonight I am humble, hopeful and ready to continue to serve. Many Blessings to all!"
- April Graves, 2022 DFL Endorsed Candidate for Brooklyn Center Mayor

Former Brooklyn Center City Manager (2003-2021)
Curt Boganey
During my tenure as City Manager, I found April Graves to be an outstanding Council member who always led with integrity, transparency, and fairness! I am impressed by Council member Graves’s knowledge of how government works and her willingness to share and learn from others. She always does her homework, is thoughtful and seeks win-win solutions consistent with her values of equity, inclusion, and the desire to build an attractive, prosperous community.

Brooklyn Center City Council Member (2007-Current)
Dan Ryan
My fellow Citizens:
I am proud to announce that I am supporting April Graves for Mayor of Brooklyn Center. Council Member Graves has my endorsement because she is, by far, the most capable and qualified of the candidates running for mayor in 2022. Having served on the Brooklyn Center City Council since 2014, April has the knowledge, experience, and judgment of a seasoned leader. Throughout her service, she has demonstrated her commitment to improving our city.
The concerns of our residents will always be her first priority. April is a deeply empathetic person who genuinely cares about our city and the people she serves. She appreciates the importance of returning phone calls, answering emails, being accessible and responsive to community members. April understands the challenges the city faces and has shown a disciplined focus on the right priorities: improving public safety, building our tax base through redevelopment, supporting local businesses, greater opportunities for youth, improving the community center and expanding the range of housing choices in the city.
April is a unifier, not a divider. In these challenging times we need a leader who will be an advocate for the whole community, not an advocate for a narrow agenda. We need a mayor who is competent and capable of conducting fair, efficient council meetings. Brooklyn Center’s mayor is the ceremonial head and spokesperson for the city, but we need a mayor who will do more than give a speech. Our mayor should be a leader who puts in the time to understand the issues before voting at council meetings, follows through on her commitments and gets things done. April will be that kind of mayor. The person who will represent all of us.
Please join me in supporting April Graves for Mayor of Brooklyn Center, by contributing to and volunteering for her campaign, and most importantly, by voting for her in the primary election August 9th, and in the general election November 8, 2022! April Graves for mayor!

18-year Brooklyn Center Resident
Melissa Carey
April Graves understands public safety and the flourishing of all people as a holistic, inclusive need and not a zero sum game. Even in times where we have not seen eye to eye, I’ve been able to have respectful discussions with her, and I know that she will listen and take my perspective into account. Her nuanced approach on topics is often free of the binary thinking and false dichotomies that plague our current political climate. And I believe her goal of running for Mayor is to bring about justice, equity, peace and healing for all of our community.

Teacher/Photojournalist
Mitchell Palmer McDonald Ed. D
April’s kind and generous nature has been ever present. Her engaging personality connects with everyone she meets. From the time of our interaction as teacher/middle school student to her outstanding and numerous contributions as member of the Brooklyn Center City Council, April Graves has been a leader of the community and people. I have never heard anyone refer to her in a negative way. Charming, enthusiastic, energetic, dynamic, and friendly are a few ways to describe April. Add hardworking, giving, generous and loyal to the list. She is a person of great character and integrity. Simply put, she’s the best. As Mayor she will continue to provide Brooklyn Center the leadership necessary to oversee change and growth.

Brooklyn Center Mayor (2007-2018)
Tim Willson
I served as Brooklyn Center's Mayor with Council Member April Graves from 2015 through 2018 and found that she is truly looking to serve, and to make Brooklyn Center a better city.
I suggest that you vote for April Graves as your new Mayor this fall. I have found her to be well thought out on issues, fair to all concerned, and has built good will and friendships in the community.

Endorsed (2014, 2018, 2022)
Women Winning
The mission of Women Winning is to encourage, promote, support, and elect pro-choice women of all political parties to all levels of public office.