Chris Meyer, the DFL candidate for Minneapolis Park Board District 1, lead the Minneapolis Park Board race Tuesday night.
Meyer secured 44.5 percent of first-choice votes with all precincts reporting.
Green Party candidate Billy Menz received 35.5 percent and Independent Mohamed Issa Barre received 19.5 percent.
District 1 encompasses most of the University area and surrounding neighborhoods.
Meyer, along with both other candidates, sought to expand University student involvement in Minneapolis parks.
He campaigned directly in University neighborhoods and encouraged students to vote.
“Candidates can do a good public service by getting students registered,” Meyer told the Daily in October.
Meyers said he has worked elections in the Dinkytown area since 2008 and sees students struggling to vote every time.
Meyers said he will address the “feedback loop” caused by the lack of student voters. Politicians don’t listen to student input because students don’t vote, and students don’t vote because politicians don’t listen to them, he said.
He also said he wants to add a “fair share” of parks to the north and east sides of Minneapolis, including University neighborhoods.
The Minneapolis Park Board oversees a $110 million system with commissioners overseeing over 6,800 acres on 179 properties, 22 lakes and 102 miles of bilking and walking paths.
Cody Olson, executive director of the Southeast Como Improvement Association, previously told the Minnesota Daily the park board advocates for the neighborhoods and acts as a voice for residents on a city level.
