PHOTO: Wynfred Russel
Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, USA-About twenty-five Faith leaders in the African immigrant community have endorsed the candidacy of Mr. Wynfred Russell for mayor of Brooklyn Park.
If elected, Mr. Russell will replace former mayor Jeff Lunde who was elected to the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners in last November’s general elections.
In their statement of support, the Faith leaders described Mr. Russell as an integrity driven leader with vision, conviction and focus who believes in the inherent goodness of equity and doing the hard work of bringing people together for the common good. The statement said those character traits are evident in Mr. Russell’s service on the Brooklyn Park City Council representing the West District.
The Faith leaders also commended Councilman Russell’s prior work on the city’s Planning Commission, the Human Rights Commission and the Neighborhood task force as well as the work of the nonprofit organization, ACER, which the councilman currently heads. ACER, or the African Career, Education and Resource organization “works to uplift and amplify the Africa Diaspora to build power for systemic change that advances racial and economic equity in communities”.
The statement said Councilman Russell is the clear choice among the seven candidates who will face off in the Special elections scheduled for April 13 for Brooklyn Park’s next mayor because he will support policies that diversify the city’s tax base, lift small and micro businesses, support affordable housing and seek the welfare of all residents
The faith leaders, who are some of the most respected in the large African immigrant community in the Twin Cities said, while their endorsement was done as individuals and does not represent their respective congregations, they believed their faith compels them to vote for candidates such as Councilman Russell who will be a fierce advocate of every resident of the city especially those that are improvised, less privileged and powerless.
The statement said in these challenging times when more than six thousand Minnesotans have died from the Covid-19 virus, Councilman Russell’s unique background as a Public Health Practitioner distinguishes him from the other candidates and makes him the ideal candidate at this time.
Councilman Russell used his background in public health to manage the Ebola response team in southeastern Liberia and later served on a global polio eradication initiative in northern Nigeria for three years. According to the statement, Mr Russell now coordinates s statewide Covid-19 response and sits on the National Resource Center for Refugees, Immigrants and Migrants (NRC-RIM) to support state and local health departments.
Majority of the Faith leaders endorsing Councilman Russell are members of the influential Liberian Ministers Association of Minnesota (LMA), including the current and former Executive Directors, Revs. George Wonlon of the Transcea Bible Church and Alexander Collins of the Redeemed Christian Fellowship Church. Others include Father James Wilson of the Holy Trinity Episcopal Church and Rev. Stephen Cole of the Christ Triumphant Outreach Ministries,
Faith leaders from the larger African and other immigrant communities endorsing Councilman Russell include Pastor Simeon Momanyi of the Kenyan Community Seventh-Day Adventist Church and Rev Peter Novellino, among other
Other candidates vying to succeed Mayor Lunde are Mark Mata, a busines owner who has served two nonconsecutive terms on the City Council, Lisa Jacobson who represents the East District on the Council, Boyd Morson , currently representing the Central District, Yelena Kurdyumova, a freelance writer and photo journalist, Benjamin Osemenam, a civil engineer at the Minnesota Department of Transportation and Hollies Winston, a member of the City’s Budget Advisory Committee.
A primary election scheduled for April 13 will narrow the field of candidates to two who will face off during an August 10 special election when Brooklyn Park voters will decide on the next mayor of their city.