Brooklyn Park’s New Mayor Supports Fully Funding Police
The newly elected mayor of Brooklyn Park believes more resources should be put towards the police department to address the city’s record crime rate.
“People say you’re a democrat, you don’t believe in fully funding the police,” said Mayor Hollies Winston. “Well, I’m going to tell you I believe in fully funding the police and I will continue to believe in fully funding the police.”
Hollies Winston is Sworn in as Brooklyn Park’s First Black Mayor
The funding includes providing additional mental health resources to the police department.
“Providing mental health resources so that folks can deescalate these situations,” stated Winston. “Instead of people going into the prison pipeline, you deescalate it… they get the treatment they need and they go on to become residents that contribute.”
Winston has also been working on an economic development plan on how to best utilize the city’s remaining land to generate the most tax revenue.
“We don’t have a ton of land left in Brooklyn Park to develop, so we want to make sure we’re developing that in a smart way so we can reduce property taxes long term,” explained Winston.
Crumbling Infrastructure
Not all Brooklyn Park residents pay property taxes. Many are renters dealing with less than desirable living conditions, which is another item at the top of the mayor’s agenda.
“When we talk about Huntington Place or just some of the crumbling infrastructure we’re seeing with apartments, how do we make sure we bolster that so people have a wonderful place to grow up and live,” said Winston.
Brooklyn Park’s hard water is also an item Winston wants to address in the future.
“We have some very hard water that destroys people’s water softeners and harms our infrastructure,” stated Winston.
To contact or learn more about Mayor Hollies Winston, visit the city of Brooklyn Park.
