Candidate Forum Opening Statement

For those that couldn't make it to the Brooklyn Center Candidate Forum, here is my Opening Statement. Please read it and know that I am with you. I am a resident and I care.

"Good evening. First, I want to thank the League of Women Voters for hosting tonight’s forum, and I want to thank everyone who came to learn more about the candidates.

My name is Teneshia Kragness. I have owned my home in Brooklyn Center for 23 years.

I currently serve on the City Council. I am the Mayor Pro Tem. And I have been a professional Accountant for 25 years.

I am truly grateful to be considered for the opportunity to serve as the next Mayor of Brooklyn Center. I do not take this responsibility lightly. This is my home, and I am very protective of Brooklyn Center.

Throughout this campaign, residents have shown me that I am not on this journey alone. You are standing with me, and We are in this together, and the vision that I have for Brooklyn Center is already beginning to manifest right before my eyes.

My vision for Brooklyn Center, is to be a city where people feel safe, businesses want to invest, families want to stay, and every resident knows that their voice matters.

That vision is centered around three priorities: public safety, pride, and prosperity.

Public safety is more than just policing. It means strengthening and expanding community involvement. We want to make sure that when someone needs help, we send the appropriate resources to meet that need.

Pride means creating a city where people are proud to live, work, and own a business, because when people take pride in their community, they take care of it.

Prosperity means creating opportunities for residents to build generational wealth. As new development comes into Brooklyn Center, our residents should have opportunities to help build it, and earn wages that support their families, and proudly say, “I helped build that.”

I am excited about what we can accomplish together, and I am ready to lead Brooklyn Center forward with the community standing right beside me."