Brooke Carlson: Our big Rochester tent

I am Brooke Carlson and I want to be your City Council President. Here’s why. 

I come from a Rochester family devoted to the belief that it is our obligation to improve the community we live in. This is why my entire career has focused on bringing groups together to collectively create positive change in Rochester and throughout Minnesota. Specifically, I’ve done this through working on bipartisan State healthcare legislation along with the Regional Mental Health Crisis Center and the Rochester Nonprofit Consortium. I run my own small business in Rochester focused on planning, assessment, evaluation, and systems change related to sustainability, health, and human services. My business has worked with public partners like Olmsted County, the State, and the federal government as well as with private blue chips like Target Corp. I have not only worked on the wonky policy side but also on a person to person basis with our community’s most vulnerable. Since COVID-19 hit, I have played a key role in coordinating the community’s response to meeting residents’ essential needs. I know the players on the private, nonprofit, and government levels and therefore will be ready on Day One to start rebuilding both economically and as a community. 

I am proud that my campaign has received endorsements from an extremely broad range of Rochester voices. These include the Sierra Club, Rochester for Justice, many leaders among our diverse communities, a former leader of our local economic development agency, and even my solidly-Republican neighbor who knows I will listen to and work with everyone. Perhaps the most meaningful endorsement is from former Council President candidate, Vangie Castro, who I respect and admire greatly and hope to keep involved in city progress. 

I have been especially honored to be joined by so many fellow working moms who have volunteered countless hours to help my campaign. As a working mom myself, I know the modern struggle to find solutions to childcare and how this can limit both personal and economic growth. I plan to push the City to focus more on solutions to this crisis, whether it is using tax financing to promote center development or using my seat on the DMC Board to focus DMC on issues as important to our city’s many working moms as to our many healthcare visitors. 

So many of us are reeling from the mess of divisiveness and hate we are witnessing across government. That is not and has never been me. I disagree while being respectful and find common ground to get things done. My campaign is grounded in a commitment to transparency and inclusiveness as I seek to unite — not divide — our great city. 

Community members can review many of my positions on my website to see where I stand and, regardless of political affiliation, decide whether my perspectives reflect their values. Those who have other questions ranging from where I stand on dog breed ordinances to specific issues of policing, can easily reach me through social media or email at vote@brooke2020.com. 

Local politics matter. It has a huge impact on our daily lives. Let's be the change, friends. Our future is brighter together. 

Brooke Carlson is a candidate for Rochester City Council President.