Current and past members of the Falcon Heights City Council support Melanie Leehy’s bid for re-election

Editor’s note: The following letters are from current and past members of the Falcon Heights City Council in support of Melanie Leehy’s bid for re-election.

From Mayor Randy Gustafson:

Council member Melanie Leehy, who is seeking reelection, has exemplified what our community expects from our elected officials.

The Falcon Heights City Council has faced and addressed, on a local level, some very serious issues these past five years, some with national and international implications.

How issues are addressed is key. In Falcon Heights our standard is: Was the process fair and respectful? Were all stakeholders given the opportunity to participate and be heard? Were the interests of and the implications for the entire community thoughtfully considered? Was the research complete and facts gathered? Melanie Leehy has worked to keep this our standard.

Melanie has actively participated to make our community thrive since she and her husband John settled here in 2005. Her service includes the Neighborhood Commission, advocating for Community Emergency Response Training, chairing the Community Engagement Commission as it combined the Neighborhood and Human Rights commissions, stepping forward as a resident when asked to co-chair the Inclusion and Policing Task Force in 2016 and being elected to the council in 2017.

Melanie’s day job is working with youth, adults, families and businesses in north Minneapolis and other areas to empower individuals and doing community building to break the cycles of poverty and violence.

Character matters.

During my time on the council, I have been inspired by people like Melanie who step forward to do their part to make and keep our community viable. A caring community takes many hands and engaged citizens. Melanie Leehy truly cares about Falcon Heights and everyone in our community. If reelected she will do her best for all residents.

Please join me in voting for Melanie Leehy, Falcon Heights City Council.

From former Mayor Peter Lindstrom:

I enthusiastically endorse Melanie Leehy for Falcon Heights City Council. As a former Falcon Heights mayor and council member I had the privilege of working with Melanie as she served the city on the Community Engagement Commission, Inclusion and Policing Task Force and City Council. Melanie has demonstrated her leadership with strength and grace over 15 years and has earned our vote to continue on the council.

As chair of the Neighborhood Commission, she helped build a more connected community and expanded on that as she helped merge this commission with the Human Rights Commission to create the Community Engagement Commission.

I greatly appreciated Melanie’s service during the most difficult time in our city’s history after the tragic death of Philando Castile. When approached, Melanie accepted leadership on the Inclusion and Policing Task Force. Her contributions were invaluable as she helped bring healing to our city.

Melanie has served on the council with wisdom and insight as the city has navigated budgets, infrastructure and public safety. She is an advocate for all of our residents and deserves our vote on Tues. Nov. 2.

From council membcr Kay Andrews:

Without reservation or qualification, I support Melanie Leehy for reelection to the Falcon Heights City Council.

Melanie has served on the council since before the shooting of Philando Castile. She served as the co-chair for the task force to reform local policing. Since then she has continued to provide strong leadership to ensure that the city continues to be a welcoming, inclusive community to residents and visitors.

Her work on the council has been thoughtful, challenging—when appropriate—and always with a commitment to ensuring that decisions result in what is best and positive for the city. We will benefit from having Melanie continue for another term on our council!

Former council member Pam Harris:

Twenty years of service on the Falcon Heights City Council and Commissions taught me that objective thinking and common sense lead to decisions that enhance the quality of life for every resident—finance, public safety and other infrastructure decisions in particular.

Melanie Leehy shares this outlook, derived from her unique and long personal and professional experience, so I support her continued service on the Falcon Heights City Council and urge every resident to vote for her in the upcoming election.

Open-minded and collaborative, Melanie can be counted on to think carefully about important topics by viewing them in context, applying deeply held baseline principles and never jumping to unwarranted conclusions. She can be trusted. We have enjoyed wide-ranging, respectful conversations over years, often discovering disagreements, but still learning from one another every time.

Melanie also is alert and focused. She correctly prioritizes solid finances, excellent public safety resources, joyful parks and gives careful attention to other infrastructure issues, so I know these issues will have her attention.

Regardless of topic, Melanie takes the high road whenever possible. This is the character of the person I want representing me on the Falcon Heights City Council.