By Phillip C. Parrish, Candidate for Governor of Minnesota 2026
October 4, 2025
Minneapolis stands at a crossroads, and the choice for mayor on Tuesday, November 4, 2025, will shape not just our city, but the future of Minnesota. As a retired U.S. Navy Lieutenant Commander and your candidate for Governor in 2026, I’m proud to endorse Lavern Turner for Mayor of Minneapolis. Lavern is a proven leader whose bold vision for public safety, economic revitalization, and community empowerment makes him the clear choice to lead our city forward. With early voting already underway, I urge every Minneapolis voter to get to the polls and cast your ballot for Lavern Turner. Your vote is a powerful step toward a safer, stronger, and more united city. Here’s why Lavern deserves your support—and why you need to show up to make it happen.
1. A Champion for Public Safety
Minneapolis families and businesses deserve streets where they feel secure, yet rising crime has tested our resilience. Lavern Turner is unwavering in his commitment to public safety, advocating for increased police funding, better officer pay, and community policing that builds trust without bowing to calls to defund law enforcement. His practical approach addresses the post-2020 challenges head-on, ensuring resources are used wisely through rigorous city spending audits. Lavern’s track record as a community advocate, particularly through his Urban Pride Movement, shows he understands the real-world impact of crime and knows how to tackle it with accountability. Voting for Lavern means choosing a mayor who prioritizes your safety—get to the polls to make that vision a reality.
2. Reviving Minneapolis’s Economic Heart
Our city’s economy is struggling under high taxes and bureaucratic red tape, with downtown commerce suffering from closures and lost vitality. Lavern’s plan is a breath of fresh air: tax cuts to ease the burden on families, business incentives using reallocated COVID relief funds, and a push to reopen downtown as a thriving hub. His proposal for rent control balances affordability with growth, ensuring Minneapolis remains a place where everyone can prosper. As an entrepreneur with L.C.T. Consulting, Lavern has the hands-on experience to deliver results, not just promises. By rejecting divisive policies and focusing on unity, he’s poised to spark an economic renaissance. Your vote for Lavern on November 4 is a vote for jobs, opportunity, and a vibrant Minneapolis—don’t miss your chance to drive this change.
3. Empowering Communities and Youth
Too many of our youth are caught in cycles of violence and hopelessness, let down by policies that fail to address root causes. Lavern’s platform centers on empowering the next generation through anti-gun violence programs, youth initiatives rooted in personal responsibility, and free-market solutions that rebuild community pride. His Urban Pride Movement has already shown his commitment to tackling issues like black-on-black crime, and his plan to remove unnecessary bike lanes prioritizes practical infrastructure over trendy distractions. Lavern’s focus on restoring city pride through tangible action makes him a leader who listens to neighborhoods, not elites. By heading to the voting booth, you’re supporting a mayor who will lift up every community and give our kids a future worth believing in.
In a crowded field of 15 candidates, Lavern Turner rises above as an independent voice unbeholden to the DFL machine. Unlike incumbent Jacob Frey, whose approval has plummeted amid perceptions of disconnect, Lavern offers fresh, principled leadership. His resilience as a lifelong Minneapolis resident and community organizer makes him the candidate to trust in this tight, ranked-choice race where every vote counts. Polls show a close contest, and your support can tip the scales for change.
Minneapolis, this is your moment. Early voting is open now—find your polling place at vote.minneapolismn.gov. Plan to vote, bring a neighbor, and let’s elect Lavern Turner as the mayor who will fight for every Minnesotan. Together, we’ll build a city that leads by example for our entire state.
For a stronger Minneapolis and Minnesota,
Phillip C. Parrish
Candidate for Governor of Minnesota 2026
#VoteLavernTurner
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