Commissioner Jason Garcia

Commissioner Garcia

District: 4

Commissioner Garcia

Mailing Address

2117 West River Road N
Minneapolis, MN 55411

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Contact

Phone: 612-230-6443, Extension 4
Email: jgarcia@minneapolisparks.org

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Park-Related Appointments

Administration & Finance Committee
METRO Blue Line Extension LRT Corridor Management Committee, Alternate
MPRB Representative on the Minneapolis Planning Commission
Operations & Environment Committee, Vice Chair
Planning Committee, Chair
Standards and Conduct Committee, Chair
St. Anthony Falls Heritage Board

Bio

Jason Garcia lives in the Lowry Hill East neighborhood, aka the Wedge. They grew up in rural Wisconsin and moved to Minneapolis after college in 1997. Jason is proud to have developed a career building local food systems and advocating for Indigenous food sovereignty. They currently work with a Twin Cities-based nonprofit food hub.

Jason served on the Lowry Hill East Neighborhood Association (LHENA) as a board member and as board president and also volunteers with organizations assisting unhoused people and people facing food insecurity in the Twin Cities. When not working or volunteering, Jason enjoys spending time outdoors near our lakes and rivers; foraging for traditional plants, and cooking for friends and family.

Jason is focused on improving equitable access to our park system for people regardless of race, gender, age, ability, or socioeconomic level. They care deeply about our park system and want to make sure it is developed and maintained to provide healthy and thriving third spaces for our entire community.

About the Board

In 1883, the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board was created by an act of the Minnesota State Legislature and a vote of Minneapolis residents. It serves as an independently elected, semi-autonomous body responsible for governing, maintaining, and developing the Minneapolis Park System.

City of Minneapolis voters elect nine commissioners every four years: one from each of the six park districts, and three that serve at-large. View Commissioner District Interactive Map.

Board Appointments

An annual meeting of the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board takes place on the first business day in January of each year. The following business is conducted:

The Board elects two Commissioners as President and Vice-President and appoints a Secretary who is not a member of the Board.
Whenever a vacancy occurs in the office of an elected Commissioner, the Board fills that vacancy, usually through appointment.
The President appoints Commissioners to serve on Standing Committees of the Board. Each Committee has five Board members (including the Chair of the Committee), with the Chair of the Committee named first. Standing Committees include:
- Planning
- Recreation
- Operations and Environment
- Administration and Finance
- Legislative and Intergovernmental Committee
- Standards and Conduct
- Employee Relations

Also at the annual meeting, the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board of Commissioners appoints community members to five ongoing advisory board commission appointments within Minneapolis. Members of these committees advise park Board Commissioners and other agencies on a wide variety of subjects by making recommendation on important policy matters. For more information about the committees and to apply, please visit the Advisory Board Commission Appointments page.

Roles & Responsibilities

The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board performs its many duties through the contributions of elected Commissioners and the leadership of the Superintendent. Their actions are guided according to the following roles and responsibilities.

Commissioners:

Develop park policies
Enact ordinances governing the use of neighborhood and regional parks, parkways, beaches and lakes, and special use facilities such as pools, ice arenas and golf courses
Appoint the Superintendent