Cathy Abene

Cathy Abene

Nonpartisan

Candidate, Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board District 6

Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board District 6

Tenure

2022 - Present

Term ends

2026

Years in position

3

Predecessor

Brad Bourn

Report an officeholder change

Elections and appointments

Last elected

November 2, 2021

Next election

November 4, 2025

Contact

Official website

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Personal LinkedIn

Cathy Abene is a member of the City of Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board in Minnesota, representing District 6. She assumed office on January 3, 2022. Her current term ends on January 2, 2026.

Abene is running for re-election to the City of Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board to represent District 6 in Minnesota. She is on the ballot in the general election on November 4, 2025.^[source]

Elections

2025

See also: City elections in Minneapolis, Minnesota (2025)

General election

The general election will occur on November 4, 2025.

General election for Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board District 6

Incumbent Cathy Abene and Ira Jourdain are running in the general election for Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board District 6 on November 4, 2025.

		Candidate
		Cathy Abene (Nonpartisan)
		Ira Jourdain (Nonpartisan)

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined.
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Endorsements

Ballotpedia is gathering information about candidate endorsements. To send us an endorsement, click here.

2021

See also: City elections in Minneapolis, Minnesota (2021)

General election

General election for Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board District 6

Select round: Round 3 Round 2 Round 1

The ranked-choice voting election was won by Cathy Abene in round 3 . The results of Round are displayed below. To see the results of other rounds, use the dropdown menu above to select a round and the table will update.

		Candidate	%	Total Votes	Transfer	Round eliminated
		Cathy Abene	58.6	11,621	3,495	Won (3)
		Bob Fine	41.4	8,222	814	3
	Submit photo	Risa Hustad	0.0	0	-7,239	2
	Submit photo	Barb Schlaefer	0.0	0	0	1

		Candidate	%	Total Votes	Transfer	Round eliminated
		Cathy Abene	35.7	8,126	1,681	Won (3)
		Bob Fine	32.5	7,408	1,197	3
	Submit photo	Risa Hustad	31.8	7,239	679	2
	Submit photo	Barb Schlaefer	0.0	0	-5,244	1

		Candidate	%	Total Votes	Transfer	Round eliminated
		Cathy Abene	26.3	6,445	0	Won (3)
		Bob Fine	25.3	6,211	0	3
	Submit photo	Risa Hustad	26.8	6,560	0	2
	Submit photo	Barb Schlaefer	21.4	5,244	0	1
		Undeclared Write-insUndeclared write-in candidates may advance past the first round in some ranked-choice elections. If the official source reports write-in votes by candidate name, Ballotpedia displays them alongside the ballot-qualified candidates. However, if write-in votes are reported without a name, they will instead be included in the total write-in votes figure in Round 1. Please consult the official elections source for more details about unnamed write-in candidate vote totals past Round 1.	0.3	62	0

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 24,522
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

Endorsements

To view Abene's endorsements in the 2021 election, please click here.

Campaign themes

2025

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Cathy Abene has not yet completed Ballotpedia's 2025 Candidate Connection survey. Send a message to Cathy Abene asking her to fill out the survey. If you are Cathy Abene, click here to fill out Ballotpedia's 2025 Candidate Connection survey.

Who fills out Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey?

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You can ask Cathy Abene to fill out this survey by using the button below or emailing theteam@cathyabene.com.

2021

Cathy Abene completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2021. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Abene's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am a longtime Minneapolis resident, living in Lynnhurst with my family. My kids attended Minneapolis Public Schools and Rec Plus at the parks. I am a licensed professional engineer with a career in public service. Currently I am principal civil engineer for the University of Minnesota, where I manage natural and man-made water systems throughout the University’s large, state-wide portfolio. I’ve been an activist for various causes throughout the years, and I’ve volunteered for the DFL party and its candidates. I want to apply my unique skillset as a parent, a water resources expert, a public sector professional and an engaged voter and citizen to a Minneapolis treasure that has meant so much to all of us—the world-class Minneapolis parks system.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Let's expand youth sports and recreation.
• Let's make environmental progress especially when it comes to water quality.
• Let's make good governance part of Minneapolis's future.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I know what it’s like to work inside of an elected board-governed organization; my two decades of experience in managerial roles inside of public organizations gives me plenty of insight into how these places prioritize, make decisions, and operate. I know that organizational barriers - not lack of community support - can hinder progress the most. When I speak with people in District 6, I find a lot of interest in making meaningful progress for our community. I believe that our strong thread of common values, rooted in fairness, justice, and equity, is our greatest opportunity. I support the current mission of the MPRB and plan to emphasize youth programming and environmental stewardship, especially water quality.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

See also

2025 Elections

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Government

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External links

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Candidate

Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board District 6

Website

Facebook

Officeholder

Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board District 6

Website

Personal

LinkedIn

Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by Brad Bourn	Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board, District 6 2022 - Present	Succeeded by NA