Elizabeth Shaffer

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Elizabeth Shaffer

Nonpartisan

Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board District 4

Tenure

2022 - Present

Term ends

2026

Years in position

3

Successor

Jason García

Predecessor

Jono Cowgill

Report an officeholder change

Recent elections

Office

Minneapolis City Council Ward 7

Date Elected

November 4, 2025

Education

Bachelor's

Wheaton College, 1988

Graduate

University of Illinois, Chicago, 1994

Personal

Birthplace

Glencoe, Minn.

Profession

Teacher

Contact

Official website

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Elizabeth Shaffer is a member of the City of Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board in Minnesota, representing District 4. She assumed office on January 3, 2022. Her current term ends on January 2, 2026.

Shaffer (Democratic Party) ran for election to the Minneapolis City Council to represent Ward 7 in Minnesota. She won in the general election on November 4, 2025.

Elections in Minneapolis are officially nonpartisan, but the Minneapolis City Charter allows mayoral and city council candidates to choose a party label to appear below their name on the official ballot. Ballotpedia includes candidates' party or principle to best reflect what voters will see on their ballot.

Biography

Elizabeth Shaffer was born in Glencoe, Minnesota. She earned a bachelor's degree from Wheaton College in 1988 and a graduate degree from the University of Illinois, Chicago in 1994. Her professional experience includes working as a middle school and elementary school teacher.

Elections

2025

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

General election

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Note: The vote totals below are from the first round of ranked-choice voting. If voting goes beyond the first round, Ballotpedia will include additional rounds of voting after results from the final round become available.

General election for Minneapolis City Council Ward 7

The ranked-choice voting election was won by Elizabeth Shaffer in round 1 .

		Candidate	%	Total Votes	Transfer	Round eliminated
		Elizabeth Shaffer	52.1	6,709	0	Won (1)
	Submit photo	Katie Cashman	45.9	5,909	0	1
	Submit photo	Corey Vest	1.7	223	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.	0.2	27	0

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. Source	Total votes: 12,868
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Shaffer in this election.

2021

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

General election

General election for Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board District 4

The ranked-choice voting election was won by Elizabeth Shaffer in round 1 .

		Candidate	%	Total Votes	Transfer	Round eliminated
		Elizabeth Shaffer	61.5	11,900	0	Won (1)
		Jono Cowgill	37.8	7,312	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.	0.7	134	0

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 19,346
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

Campaign themes

2025

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Elizabeth Shaffer did not complete Ballotpedia's 2025 Candidate Connection survey.

2021

Video for Ballotpedia

Video submitted to Ballotpedia Released September 17, 2021

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

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

My name is Elizabeth Shaffer and I am a mom, teacher, Superior Hiking Trail thru-hiker and current president of the Friends of Thomas Lowry Park.

My mission is to keep the park board focused on its core capabilities and charter as well as cultivating increased community around our parks. I also hope to restore a sense of positivity and inspiration to the leadership of our parks.

My skills and passion for education, community service and the outdoors lay the foundation for my successful leadership as a commissioner. Most recently I am serving as the President of the Friends of Thomas Lowry Park board, with demonstrated results in building community through organizing volunteers, neighbor events, and leading the grassroots Save the Seven Pools campaign.

This summer I have held community events in almost all of District 4’s parks, listening to resident’s specific priorities and concerns around their local park, volunteering together and sharing my vision for MPRB. Through these events and meetings, I have been gathering information about district concerns and organizing local park networks, which will be the foundation for formal communication with constituents.

I am a responsive, collaborative leader who gets things done.

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?

• I will stay focused on the mission of the park and its core competencies. I will not stray into areas that MPRB does not have the expertise to lead in and stay laser focused on what we do best. If the park board loses sight of investing in and caring for our parkland assets and gets distracted by other issues, who will prioritize these natural spaces?
• I will be community-based. Being attune to the voices of your community is foundational to public service of any kind. If residents reach out to me about a particular park issue in their area, I will listen, respond and take action to alleviate those concerns. They are your parks, I will listen.
• I will bring people together and value diverse opinions. We must move away from the divisiveness and political agendas in current park leadership.

Community Question Featured local question

How would you balance the needs and desires of existing business and housing communities with new development? Would you take gentrification and displacement into consideration when planning neighborhood development?

We must have wholistic, comprehensive longer term plans with our new development strategies. These plans and perspectives must take into account short term and long term impacts on existing businesses and residents. We need to continue to invest in our housing for our city to continue to grow and flourish, balancing this with a focus on increased levels of affordable housing.

Community Question Featured local question

Please list the criteria you would use to evaluate which projects are worth maintaining or starting in Minneapolis when it comes to public infrastructure.

Funding, community support, prioritizing infrastructure that provides core city services and plan to maintain and sustain that investment

Community Question Featured local question

What do you think about the city's environmental health? Would you make any changes to current policy?

We are in a climate crisis. We need to encourage policies to reduce carbon emissions and improve carbon sequestration through greater tree canopies. Our parks and green space must be maintained and protected including water quality and habitat.

Community Question Featured local question

What role do you feel police should play in Minneapolis? What are your thoughts on the city council’s proposed changes to the Minneapolis Police Department?

I do not agree with defunding police. The police have a role in the enforcement of our laws and park ordinances--we need to continue to invest in training and sufficient staffing levels, while also increasing accountability to ensure we have the very best police officers for all our communities.

Community Question Featured local question

What would you like Minneapolis' public safety system to look like by the end of your term? What would you do to accomplish your vision of public safety?

We need police reform and more training. At the same time, we need to invest in sufficient staffing levels for a city our size. I support Mpls Police Chief Arrandondo and Park Police Chief Ohotto as they drive reform and improved public safety in our city and parks.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am passionate about policies that promote environmental stewardship, equity across our park system and financial sustainability.

Championing the environmental stewardship of our 6800 acres is the key responsibility of MPRB. Without it, we will lose the foundation of what current residents enjoy and past park planners gave us. As commissioner, I will prioritize policies that support trees and water. Improving our water quality includes ideas like: onsite water infiltration plans for park projects, defending the Shoreland Overlay District ordinances, improved maintenance of current storm water outlets and communication between city and MPRB and improved analysis of our water quality data. Prioritizing our tree canopy includes funding to offset the expiring tree levy, improved watering and pruning practices, an ecologist or invasive species manager and planting native trees. Prioritizing trees helps mitigate heat islands, improves carbon sequestration, and provides habitat.

I support equity of park access and safety in underserved areas. Adding more acreage of parkland in targeted areas, as detailed in this year's Trust for Public Land Park Score report, will take creativity and collaboration. I also support promoting safety across all our parks. Neighborhoods with reduced acreage have compounded equity issues if park safety is a concern.

I support financial sustainability, planning and allocating resources to support MPRB's core competencies and mission.

What qualities does this office possess that makes it a unique and important part of the state government and legal system?

I am passionate about our Minneapolis Parks and Recreational programs for our youth -- and believe we need to focus our energy and budget on this core mission, building grassroots community based initiatives around our parks.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

I have always admired Ernest Shackleton, the leader of the fateful polar expedition that planned to cross Antarctica on foot. Not far from their destination Shackleton's ship, the Endurance, became trapped in ice and his crew of men started a journey that has inspired many through the years. In the face of freezing temperatures, starvation, cracking ice sheets, seal attacks and sea crossings in make-shift rowboats, Shackleton displayed incredible leadership, tenacity, creativity and strength of will to lead all his men to safety. While the outside world thought they had long perished, Shackleton and his team kept hope in the end goal of making it back home. True leaders face difficulties head on and are an inspiration to those around them.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I value diversity of opinion, collaboration and teamwork and hard work. We are facing many challenges in the parks and it will take leaders ready to put personal agendas aside and work together for good governance.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Core responsibilities of commissioners include: setting MPRB budget priorities and policy direction by representing the voice and vote of district constituents, promoting responsive, two-way communication with residents about park matters, building relationships with MPRB partners as needed and hiring and giving feedback to the specific roles of Superintendent, Attorney and Secretary.

Are there any little-known powers or responsibilities held by this office that you believe more people should be aware of?

I believe park board commissioners should spend more time in their district parks, providing leadership, facilitating community events -- not just attending park board commissioner meetings.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for holders of this office to have previous experience in government or politics?

Not for the parks -- it is more important for park board commissioners to have a passionate commitment to our environmental stewardship and local park communities -- and be a proven leader who is responsive to people and gets things done.

What kind of skills or expertise do you believe would be the most helpful for the holders of this office to possess?

(1) Focused on priorities and mission of our parks, (2) committed to people and community oriented / grassroots based and (3) strong work ethic to provide much needed leadership for our parks

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.

Note: Community Questions were submitted by the public and chosen for inclusion by a volunteer advisory board. The chosen questions were modified by staff to adhere to Ballotpedia’s neutrality standards. To learn more about Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection Expansion Project, click here.

See also

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Candidate

Minneapolis City Council Ward 7

Website

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Officeholder

Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board District 4

Website

Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by Jono Cowgill	Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board, District 4 2022 - Present	Succeeded by NA