Meet John J. Choi

The fact that a three-year old child who started his American dream living in low-income housing can become the Ramsey County Attorney truly demonstrates that in our country, anything is possible.

I bring this optimism to work with me every day as I manage our office through servant leadership while we strive to protect vulnerable victims, ensure public safety & achieve justice for our community.

~John

Please edit before publishingDr. Reggie Edwards

City Manager Brooklyn Center.

Made for this role

Friends say Edwards wants to make the world better and is one of the few people who will do something about it. They describe him as a community-oriented, down-to-earth guy who always sees the best in people.

“He’s an eternal optimist,” said Bukata Hayes, who’s been friends with Edwards for more than 20 years. Hayes said that holding faith in the community and working with people to find solutions helps Edwards lead a city going through the pain of another killing of a Black man.

“He firmly believes the community has the answers,” Hayes said. “It’s the government in connection with people.”

Before Edwards assumed the role of Brooklyn Center’s deputy city manager in 2016, he was a professor in the Masters of Public Administration program at Minnesota State University. He also spent a decade serving as executive director for the Region Nine Development Commission.

“He is the kind of person who legitimately wants to make the world a better place,” said Scott Granberg-Rademacker, a political science professor who taught at MSU with Edwards.

He said Edwards’ varied experiences serve him well in his new role as he leads a city through this difficult period.

“He’s very inclusive and wants to make sure people’s voices are heard,” Granberg-Rademacker said. “I have a lot of faith in Reggie, and if anybody is going to handle the pressure, it’s him.”

Reggie grew up in Daytona, Florida. He got his undergraduate and master’s degrees in Florida and came to Minnesota to get his doctorate at St. Cloud State University. Getting his doctorate degree was a big deal to him and his family because his grandmother was illiterate and his mother only received a sixth grade education.

After observing a lack of people of color in government leadership roles, he became city manager of Chisago City, a community that is more than 96% white. He and his wife, Sara, settled in Mankato about two decades ago and have raised three sons in the community. Sara is an associate professor of legal studies at Bethany Lutheran College.

Edwards is active in the community. He is the former vice chair of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People Mankato chapter and has also volunteered for the Mankato Salvation Army. He used to coach his son’s football and basketball teams, although it’s more difficult to do that now with his commute to work in Brooklyn Center.

https://www.mankatofreepress.com/news/local_news/mankato-man-serving-as-brooklyn-center-city-manager-after-shooting-crisis/article_63c58bf8-9dfe-11eb-886d-f3dfcf2ae212.html.