Brooklyn Park resident Bernice Cooper filed Friday to run for the City Council’s West District seat, becoming the second candidate to enter the race as of Friday.
If elected, Cooper would become the first Liberian-born woman to serve on the City Council in Minnesota’s sixth-largest city.
The seat is open after incumbent Council member Maria Tran opted to run for mayor instead of seeking reelection to a second council term. The two-week filing period ends June 2.
Cooper would also become just the second Liberian to serve on the Brooklyn Park City Council after former Council member Wynfred Russell, who was sworn into office in 2019 as the city’s first Black council member and served one term before launching an unsuccessful mayoral bid in 2022.
About a dozen supporters and family members accompanied Cooper to City Hall on Friday in what they hope will become a historic campaign. Supporters cheered as she emerged after City Clerk staff accepted her filing paperwork.
“I’m running for City Council to give back to the community that has given me so much,” Cooper told Mshale after filing.
Cooper moved to the United States from Liberia at age 12, first settling in St. Paul. She graduated from Arlington High School in 2007 before earning a bachelor’s degree in social work from the College of Saint Benedict and a master’s degree in social work from Augsburg University.
She currently works for Hennepin County as a police-embedded social worker. Cooper said she and her husband have lived in Brooklyn Park for nine years and were drawn to the city because of its diversity.
“I’ll bring common sense leadership back to City Hall by making resources available to all communities,” Cooper said. “That means educating our families on what is available to them from the city and supporting our small businesses as much as possible, especially in my district, which is a small business hub.”
She added that she plans to maintain a visible presence in the community and improve communication between residents and City Hall.
Cooper is part of a group of four candidates aligned with incumbent Mayor Hollies Winston that is campaigning as a slate for mayor and the three council seats on the ballot this year. The group also includes incumbent Council members Christian Eriksen and Nichole Klonowski.
So far, the West District race has also attracted former Council member Tonja West-Hafner, who previously held the seat before losing reelection to Tran.
Of the city’s six council seats, three are on the ballot this year, one in each district. The mayor’s seat is also up for election.
Mshale also observed former East District council candidate Indred Alexander picking up candidate paperwork at City Hall on Friday. Alexander said she is still deciding whether to run for mayor or for a council seat.
If more than two candidates file for any seat, a primary election will be held Aug. 11 to narrow the field ahead of the Nov. 3 general election.
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About Tom Gitaa, Editor-in-Chief
Born and raised in Kenya's coastal city of Mombasa, Tom is the Founder, Editor-in-Chief and Publisher of Mshale which has been reporting on the news and culture of African immigrants in the United States since 1995. He has a BA in Business from Metro State University and a Public Leadership Credential from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. He was the original host of Talking Drum, the signature current affairs show on the African Broadcasting Network (ABN-America), which was available nationwide in the United States via the Dish Network satellite service. On the show, he interviewed Nobel laureates such as 2004 Nobel Peace prize winner, Professor Wangari Maathai, the first woman from Africa to win the peace prize and heads of states. Tom has served and chaired various boards including Global Minnesota (formerly Minnesota International Center), the sixth largest World Affairs Council in the United States. He has previously served as the first Black President of the Board of Directors at Books for Africa. He also serves on the board of the Minnesota Multicultural Media Consortium. He has previously served two terms on the board of the United Nations Association. An avid runner, he retired from running full marathons after turning 50 and now only focuses on training for half marathons.
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