BROOKLYN CENTER, Minn. — Brooklyn Center City Council member Teneshia Kragness easily won Tuesday’s four-way mayoral primary, while Alexander Koenig narrowly secured the second spot on the November ballot by just seven votes.
Kragness received 1,832 votes, or 52.86%, according to unofficial results from the Minnesota Secretary of State. Koenig finished a distant second with 683 votes, or 19.71%.
City Council member Laurie Ann Moore came within seven votes of advancing, finishing third with 676 votes, or 19.50%. Latrecia J. Mayo received 275 votes, or 7.93%.
All six Brooklyn Center precincts had reported.
Kragness and Koenig will face each other in the Nov. 3 general election to succeed Mayor April Graves, who is not seeking reelection.
Kragness, who has served on the City Council since 2023, entered the race with Graves’ endorsement. Tuesday’s result gave her a commanding advantage heading into the general election, with more than 2½ times as many votes as Koenig.
Koenig’s narrow advancement came days after Mshale reported that Citizens for Safer Cities, a political committee funded primarily by apartment-owning companies, spent $5,589.60 on independent print advertising supporting his candidacy.
The committee’s spending supporting Koenig exceeded the fundraising reported by Kragness and Moore ahead of the primary. Kragness reported raising $1,249.83, including $300 she loaned her campaign, while Moore reported raising $100. Koenig told Mshale last week that he had requested an extension for his campaign finance report and described his campaign as largely self-funded.
Koenig said at the time that he did not solicit the committee’s support and had no involvement in its spending. Independent expenditures are made without coordination with the candidate or campaign they are intended to benefit.
Citizens for Safer Cities also spent $2,824 each in independent expenditures supporting City Council candidates Gretchen Enger and incumbent Dan Jerzak.
Four advance in City Council race
Brooklyn Center voters also narrowed a nine-candidate field to four candidates who will compete in November for two at-large City Council seats.
Enger led the field with 1,060 votes, or 17.72%, followed closely by Jerzak with 1,030 votes, or 17.22%.
Nahid Khan finished third with 815 votes, or 13.62%, while Mark Viste claimed the fourth and final spot on the November ballot with 657 votes, or 10.98%.
Justin McGuire finished fifth with 568 votes, or 9.49%, followed by Ebonie L. McMillan with 564 votes, or 9.43%; Aniya White with 533 votes, or 8.91%; Jacob Carter with 491 votes, or 8.21%; and Georgette Byers with 265 votes, or 4.43%.
Enger serves on the Brooklyn Center Finance Commission, while Jerzak has served on the City Council since January 2023. Khan chairs the city’s Arts and Beautification Commission and serves on the Sister Cities Commission, while Viste serves on the Planning Commission.
The four candidates will compete for the two council seats in the Nov. 3 general election, with the two highest vote-getters winning four-year terms.
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