First Black man elected to a Minnesota county board

Minnesota history was made on Tuesday evening, when Garrison McMurtrey was elected to the Ramsey County Board of Commissioners. With his victory, McMurtrey became the first Black man to be elected to a county board in the history of the state of Minnesota. District 3 includes Saint Anthony Park, Union Park, Como Park, Midway, Frogtown, North End, Payne Phalen neighborhoods in Saint Paul, and all of the City of Falcon Heights. The role became vacant following the resignation of Board Chair Trista Martinson last August.

McMurtrey earned 88% of the vote. Also on the ballet was Joshua David Bau.

“I’m so excited about this opportunity to serve my community on the Ramsey County Board,” McMurtrey said. “ Although I didn’t enter this race to be a “first”, it’s not lost on me that my perspective and lived experience has been missing from the county government for too long. I’m eager to get started and work towards centering economic justice in our work at the county, “ McMurtrey said. We have a lot of work ahead of us, especially as we look at what is happening on the national level. It will be our local governments on the front lines of defense against this administration, and I’m ready to fight alongside my community to ensure we get the resources we need.” 

McMurtrey brings more than a decade of experience in high level public service roles, including Regional Field Director for President Barack Obama’s 2012 campaign, Outreach Director for U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar, and currently as the District Director for U.S. Congresswoman Angie Craig. He also worked in communications and stakeholder engagement at Target. McMurtrey also served as the Chair of the Saint Paul DFL and member of the St. Paul Planning and Charter Commissions. 

“I plan to really prioritize creating more deeply affordable housing in our community, investing in key coordinators to spur economic growth, and ensuring that our county services are responsive to the needs of our community”, McMurtrey said. 

McMurtrey resides in the Como Park neighborhood with his wife, State Senator Clare Oumou Verbeten, and their Goldendoodle Honey. He holds a Masters in Public Policy from the Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota and a Bachelors from Ripon College. 

Learn more about Garrison McMurtrey at ElectGarrison.com