Moorhead Mayoral Candidates Discuss the Future of its Businesses and Downtown Area

In two weeks, the Moorhead community will cast their vote to elect the cities new mayor

MOORHEAD, Minn. — In two weeks, the Moorhead community will cast their vote to elect the cities new mayor.

Ahead of making that decision, candidates Brenda Elmer, Johnathan Judd, and Newzad Brifki answered both prewritten and audience member questions in a forum at D & S Beverages.

In that discussion, the three candidates also responded to concerns about the future of the cities’ restaurants and shops.

“Businesses do not come here to die,” Judd assured the community.

Each candidate voiced what it’s going to take to make businesses on that side of the river prosper.

“If we say okay, we’re going to beat Fargo, that’s going to be impossible because Fargo already has all the entrepreneurs, the investors,” Brifki said. “We just got to do something for our current businesses and be a more welcoming, business-friendly community.”

Brifki’s opponents don’t necessarily agree.

“The momentum you’re seeing in downtown Moorhead is not by choice, it’s by design,” Elmer explained. “I’ve been at the table on that and very active. I have some ideas on how to supersize that because if Moorhead has an even playing field, we can compete. We have a lot of great assets over here.”

“We have resources here and we have people who are committed in our community who know our core community values,” Judd agreed. “What I would do as mayor is continue to promote those values here, across the river, and in St. Paul. We have the things in place.”

And by doing those things they’re hope for the city by 2022 if elected is…

“I want to point to the new developments, the businesses,” Elmer said. “Our downtown will be vibrant, walkable, connected.”

“Hopefully as your sitting downtown you can take advantage of the fact that we have a state of the art library,” Judd answered. “You can walk with your kids across the street to go have lunch. After you drop the kids off, you can come back downtown at night.”

“We’ve got our 20th street underpass and 11th street underpass finished and we’re working on the 8th street and other underpasses in the community,” Brifki explained. “We got our bike path finished all the way from Bluestem to Johnson Park.”

Elections will be held on November 6th.  Mayor Del Rae Williams announced this afternoon she endorses Johnathan Judd to replace her as mayor.