Letter to the Editor: Hovland is a leader for all Edina

Mayor Jim Hovland is a leader of principal, integrity, and authentic, broad-based community partnership. He does not pivot his key messaging according to audience or stakeholder. He does not need to because his message and his hard work are in service of elevating and amplifying all of Edina.

Edina’s legacy as a premier suburb, coveted for its resident quality of life, is due in large part to Mayor Jim Hovland’s unwavering commitment to leading this great city. Under Hovland, our city has been known for its top-ranked education (including, for example, the “Five Star” and “Blue Ribbon” state and national recognitions) and more than 9 in 10 residents rate our police, fire, and emergency services positively according to a 2023 City of Edina Survey. As our town continues to grow the next generation of future leaders, Mayor Hovland goes above and beyond to uplift our youth, and to make city politics transparent to all residents of Edina.

Whoever has witnessed, collaborated, or spoken with Mayor Hovland at such occasions as: City of Edina’s Juneteenth Celebration; One Town, One Family (partnered with Edina Public Schools and Edina Chamber of Commerce); School Safety Conversation (partnered with Edina Police and Fire); or Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Month Festival (Edina Asian American Alliance), recognizes his steadfast commitment—and impact—to lift up all of Edina’s families, grassroots communities, and historic institutions.

Our neighbors who call Edina home include first-generation residents, new families, young professionals, small business owners, and those multigenerational households whose heritages recall the town’s early founding. But we are all committed to maintaining Edina’s present-day excellence, in support of a home and future where everyone can live safely and thrive. We are one Edina. We are strongest together. Mayor Hovland is clearly the best leader to do our community justice in this continued mission toward excellence. And this is why so much of our city, including active community members Sayali Amarapurkar, Asad Dahir, Ramla Hasanali, Vaishali Jha, SK Lo, Dietrich Nissen, Kelly Streit, Sharmarke Yusuf, and Melody Zhou, rally behind Jim Hovland’s candidacy for reelection as Mayor.

Kelly Condit-Shrestha