Meet Merv

Hello Neighbors,

My name is Merv Moorhead and I’m running to represent our community, Ward 3, on the Minneapolis City Council.

I was raised in a union household where my dad was a steelworker. When the steel mills closed down, my parents had to work multiple jobs to make ends meet. I saw my parents struggle and sacrifice for their children like so many families in Minneapolis do now. They taught me the value of hard work, looking out for your neighbors and going the extra mile for the people you care about.

I played many different sports growing up and eventually played basketball at Allegheny College in Pennsylvania. Basketball taught me the importance of working together to confront issues as a unified front and how to build connections with people from different backgrounds. I gained insights into my teammates’ experiences and the challenges that they faced then and now and shared experiences of my own. We learned that there is much more that unites us than divides us and were able to unite in pursuit of common goals. I believe this is true for our city as well.

I have carried this attitude into my professional career. I have spent 30 years working at General Mills in different areas of the country before settling in Minneapolis. This time spent in different communities has given me a broad perspective on the challenges we face as a city and the ability to work collaboratively with a variety of stakeholders in order to achieve exceptional results. My time at General Mills has also taught me the importance of servant leadership, placing the communities and people we serve at the center of the decision making process. This will be my approach as a city councilor, engaging the communities I serve to in order to make substantive, equitable progress.

Minnesota has been home to my family for over 20 years. Together, my wife of 30 years and I have raised our two sons here with our oldest graduating from the University of Minnesota and living and working here in Minneapolis, while our youngest is pursuing his Masters Degree. My wife and I wanted to experience everything that the city of Minneapolis has to offer and we moved to the Mill District almost 6 years ago and have never looked back. We love the community that has accepted us with open arms and are committed to seeing it thrive and grow. I want Minneapolis to be the place where all of our children and grandchildren can enjoy all aspects of Minneapolis at any time of day or night, they can start a business, build a career and ultimately raise their family in Minneapolis.

I was motivated to run for office because I believe that the needs of the constituents and communities in our Ward are not being prioritized and are instead being replaced with ideological pursuits. We need a Third Ward Representative that doesn’t just listen, but HEARS the the voices of our neighborhoods. We need leadership that is willing to work with anyone across city departments and community organizations to put the best ideas forward so we can confront the issues we face head on and help Minneapolis and the Third Ward not just survive, but thrive and reach its full potential.