A newly elected Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board commissioner who co-chairs its Administration and Finance Committee is drawing attention after a video resurfaced showing her repeatedly turning to a colleague for help reading dollar amounts during a spending resolution.
The footage, recorded during a Feb. 4 board meeting and recirculated this week by former Park Board Commissioner Becka Thompson, shows District 5 Commissioner Kay Carvajal Moran reading a resolution authorizing hundreds of thousands of dollars in spending for splash-pad equipment and related work at Elliot Park.
WATCH: Minneapolis Park Board finance co-chair overseeing millions in taxpayer money unable to read dollar amounts on spending resolution
The footage, recorded during a Feb. 4 board meeting and recirculated this week by former Park Board Commissioner Becka Thompson, shows… pic.twitter.com/n16UZ7Hi6U
— Alpha News (@AlphaNews) September 3, 2026
“Resolution authorizing the purchase of splash pad equipment, furnishing splash pad, surfacing, and installing services up to … ” Moran begins before stopping.
“Uh, can y’all help me with that number?” she asks.
Commissioner Meg Forney steps in to read the amount: “$404,755.35.”
Moran continues reading, successfully reciting a six-digit contract number before reaching another dollar amount containing a decimal point and again turning to Forney for help.
“$40,475.54,” Forney says.
Moran resumes: “Or necessary, construction change orders that may arise with the contract and transferring … ”
She reaches another dollar amount and stops.
“$76,557.19,” Forney says.
The clip has drawn attention in part because Moran is the co-chair of the finance committee charged with reviewing contracts, spending and other financial matters involving taxpayer dollars.
Moran is also a college graduate from Augsburg University. Reading decimals, meanwhile, is a skill Minnesota students are expected to learn in elementary school.
According to the Minnesota Department of Education, state math standards require fourth-graders to “read and write decimals with words and symbols” and understand place value.
Former finance chair says criticism is about qualifications
Thompson reposted the clip Monday with a question for viewers: “Does this make you feel more confident in our leaders, or less so…?”
Thompson, who previously chaired the Park Board’s finance committee and is a math teacher, took to X to address criticism that circulating the footage amounted to a personal attack on Moran.
Thompson said her criticism is not directed at Moran personally, but at a system that, in her view, allows someone to graduate from college without being able to read certain dollar figures and then rise to a position overseeing millions in taxpayer dollars.
“To be super clear: People have critiqued me for posting this as if it is an attack on this individual, no, it’s actually not,” Thompson wrote. “It’s an expose on a system that would allow someone to get a college degree without knowing how to read numbers and then that same person would be so fluffed up with nonsense as to believe they legitimately can run a $140 million dollar organization.”
To be super clear:
People have critiqued me for posting this as if it is an attack on this individual, no, it’s actually not. It’s an expose on a system that would allow someone to get a college degree without knowing how to read numbers and then that same person would be so… https://t.co/ZZRQjy7Qir— Becka Thompson (@becka_thompson) September 1, 2026
Moran took office in January
Moran, 25, took office in January after defeating incumbent Steffanie Musich in the November 2025 election. She was endorsed by Democratic U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar.
Born and raised in the United States to parents from Mexico, Moran graduated from Roosevelt High School and Augsburg University, where she earned a degree in sociology and history.
According to her Park Board biography, Moran currently works as a case manager assistant for Hennepin County, helping connect tenants with rental assistance, housing and mediation services, referrals and other legal resources — areas where dollar amounts, eligibility requirements and financial information can be part of the process.
Alpha News reached out to Moran to ask why she had difficulty reading those particular dollar amounts and to give her an opportunity to respond to Thompson’s criticism.
Alpha News also asked Moran what she would say to Minneapolis residents who, after watching the video, may question whether they should have confidence in her ability to understand and make decisions involving taxpayer dollars as co-chair of the Administration and Finance Committee.
Moran did not respond by publication.
Jenna Gloeb
Jenna Gloeb is an Edward R. Murrow Award-winning journalist, media producer, public speaker, and screenwriter. Most recently, she worked as a reporter and on-air host for CCX Media. Jenna is a Minnesota native and resides in the Twin Cities with her husband, son, daughter, and two dogs.
