At the Ward 6 candidates forum, all three candidates said Ward 6's parks and green spaces are community assets that need maintenance and stronger resident engagement.

Marlene Warner said she favors using green spaces flexibly for recreation, small community farms and stewardship projects and singled out Mac Park after attending youth softball tryouts there. "I love Ward 6 for so many reasons, but 1 of them is the amount of green space," Warner said.

Robert K. Meyer, who lives across from Mac Park, said small volunteer-run efforts sustain fields and warned that loss of higher-school maintenance capacity has led to increased use of Mac Park by local teams. "More and more teams are starting to play over at Mac Park. And, I mean, he maintains it. He does the lines," Meyer said, describing a volunteer who maintains fields.

Caitlin Halapa identified Leslie's Retreat Park and Greenlawn Cemetery as valued spaces and stressed accessibility and safe walking routes: "The accessibility of the parks and the ability for people to walk safely to them is definitely, a concern I have." All candidates recommended stronger outreach, volunteer coordination and use of community events to maintain and activate parks.

Ending: Candidates urged partnership with volunteers, neighborhood groups and city departments to maintain fields, keep parks accessible and expand programming, while prioritizing safety and neighborhood access.