Brooklyn Park staff and council debate election-year rules on staff photos, political tabling and town‑hall timing

At a work session, Brooklyn Park staff and councilors discussed proposed guidance for the 2026 election year focused on three areas: the use of city staff photographs in campaign literature, whether to permit political tabling at city-sponsored events, and the timing of town-hall style events.

City Manager Jay Strobel told the council that staff frequently appear in photographs taken at public events and that candidates sometimes include those images in campaign materials, which can put employees — particularly visible police and fire personnel — in a difficult position. “We are entering 2026 as an election year, and historically there have been situations where staff really could benefit from some clarity from city council with regard to policies around … employee pictures within campaign literature,” Strobel said. He added staff cannot outright prohibit candidates from using photos taken in public but recommended asking…