Ethrophic Burnett Is Wrong for Ward 5

In this election season in the 5th Ward, voters need to be alarmed about Ethrophic Burnett. As an employee with the Minneapolis Neighborhood Safety Department—a division tasked with violence prevention—Burnett has been plagued with evidence of shady payments, missing ledgers, and payouts to pals. Even her own boss said Burnett approved millions of dollars in invoices without documentation and resisted oversight, allowing years of unchecked spending with no accountability. (2, 3, 10)

Ward 5 deserves transparency in government!

Burnett’s Trail of Scandals at the Neighborhood Safety Department

The Neighborhood Safety Department (NSD), where Burnett built her career, has been plagued by scandal, eerily reminiscent of the $250 million Feeding Our Future fraud scandal. The 5th Ward can’t afford more of the same. For example, the department repeatedly failed to track vendor payments, awarded lucrative contracts to friends and family, and even failed to pay community groups that had completed their work.

In 2023, the NSD was sued for using illegal procurement processes and inadequate accounting methods in awarding millions in grants. In one case, a contractor billed the city more than $350,000 in just two months for “personnel wages” without listing employee names or dates of work. This is the kind of financial mismanagement Burnett approved and defended.

When pressed on why she never required proper documentation, Burnett deflected responsibility and expressed frustration about implementing even the most basic accountability processes. (2, 10, 26, 27, 34)

Cronyism and Corruption

Under Burnett’s watch, contracts worth nearly $1 million were pushed through to nonprofits run by relatives of city staff. These groups had already received COVID relief money, despite questions about their ability to handle large city contracts.

In March 2025, Burnett’s department attempted to funnel $650,000 to a controversial pastor’s nonprofit, only to withdraw after one of its violence interrupters was charged with multiple felonies in a shootout at a community barbecue.

This is not leadership. It is favoritism and corruption at the expense of Ward 5 taxpayers. (6, 9, 10).

Defund the Police, Fund the Fraud

Burnett says she wants to dismantle traditional policing and replace it with “culturally competent” alternatives. But the very programs she promoted were riddled with fraud and waste.

Instead of creating safety, these initiatives became risks themselves. One violence interrupter hired under Burnett’s department was arrested for recklessly discharging a firearm during a shootout while on shift.

Burnett’s vision is not reform. It’s a reckless gamble that sacrifices community safety and pours money into programs proven to fail. (10, 12, 14, 38)

Vote for Pearll Warren for City Council for Ward 5

On November 4th, Ward 5 voters will have a choice.

A choice between ideology and practicality.
A choice between unsafe streets and safe neighborhoods.
A choice between rising costs and affordable living.

We Can Do Better for Ward 5. Vote Pearll Warren for City Council.

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