The Brooklyn Center City Council has issued a formal reprimand to Council Member Laurie Ann Moore after an internal investigation determined she publicly engaged in “confrontational and verbally hostile interactions” with a city commission member this spring — violating the city’s code of respect and ethics for elected officials.
The letter of reprimand was read aloud during a study session late last month and officially adopted at an Aug. 10 council meeting. It describes Moore approaching the commissioner “in an aggressive manner” during a Senate District 38 DFL Convention before “using derogatory and profane language, escalating a verbal confrontation in a public space, and reinitiating the interaction after the initial exchange had concluded.”
The incident occurred April 12 at Woodland Elementary School in Brooklyn Park, after which a complaint was brought to Brooklyn Center Mayor April Graves and members of city staff. Four interviews, two of which featured eyewitness accounts, were conducted in the months that followed and the complaint was determined to be substantiated.
Moore reportedly refused to engage in the restorative measures outlined by the code of respect — including private discussion and informal mediation — which are intended as first steps to resolving violations of the code. Moore also declined a public hearing on the issue, though she did read aloud an apology at the July 27 study session.
“I want to say I made a mistake in engaging with the city commissioner at an event outside of Brooklyn Center in April of 2026. I am sorry for the outcome of that engagement,” Moore said. “I will endeavor to improve and will hold to the council code of respect and ethics with the highest regard to honesty, accountability and integrity with all interested parties in all places.”
Council Member Dan Jerzak was the first to speak following Moore’s apology. “I appreciate what you said, but also, we are accountable for our actions and behavior.”
Jerzak noted he was in support of issuing a reprimand. Council Member Teneshia Kragness concurred.
“I just think it is important to remember why we adopted the code of respect in the first place,” Kragness said. ”It is about setting a clear expectation about what is expected. We are expected to treat people with respect, and we are expecting to be treated respectfully. So, I do want to make sure that we’re upholding this.”
Graves told Moore she appreciated the apology but also noted accountability and consequences are important. With council consensus, she recommended a formal reprimand be issued at the next council meeting.
The letter of reprimand was approved as part of the Aug. 10 consent agenda – a package of agenda items slated for passage without discussion, unless requested by a councilmember. Council Member Kris Lawrence-Anderson, who was not present for the study session discussion, voted to approve the entire consent agenda alongside Jerzak and Kragness. Moore abstained from the vote, and Graves was absent from the meeting.
The investigation found Moore violated multiple standards laid out by the code, which requires council members to “treat members of the public with professionalism, courtesy and respect” in all settings, including unofficial community events; establishes “expectations for respectful and constructive relationships” with appointed officials, such as commissioners; and discourages “conduct that undermines collaboration or public confidence.”
Use of profane language toward elected officials, staff, constituents or appointed officials is considered a Tier 3 violation — meaning Moore could be subject to censure. But Graves recommended addressing the incident as a Tier 2 violation, which carries the less severe punishment of a written reprimand.
Grave said she came to this recommendation in coordination with the city attorney and other investigating parties, noting it was Moore’s first substantiated violation.
“This recommendation reflects the city’s commitment to progressive accountability and restorative practice while recognizing the seriousness of the conduct,” Graves wrote in the letter of reprimand. “Future violations of a similar nature may be addressed at the Tier 3 level without reduction.”
The Sun Post reached out to Moore prior to the publication of this article. She declined to comment.
Change in code
The Brooklyn Center City Council voted in January 2025 to repeal its code of conduct — a document designed to hold council members accountable for their treatment of residents, city staff and fellow elected officials. In October, the council approved a largely similar set of standards for both themselves and members of city commissions.
Like the repealed code of conduct, the code of respect outlines what actions might constitute a personal attack. It also prioritizes a restorative approach to addressing violations rather than focusing on punitive measures.
The council and city staff spent the past few months developing slightly different versions of the new code: one for elected officials, and one for the commissioners they appoint. Both documents were approved in a 4-0 vote at a meeting where Moore was absent.
The code of respect does not differ greatly from the code of conduct that was repealed in 2025. Both versions outline multiple levels of violations and sanctions, ranging from warnings and reprimands to censure or criminal charges.
The opportunity to resolve disagreements before any formal action is required was the most significant difference — offering a private conversation amongst the parties involved as the first step towards resolving the issue. As stated above, Moore refused this option.
Prior actions
In December 2024, council members Dan Jerzak and Kris Lawrence-Anderson argued against implementing a code of conduct but were outvoted 3-2.
At her first meeting as a council member, Moore called for the document to be repealed. The motion passed 3-2, with Moore, Jerzak and Lawrence-Anderson voting in favor.
Jerzak then asked staff to draft a code of conduct solely for city commissioners, which Graves called hypocritical. Weeks later, he appeared to change course after meeting with Council Member Teneshia Kragness and agreed to revisit the council code of conduct.
Graves said the code was first drafted after city staff repeatedly complained to her about council members and commissioners. She said a complaint was filed against Moore when she served on the finance commission before her council election.