Leslie Davis

Leslie Davis

Did Not Respond

 

LaTrisha Vetaw

LaTrisha Vetaw

Pronouns she/her
Party Affiliation Democratic Farmer-Labor
Website latrishaforward4.com


Values

Communities can learn a lot about candidates from the ways they show up in their city and neighborhoods when the attention isn’t on them. What is one non-performative action you’re proud of that you’ve taken in support of the citizens you represent (or hope to represent)?

As a Park Board Member, I am proud to say that I have always included members of my community in every aspect of my decision making process. I was elected to represent my people and I have never lost sight of that throughout my time in office. As city council member, I will continue to advocate for Ward 4 relentlessly regardless of whether it is popular with my coworkers to do so.

 


 

Public Safety

How will you keep young Black and brown kids safe — those who are simultaneously the most at risk from gun violence but also most at risk during interactions with the police? What do you believe are best practices for solving these issues in tandem, and how will you involve the communities most affected in problem solving and determining next steps?

Keeping our community safe is the most basic duty of the government. Our current Council is failing us. Instead of engaging experts and community members to find real solutions that reduce crime, our Council Members bicker with folks on Twitter over silly hashtags like “defund the police.” And I know that police brutality is real. I’ve experienced it myself. It was at a family gathering in North Minneapolis when I was a young girl. There were a bunch of kids and a few adults. One minute, the kids were just playing. The next minute, the door is down and the police are storming the house we were in. They ziptied all of our hands behind our backs – including my three-year-old twin cousins. They made us lie down on the floor and they put a sheet over our heads. As I’m lying there, already scared out of my mind, one of the officers says: “We could kill them all and no one would care.” Imagine that. These are our public servants. So I know that MPD needs deep, structural change. But we also need officers. Our neighbors need to have someone they can call when they hear gunshots outside their window at night. Sending in social workers to a shootout just isn’t going to cut it. We can reform the police without getting rid of them. We must.

 


 

People of color in Minneapolis are killed or otherwise harmed by law enforcement at disproportionately high rates, despite many attempts at reform over several election cycles. How do you intend to reshape a policing system that has been resistant to change, and slow to show meaningful strides toward equitable community outcomes?

To reshape the Minneapolis policing system, we must have a “both/and” approach. We need both safety beyond policing and law enforcement that includes police presence. When I am elected, I will support expanding the funding of the Office of Violence Prevention for the Minneapolis US Strategic Outreach initiative, where trusted community members work together on neighborhood teams to serve as outreach workers. They use non-physical conflict resolution, mediation, interruption techniques to de-escalate conflict, and then connect community members with services that can assist with housing, medical and mental health support, and employment. I will also support expanding the use of the Mental Health Co-responder Unit which deploys mental health professionals to respond to police calls involving individuals who are or may be experiencing a mental health crisis. But policy changes and training alone will not accomplish a culture shift which is so essential in seeing justice for LGBTQ, Black, Brown, and indigenous communities. We need the ability to get the wrong officers out, which means anything from changing the police union contract to enhancing our disciplinary process and reforming the problematic arbitration system. I will work directly with leaders in community and the city enterprise as well as the Minneapolis Police Chief and the Mayor. Leaders include representatives from the Lake Street Council, West Broadway Business and Area Coalition, Latino Economic Development Center, African American Leadership Forum, Black Women’s Wealth Alliance, Hmong American Partnership, Minnesota Trans Health Coalition, Native American Community Development Institute, and many other groups.

 


 

What are your stances on memorializing public spaces when our community is grieving, and/or demanding action through constitutionally-protected protests? What policies would you put in place or what organizations would you engage to ensure residents can do these things safely?

I believe memorializing public spaces is a crucial part of community healing. Peaceful protests and all other peaceful practices are one of the fundamental rights guaranteed by the Bill of Rights. As city council member, I will make sure that both of these continue to be protected.

 


 

Housing

Rental assistance from the federal government has helped keep people in their homes through the pandemic. This funding is not permanent, however, and inability to pay is the leading cause of evictions. What is your stance on more permanent rental assistance, rent stabilization, and/or rent control measures in Minneapolis?

I start from the standpoint that housing is a right. Each of us deserves to live in a home that is safe, secure, comfortable, and affordable. As a city council member, I will continue to prioritize the preservation of existing and creation of new affordable housing with a focus on those making 30-60% of AMI and with a special emphasis on units serving those at or below 30% of AMI. I also will advocate for our city’s work in the 4D Program which incentivizes landlords to retain affordable units in exchange for property tax reductions. I will stand behind More Representation Minneapolis, which has provide legal assistance to countless residents facing eviction, and during the COVID-19 pandemic has assisted in expunging eviction records.

In terms of rent control measures, I will use a data-driven approach to evaluate any policies that are brought forward.

 


 

Gentrification results in cultural loss for communities and major economic impacts for those priced out of their longtime neighborhoods. As our city grows, what plans do you have to combat gentrification and increase the amount of affordable housing available in Minneapolis?

I believe that our obligation is to retain residents of all backgrounds, and especially BIPOC and new American neighbors. I support policies that retain affordable housing and funding towards homeownership among BIPOC communities. Homeownership prevents displacement and builds intergenerational wealth. That’s why I support policies like down payment assistance that allow longtime community members to purchase homes, remain in their neighborhoods, and build wealth.

I will also support the 2040 Comprehensive Plan which brings forward a diversity of housing options and therefore a socioeconomic diversity of people in every neighborhood.

We also must acknowledge that rent control has failed in every city it’s been tried in. In fact, more often than not, it causes average rent prices to rise by disincentivizing construction of new units. Why members of our City Council would advocate a policy that housing experts categorically denounce is beyond me. As legislative leaders, we must listen to data. That’s what I’ll do when I’m elected.

 


 

In the last few years, Minneapolis has experienced a spike in encampments of unhoused people on public land — a high percentage of whom are Black and/or Indigenous. Many of our unhoused neighbors see this as their best housing option over shelters (for reasons of personal safety, pet ownership, or having to abandon property). What will you do to protect these neighbors and connect them with safe and stable housing?

Our unhoused and unsheltered neighbors must be treated with dignity and respect. Presently, a gap exists between people experiencing homelessness and the deeply affordable housing in our city. Those who Minneapolis is not meeting the needs of are forced to move from place to place searching for housing. This is disruptive to their lives, their children’s education, their community relationships, and their ability to retain employment. As a city council member, I will support increasing the Affordable Housing Trust Fund to provide gap financing for the production and preservation of affordable housing for families earning less than 50% of AMI. I will also continue to support policy initiatives like Stable Schools Stable Homes and the 4D Program. Furthermore, our city needs more homeless shelters, including culturally-sensitive and specific shelters for our BIPOC communities. This along with collaboration with community organizations will help decrease Minneapolis’ unhoused individuals.

 


 

Jobs and Economy

Black, Indigenous, and Minneapolis residents of color pay local taxes and contribute to our local economy, but often do not receive the same shared economic benefits as their white counterparts. Through generations of oppression via policy and unequal systems, wealth has been chronically and systematically extracted from BIPOC communities—how do you envision addressing this legacy of economic harm, in both the short term and the long term?

People of color make up 75% of North Minneapolis. For too long, issues like redlining, predatory lending, and racist housing practices have impacted the community and held back people of color. I am committed to the hard work it will take to change the economic environment and increase prosperity. As a city council member, I will partner with community organizations already doing great work to help entrepreneurs of color access training, capital, and other technical and financial resources. I will promote and expand the Grow North program to bring new jobs to North Minneapolis. I will advocate for North Minneapolis small business owners and make sure they are met with the same level of city support as business owners on the Southside. Lastly, I will facilitate the generation of investments to reduce the number of vacant Northside buildings including a strategic use of city grants, subsidies, or purchases if economically justified. Rectifying the generations upon generations of economic harm is no easy feat, but I am determined to do as much as I can while serving on the City Council.

 


 

The power dynamics of work are heavily tilted against low-wage workers, especially immigrant workers. What actions have you taken or what plans do you have to protect and support these workers?

Low-wage and immigrant workers are the foundation of North Minneapolis’ infrastructure. As a city council member, I will advocate for efforts to enforce the $15/hr minimum wage bill. This means ensuring investigations of complaints by working directly with community organizations, coaching Northside business owners to make sure they are meeting the standards, and by penalizing non-compliant businesses.
Protecting workers does not stop at enforcing minimum wage. We also need to enforce labor protections and support our unions. As a city council member, I will oversee the retention of union jobs as well as the development of a comprehensive labor strategy to better improve both lines of communication and outcomes. Workers deserve our utmost respect and we must demonstrate this by fair compensation and acknowledgement where credit is due.

 


 

Racial Justice

Explain your understanding of systemic racism, and how—or whether—you believe it affects Minneapolis’s education systems & outcomes, our housing market, our environment, public safety, healthcare, or other major systems.

Systemic racism impacts all areas of our community whether explicitly or otherwise. There is no denying that people of color have been given the short end of the stick time and time again. People of color today are still experiencing harm that started many generations ago. As 4th Ward City Council Member, I will advocate for people of color and call on other city council members and the mayor to directly address system racism within all aspects of the Minneapolis municipality.

 


 

Our community suffers from some of the greatest racial disparities in the country across many social, educational, and economic metrics—and has for some time. If you’re in government now, what have you done to address this, and do you feel your efforts have been enough despite the lack of change? And if you’re seeking office for the first time, what ideas are you going to put forward that haven’t already failed?

First and foremost, one of the primary causes of racial disparities in Minneapolis and beyond is a lack of equal economic opportunity for people of color. Like I have mentioned above, I will work directly with community organizations already assisting entrepreneurs and workers or color. I will also generate more investments into businesses operated by people of color. In addition, I will generate good paying jobs for people of color and other people who have been traditionally left out of discriminatory hiring practices.

 


 

Climate

Climate change is already upon us, and its causes are on such a large scale that we can’t expect everyday Minneapolitans to recycle or LED bulb our way to a solution. How would you encourage businesses in our city to adopt practices to mitigate climate change, and/or hold them accountable for practices that worsen it?

Climate change is not an issue where we can wait, nor is it an issue where we can tolerate tacet support. Our city needs to continue with affordable housing improvements, energy efficiency improvements, and investment into renewable energy projects. As a city council member, I will continue the 4D Program which creates energy efficiency and renewable energy incentives. I will advocate for the Rebuild Initiative that provides funding to BIPOC- and immigrant-owned small businesses to pay for solar panels and other energy efficiency improvements. I will also expand the city’s 2040 Comprehensive Plan which has increased energy efficiency in our buildings; accelerated investment in renewable energy in buildings and transportation; and established more sustainable land-use and transportation patterns. These initiatives are only a starting point and I hope to further improve Minneapolis’ response to climate change when I am elected to city council.

 


 

Voters’ Rights

What have you done or what will you do to protect and expand voter access in your ward/Minneapolis?

First, we have to make sure that people can vote when it’s most convenient for them. The expansion of mail-in absentee voting in the 2020 election was a huge victory for voting rights. We must preserve it. I also believe that we should make election day a city holiday.

 


 

Governance

Who are the people and/or organizations that would be part of your decision-making process in office?

I will make sure to include North Minneapolis residents in every conversation. I will also work directly with Northside community organizations who are looking to improve quality of life for our families and neighbors. My office is always open and I encourage anyone to walk in for a conversation, treat, or place to sit.

 


 

Last Word

What’s one thing you think Minneapolis does well that you’d like to build upon if elected?

Minneapolis has the best sense of community. Over the past year, I have witnessed Minneapolis residents sticking their necks out for others countless times. During the civil unrest last summer, people from across the city banded together to donate groceries and other essentials to those affected. During the peak of the pandemic, Minneapolis residents supported local businesses and essential workers. In North Minneapolis, my community has been brought closer, unfortunately, by the increase in gun violence. Minneapolis residents genuinely care for each other. It is one of the reasons I feel indebted to serve our community to better their lives economically, socially, and yes, physically.

 

 

 

Phillipe M. Cunningham

Phillipe M. Cunningham

Pronouns he/they
Party Affiliation Democratic-Labor-Farmer (DFL)
Website cunninghammpls.org


Values

Communities can learn a lot about candidates from the ways they show up in their city and neighborhoods when the attention isn’t on them. What is one non-performative action you’re proud of that you’ve taken in support of the citizens you represent (or hope to represent)?

My work overall as a City Councilmember overall is non-performative because I tend to have a “work horse rather than show horse” approach to elected office. However, one specific example is doing weekly outreach in partnership with incredible organizations like Breaking Free, Turning Point, Inc., and PRIDE of the Family Partnership to disrupt the concentration of violence on the corner of Logan and Lowry. We have successfully gotten women being sexually exploited commercially into programs to help them get out of that life and homeless young men connected to violence interrupters who can help them get on a path to a life in which they are safe, alive, free, and happy. That work has been so successful and well-received by the surrounding neighborhood that we have expanded our efforts to the area on Penn and Lowry, as well. This demonstrates a collaborative approach to public safety can be highly effective in even the most complex situations. I am so proud of the work we have accomplished together.

 


 

Public Safety

How will you keep young Black and brown kids safe — those who are simultaneously the most at risk from gun violence but also most at risk during interactions with the police? What do you believe are best practices for solving these issues in tandem, and how will you involve the communities most affected in problem solving and determining next steps?

Our public safety challenges today that are largely carried on the shoulders of our kids are the result of the racial disparities showing that Black folks, in particular, in our city have been left behind across nearly every aspect of our lives. It is no coincidence that over 80% of gun violence victims in our city are Black. Police violence has similar numbers. Yes, we need short-term solutions and to hold people accountable who cause harm in our community, but we cannot lose sight of the entire context. If we truly put the racial disparities behind us that have plagued our community for generations, then we will achieve sustainable peace. We are being forced by the status quo into a false choice – either we accept police violence if we want to stop community violence or we accept community violence if we want to stop police violence. I speak to this issue further in the next question.

For us to keep young Black and brown kids safe, we need to look to positive youth development as a framework for decision-making in both policies and investments. An example of this in practice is prosocial out of school time programming that focuses on social-emotional learning, building positive relationships among peers and with adults, and increasing kids’ sense of competence and mastery of skills. This is work I have led like investing $1M in youth development programming from the American Rescue Plan federal funding. Ideally, those funds will be allocated through some sort of participatory budgeting process led by young people with the Minneapolis Youth Congress.

 


 

People of color in Minneapolis are killed or otherwise harmed by law enforcement at disproportionately high rates, despite many attempts at reform over several election cycles. How do you intend to reshape a policing system that has been resistant to change, and slow to show meaningful strides toward equitable community outcomes?

It is important to first clearly state that Councilmembers cannot truly shape our policing system as it currently exists in the City Charter, which is why I support the Yes4Mpls Public Safety Charter Amendment to create a Department of Public Safety. Currently, only the Mayor can make substantive changes to police policies and operations. That being said, when I ran for the first time in 2017, I ran on a platform of building out a comprehensive system of public safety built on the public health approach. That is the work I have been relentlessly focused on this entire term. Below is my framework for reshaping our public safety system to keep ALL of us safe:

1. Build out alternative responses to certain types of 911 calls (e.g. mental health crises, drug overdoses, homelessness response, etc.)

2. Invest in evidence-based violence prevention and intervention strategies like Cure Violence, hospital-based bedside violence interventions, Group Violence Intervention, and others.

3. Transform rather than just “reform” the police. This specifically looks like allocating our police resources to more effective, collaborative strategies like problem-oriented policing and focused deterrence, in partnership with the Office of Violence Prevention.

4. Create a reentry support network to help our neighbors coming home from incarnation be set up to succeed in the face of legal, permanent disenfranchisement due to their records.

5. Develop common sense public safety governance structures that increase transparency and accountability while also improving overall services provided.

 


 

What are your stances on memorializing public spaces when our community is grieving, and/or demanding action through constitutionally-protected protests? What policies would you put in place or what organizations would you engage to ensure residents can do these things safely?

Thinking about this specifically in terms of North Minneapolis, a part of taking up public space to demand action is to disrupt people’s everyday lives to get their attention on an issue. In North Minneapolis, our people already intimately understand the issues we face whether it be police violence harming our neighbors or community violence killing our kids. Recently, during the occupation of the intersection of Laneal Frazier’s death from a MPD officer crashing into Mr. Frazier’s vehicle, someone was shot nearby, but the emergency vehicles weren’t allowed through this major intersection that connects two of Ward 4’s main corridors. This young man almost died as a result and remains in critical condition. We have to find a reasonable balance to hold space for grieving in public space, demanding change through protests, and the added trauma these things can add to a community already bearing the brunt of so much systemic and community violence. Any specific policy that is put into place has to capture this nuance or else it would likely have unintended consequences in the most vulnerable parts of the city.

 


 

Housing

Rental assistance from the federal government has helped keep people in their homes through the pandemic. This funding is not permanent, however, and inability to pay is the leading cause of evictions. What is your stance on more permanent rental assistance, rent stabilization, and/or rent control measures in Minneapolis?

I support the City stepping into the space of permanent rental assistance, which is why I have been a long-time partner with the mayor on the Stable Homes, Stable Schools program. Further, it is important to put into place rent stabilization and rent control policies based on the latest research and evidence of outcomes from other cities’ policies. This is a way to help to make housing more stabilized and predictable for renters, who make up more than half of our city’s residents.

 


 

Gentrification results in cultural loss for communities and major economic impacts for those priced out of their longtime neighborhoods. As our city grows, what plans do you have to combat gentrification and increase the amount of affordable housing available in Minneapolis?

Anti-displacement strategies must be baked into all of the relevant work of the City. An example of what this looks like is our work on the Upper Harbor Terminal redevelopment project. Preventing displacement and gentrification isn’t an afterthought – it’s a core value of the project. Alongside the UHT Collaborative Planning Committee members, we have created a revenue stream to significantly invest in anti-displacement strategies in the neighborhood surrounding the development. On the site, there will be mixed income senior and family housing – both rental and owner-occupied – with “affordable” defined on Northside income levels rather than the Area Median Income. Through the work we have done with UHT, we have redefined how to do community development in our city.

As for increasing the overall amount of available affordable housing, this is something I have actively pursued as a Councilmember. The Minneapolis 2040 Plan allowed me the opportunity to undo the systemically racist zoning in Ward 4 that prevented multifamily housing and mixed use buildings from being developed in our community. Now, we have to invest in small, local BIPOC developers and set them up to succeed in addressing our own communities’ needs.

 


 

In the last few years, Minneapolis has experienced a spike in encampments of unhoused people on public land — a high percentage of whom are Black and/or Indigenous. Many of our unhoused neighbors see this as their best housing option over shelters (for reasons of personal safety, pet ownership, or having to abandon property). What will you do to protect these neighbors and connect them with safe and stable housing?

We must address the housing crisis in our city. A city as prosperous as Minneapolis in a country as wealthy as the United States should not have so many people unhoused. I support a Housing First policy that will eliminate any and all barriers to different housing options. For example, “wet housing” options that help people struggling with substance abuse disorders get stabilized in housing in order to help them just focus on getting sober and on their feet. This will require partnership with homeless resource service providers and the County. Long-term, I would also like to author an ordinance that ends discrimination of certain breeds of pets in housing to prevent issues of homelessness stemming from people having to choose either their pets or their housing.

 


 

Jobs and Economy

Black, Indigenous, and Minneapolis residents of color pay local taxes and contribute to our local economy, but often do not receive the same shared economic benefits as their white counterparts. Through generations of oppression via policy and unequal systems, wealth has been chronically and systematically extracted from BIPOC communities—how do you envision addressing this legacy of economic harm, in both the short term and the long term?

We build generational wealth through addressing the credit, capital, and trust gaps that have been identified as the biggest barriers to BIPOC homeownership and business ownership. To address this disenfranchisement, we have and need to continue to develop financial products that bridge these gaps and demonstrate legitimate investment and new operating standards to build trust with BIPOC communities. This looks like the Commercial Property Development Fund, which has invested in what will be Minneapolis’ first and only Black coffee roastery, as well as a different project that is an ode to Black excellence (Baldwin Square) with a restaurant, cafe, bookstore, and black box theater. We need to pass legislation that will allow for renters to purchase their homes/properties. That way they can invest in their own equity rather than an out-of-state property owner. We are also changing the way the city does major community development projects through the model we have created through the Upper Harbor Terminal project. Nearly every aspect of that project generates some investment revenue and/or direct wealth for Northsiders.

 


 

The power dynamics of work are heavily tilted against low-wage workers, especially immigrant workers. What actions have you taken or what plans do you have to protect and support these workers?

Worker rights have been a major priority for me this term. I grew up with a mother who was in low-wage work and faced abuse by employers and had her wages stolen without any recourse. So now in this position, I have wanted to do all that I can to help prevent other families from having to go through similar experiences.

Specific work I have led in collaboration with a few of my colleagues, namely City Councilmember Steve Fletcher, includes:

1. Wage theft ordinance

2. Freelance worker protections ordinance

3. Investing $200,000 in a Collaborative Enforcement Strategy for labor standards enforcement in partnership with CTUL.

4. Investing in more Case Investigators to investigate labor standards violations.

And more work is underway!

 


 

Racial Justice

Explain your understanding of systemic racism, and how—or whether—you believe it affects Minneapolis’s education systems & outcomes, our housing market, our environment, public safety, healthcare, or other major systems.

In the context of government, systemic racism is the methodical, institutionalized ways of operating that prioritize white cultural norms over all others and do not take into consideration all of the ways governments have historically used legislation, operating procedures, and budget investments to disenfranchise BIPOC residents. For example, requiring a certain credit score to be eligible for certain homeownership financial products or a level of starting capital to be eligible for certain small business loans. More broadly, even the assumption that those who need the resources will seek them out through the government, who, as previously mentioned, has intentionally caused tremendous harm in some communities.
Some examples of how systemic racism manifests includes:

A shortage of teachers and school administrators of color due to inaccessibility to higher education because of lower quality of K-12 educational opportunities in BIPOC neighborhoods and the cost of higher education.

Credit, capital, and trust gaps faced by potential homeowners and business owners.

Policing’s orientation to how crime is committed in BIPOC communities versus white communities (e.g. street-level drug dealing opposed to in-home drug dealing).

The City holding community town halls and using that to check the box of “community engagement” knowing the time, format, and/or available childcare makes the meeting inaccessible to working class, BIPOC residents.

Systemic racism can be undone; this isn’t insurmountable. But it takes even more intentionality to undo systemic racism that was put into creating it in the first place.

 


 

Our community suffers from some of the greatest racial disparities in the country across many social, educational, and economic metrics—and has for some time. If you’re in government now, what have you done to address this, and do you feel your efforts have been enough despite the lack of change? And if you’re seeking office for the first time, what ideas are you going to put forward that haven’t already failed?

Change actually is being made through major work underway like the Commercial Property Development Fund, which has invested over $2,000,000 in Black Northside business owners and the Minneapolis Homes program that has created homeownership opportunities for dozens of BIPOC families in Ward 4. Doing this exact work is where I have focused my efforts over my first term in office because that is what I was elected to do. Everything I do as a Councilmember ranging from transforming public safety to combating climate change is done through a racial equity and justice analysis. While systemic racism and its consequences haven’t been resolved over the last three years, we have made meaningful progress even during a 2020 filled with crises that exposed just how deep racial disparities go in our city. We still have a lot of work ahead of us, but there is clear evidence of a foundation built charting a pathway out of the trap of the racial disparities in our city.

 


 

Climate

Climate change is already upon us, and its causes are on such a large scale that we can’t expect everyday Minneapolitans to recycle or LED bulb our way to a solution. How would you encourage businesses in our city to adopt practices to mitigate climate change, and/or hold them accountable for practices that worsen it?

We have an amazing program through the Minneapolis Health Department called the Green Cost Share program. It incentivizes businesses and housing developers to adopt environmentally clean practices and build out green infrastructure within their buildings. It has had TREMENDOUS results and is a much sought after program. In fact, funding runs out every year for the program. Continuing increasing investments into the Green Cost Share program is a critical step in decreasing our city’s carbon footprint and greenhouse gas emissions. A next step for holding businesses in our city accountable for their role in climate change is to incorporate a social cost of carbon process into our operations as a city.

 


 

Voters’ Rights

What have you done or what will you do to protect and expand voter access in your ward/Minneapolis?

North Minneapolis has the lowest voter turnout rates in the city. That is something I have been committed to changing. In the 2017 election, I helped bring in a record number of new voters. During the DFL endorsement process this June, we engaged a diverse electorate across age, race, ability, homeownership, and socioeconomic status. My campaign strategy, and the way I govern, is driven by engagement with voters who have been historically left out of the process. You can see the result when you examine all of the policies I have written and passed with my Council colleagues. I am doing things differently in this City Council seat than has ever been done before. I’m representing more than just the few who have always had the ear of their Councilmember. The work we do in the Ward 4 office is transforming the economic landscape and building the foundation of a thriving community.

 


 

Governance

Who are the people and/or organizations that would be part of your decision-making process in office?

The voices of my constituents and their concerns are centered in all policies and decisions I make as the Ward 4 Councilmember. My priority from day one of this term has been to create opportunities for engagement with Ward 4 residents. I hold office hours every week where folks can just drop in and share what’s on their mind. I host events where residents can learn about the City services their taxes pay for. I also collaborate with businesses within the Ward around issues that impact them and the surrounding community. For example, I’m working with the owner of a gas station to help mitigate gang activity that occurs around their parking lot. I also look to neighborhood organizations for information about activities and needs within their respective neighborhoods, including things like community gatherings and resource sharing. Within the City, we are blessed with a wealth of knowledge and expertise about various policy areas. I look to our experts on staff for help with creating good policy. I also look to progressive community organizations to collaborate on policies that impact those who are the most marginalized.

 


 

Last Word

What’s one thing you think Minneapolis does well that you’d like to build upon if elected?

Minneapolis is a beautiful city with so many amazing people, businesses, arts, nature, food, and culture. North Minneapolis has been left behind when it comes to opportunities to cultivate the kind of wealth building opportunities that augment that richness within a community. We need more local businesses in North Minneapolis, and that means we need more Northside business owners. If re-elected, I have every intention of continuing to center economic growth as a strategy for building lasting wealth in Ward 4. My record this term shows my commitment to bringing funding into the Ward to support Northsiders to build a thriving local economy. The Northside has so much to offer, and that vision is before us.