City elections in Minneapolis, Minnesota (2021)

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

My parents met in the activist politics of the 1970s. They split up after I was born, and I was brought up by a single white mom on the North Side of Milwaukee. I grew up with poverty, gang violence, and the low expectations our society forces onto Black boys. Both my parents taught me that there was power in organizing for a better world. But as a kid, I wanted no part of my parents’ struggle for justice. I escaped to the University of Minnesota and a degree in engineering.

In 2005, just out of college, my wife Lindsay and I made our first home in Northeast Minneapolis, our home ever since. As the years went by, I followed my interests into a career in advertising, experience design, and human-centered innovation. By 2014, I should have felt like a success. But that year Michael Brown was murdered in Ferguson, Eric Garner was murdered in New York, and I realized that my parents’ struggle for racial justice would always be with me. I had to be a part of the the struggle that brought my parents together.

That was my path into politics, and I’m just getting started.

The status quo has failed the people of our city, and the whole world knows it. In 2021, in Minneapolis, change cannot wait.
The people of Ward 1 deserve leadership as creative, dynamic, and welcoming as the neighborhoods we call home.
By inviting all of Ward 1 into the deliberative process at City Hall, we can create a better future for the Eastside and the city.

Community Question Featured local question

What role do you feel police should play in Minneapolis? What are your thoughts on the city council’s proposed changes to the Minneapolis Police Department?

The public safety amendment is the result of a democratic, citizen-led process which will enable the city to adopt a comprehensive approach to dealing with harm that doesn’t rely exclusively on the police to address every situation. When Minneapolis residents call for help, they should get the right help, from the right professional, right away. City data show the overwhelming majority of calls from residents do not require an armed response. Residents would be better served if we dispatched mental health counselors, social workers, or addiction counselors. If passed, this amendment will allow the city to implement a proactive, public health approach that prevents harm rather than forcing us to rely on a system that’s reactionary, punitive, and perpetuates harm in our communities.

I began the work of seeking these changes while working in the Office of Performance and Innovation at city hall. Last year, I lead a series of community workshops where we collectively brought forward a set of recommendations that passed in the Safety for All budget amendment. This included the creation of a mental health response capability.

This work is the start of the roadmap towards transformation. I don’t want to oversimplify this work, but for brevity I will list out a summary of the roadmap:

1. We do a historical review of all calls for service to identify opportunities for targeted responses (issues such as mental health, chemical dependency, homelessness, domestic abuse, etc.)
2. We invest in targeted responses to these specific issues (starting with the mental health response team my office recommended)
3. We measure the effectiveness of these targeted responses and use the pilots to refine the response protocols and capacity needed
4. We fully fund the responses that deliver the safer community we aspire to

Each step along the way is data driven and done in collaboration with the community.

In parallel, MPD needs to be held accountable. Unfortunately, the only lever available to a council person is the budget under our current charter. We are left in the position of trusting the mayor and the chief to do what’s right. Sadly, I don’t think this is tenable, that’s why I support the charter amendment to establish a department of public safety.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

FACT-BASED PUBLIC SAFETY. More than a third of our city’s budget goes to our police department. Despite all that public money, the MPD’s policies and actions have decisively lost the public trust. By divesting from punishment and policing strategies that don’t work, we can invest in the data-driven policies that keep all our neighbors safe.

SPACE FOR EVERYONE. Ward 1 is a mixed-income, mixed-use, multi-generational and multicultural community of strong neighborhoods and good neighbors. Housing and zoning policies should make sure everyone who wants to be our neighbor can live a good life here.

COMPLETE NEIGHBORHOODS. We deserve city infrastructure that serves all of us — not just the most privileged. The urgent structural challenges of our time require a bigger vision of what municipal government can do, and a willingness to fight for the city services and supports it takes to keep our communities strong.

SHARED PROSPERITY. We’ve all seen what happens to neighborhoods when new developments push out the small businesses that made the community great. Cities can only sustain the dynamism of our communities by making sure prosperity extends to the people and businesses who make it possible.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Note: Community Questions were submitted by the public and chosen for inclusion by a volunteer advisory board. The chosen questions were modified by staff to adhere to Ballotpedia’s neutrality standards. To learn more about Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection Expansion Project, click here.

Campaign advertisements

This section shows advertisements released in this race. Ads released by campaigns and, if applicable, satellite groups are embedded or linked below. If you are aware of advertisements that should be included, please email us.

Kevin Reich

"Kevin Reich's Public Safety Stance" - Reich campaign ad, released Aug. 30, 2021

"Kevin Reich, the Dedicated and Proven Leader that the Eastside Deserves." - Reich campaign ad, released Aug. 27, 2021

Elliott Payne

"Elliott Payne for Minneapolis City Council - For All of Ward 1" - Reich campaign ad, released April 1, 2021

A sample ad from the candidate's Facebook page is embedded below. Click here to see the candidate's Facebook Video page.

Ward 2

Candidates and election results

General election

General election for Minneapolis City Council Ward 2

Select round:

The ranked-choice voting election was won by Robin Wonsley in round 3 . The results of Round are displayed below. To see the results of other rounds, use the dropdown menu above to select a round and the table will update.

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 9,527
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

Candidate profiles

This section includes candidate profiles created in one of two ways: either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, or Ballotpedia staff compiled a profile based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements after identifying the candidate as noteworthy.^[24]

Cam Gordon

Party: Green Party

Incumbent: Yes

Political Office:

Minneapolis City Council (Assumed office: 2006)

Submitted Biography: "Cam (he/him pronouns) has been widely regarded as a progressive leader on the Minneapolis City Council. He has worked hand in hand with social movements, acting as their champion inside City government and achieving real progressive results. He is known as a listener who brings people together to make our city a more just, equitable, sustainable place. Cam has lived in Minneapolis all his life, including in the Cedar Riverside, Longfellow and Seward neighborhoods. He has worked as a teacher, a small business owner, a community organizer, an author, a journalist, and a musician. Cam helped found the Green Party of Minnesota. He served as co-chair of the Seward Neighborhood Group, and on the boards of directors of FairVote Minnesota, Common Cause Minnesota, the Minneapolis Center for Neighborhoods. Cam graduated from the University of Minnesota with a B. S. in Secondary Education, and completed graduate programs in Montessori teaching at the College of St. Catherine. As a Council Member he is most often recognized for the leadership he has provided to promote racial equity, affordable housing, public health, environmental sustainability, clean energy, violence prevention, youth development, local foods and grassroots democracy. "

Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

Cam is a proven, collaborative champion with a clear vision and values working for a city where each of us can reach our full potential while caring for one another, improving our environment and promoting social well being. He uses the core values of social and economic justice, ecological wisdom, nonviolence and grassroots democracy to guide both what he works on and how he works.

Cam is an effective listener, who cares deeply about his constituents and respects diversity, including a diversity of perspectives and opinions. He knows that rcognizing and respecting differences can help lead to better solutions. He is ready and able to help solve there problems and address their concerns and work with everyone to help forge consensus to an effective representative and ensure the we move forward together.

Cam is focused not only on addressing our immediate needs, but also on teh future we want for our children and for generations to come.

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Minneapolis City Council Ward 2 in 2021.

Tom Anderson

Do you have a photo that could go here? Click here to submit it for this profile!

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Submitted Biography: "I was raised in Northern Minnesota by my dad who was a small business owner and my mom who was a teacher. I moved to Minneapolis to attend the University of Minnesota, where I met my wife, Ellie! We moved to Ward 2 ten years ago and have since had two boys. I’ve loved being an active community member, having previously served as the Outreach and Inclusion Officer for the Senate District 63 DFL and on the Longfellow Community Council board of directors. I’m currently serving as a member of the “World’s Best Workforce” Equity Advisory Committee for Minneapolis Public Schools, and the co-chair of the LCC Neighborhood Development and Transportation Committee. After college, I managed Black Sheep Pizza in the North Loop before returning to the University of Minnesota to earn my master’s degree in education. I taught Minnesota History and Global Studies for five years and served as an elected teachers’ union representative, student council advisor, and the middle school football, basketball, and track coach. I’m now the Director of Government Relations for Students United, a 501c3 nonprofit and student coalition that advocates for higher education policies for the 50,000+ Minnesota State university students across our state."

Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

I believe our approach to leadership is important in removing barriers to creating comprehensive, progressive policy changes and that our work needs to be interdisciplinary, collaborative, and inclusive.

Responsive leadership and continually fostering a connection to my community is a pillar of my leadership philosophy. I can’t make the best decisions for our city without including the people I would represent if elected.

It’s important to me to not alienate someone I disagree with. People’s lived experiences inform their perspective and I believe in seeking to understand people. The diversity in our communities is a strength our city has and we need to come together to learn about how our systems have affected people and find the best solutions to solving our collective issues as a city.

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Minneapolis City Council Ward 2 in 2021.

Noteworthy endorsements

See also: Ballotpedia: Our approach to covering endorsements

This section lists noteworthy endorsements issued in this election, including those made by high-profile individuals and organizations, cross-party endorsements, and endorsements made by newspaper editorial boards. It also includes a bulleted list of links to official lists of endorsements for any candidates who published that information on their campaign websites. Please note that this list is not exhaustive. If you are aware of endorsements that should be included, please click here.

Click the links below to see endorsement lists published on candidate campaign websites, if available.

Minneapolis City Council, Ward 2, noteworthy endorsements
Endorsement	Gordon (G)	Anderson (D)	Arab (D)	Worlobah (DSA)
Newspapers and editorials
Star Tribune^[25]			✔
Wedge Live^[26]	✔
Elected officials
State Sen. Scott Dibble (D)^[27]	✔
State Rep. Hodan Hassan (D)^[28]			✔
State Rep. Jay Xiong (D)^[29]				✔
Hennepin County Commissioner Angela Conley^[29]				✔
Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board President Jono Cowgill^[27]	✔
Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board Commissioner Londel French^[29]				✔
Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board Commissioner Chris Meyer^[27]	✔
Individuals
Frmr. Ward 2 Minneapolis City Council member Joan Campbell^[28]			✔
Green Party of Minnesota Chairman Trahern Jeen Crews^[27]	✔
Organizations
5th Congressional District Green Party^[27]	✔
AFSCME Council 5^[28]			✔
Democratic Socialists of America^[29]				✔
IBEW Local 292^[28]			✔
IUPAT District Council 82^[28]			✔
Minneapolis Building and Construction Trades Council^[28]			✔
Minneapolis Federation of Teachers Local 59^[29]				✔
Minnesota 350 Action^[27]	✔
Minnesota DFL Senior Caucus, Minneapolis Area Chapter^[30]		✔
Our Revolution Twin Cities^[27]	✔
OutFront Minnesota Action^[29]				✔
Roadmap For Progress^[28]			✔
Run For Something^[30]		✔
Saint Paul Federation of Educators Local 28^[29]				✔
SEIU Minnesota State Council^[27]	✔
Sierra Club^[27]	✔
Socialist Alternative Minnesota^[29]				✔
Take Action Minnesota^[29]				✔
Unite Here Local 17^[29]				✔

Minneapolis Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party endorsement, Ward 2

While the Minneapolis charter allows candidates to display party affiliations next to their names on the ballot, the official Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL) of Minneapolis also endorses specific candidates in each race.^[23]

The Minneapolis DFL did not make an endorsement in Ward 2.^[23]

In order for a candidate to receive the endorsement, he or she must receive at least 60% of the vote from ward delegates who cast ballots using ranked-choice voting. If no candidate receives at least 60% of the vote, the party does not make an endorsement in that ward.^[23]

Click [show] on the table header below to view a detailed vote breakdown of the Ward 2 endorsement contest. Click here to view more information about the Minneapolis DFL endorsements in 2021.^[23]

Minneapolis city council DFL endorsement, Ward 2
Candidate	Round 1	Endorsee
Arab	57.4% (202)	None
Anderson	18.2% (64)
None	24.4% (86)

Campaign finance

Campaign themes

See also: Campaign themes

Cam Gordon

Gordon's campaign website

Click here to view an archived version of Gordon's campaign website.

Ballotpedia survey responses

Cam Gordon completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2021. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Gordon's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Cam (he/him pronouns) has been widely regarded as a progressive leader on the Minneapolis City Council. He has worked hand in hand with social movements, acting as their champion inside City government and achieving real progressive results. He is known as a listener who brings people together to make our city a more just, equitable, sustainable place.

Cam has lived in Minneapolis all his life, including in the Cedar Riverside, Longfellow and Seward neighborhoods. He has worked as a teacher, a small business owner, a community organizer, an author, a journalist, and a musician. Cam helped found the Green Party of Minnesota. He served as co-chair of the Seward Neighborhood Group, and on the boards of directors of FairVote Minnesota, Common Cause Minnesota, the Minneapolis Center for Neighborhoods. Cam graduated from the University of Minnesota with a B. S. in Secondary Education, and completed graduate programs in Montessori teaching at the College of St. Catherine. As a Council Member he is most often recognized for the leadership he has provided to promote racial equity, affordable housing, public health, environmental sustainability, clean energy, violence prevention, youth development, local foods and grassroots democracy.

Cam is a proven, collaborative champion with a clear vision and values working for a city where each of us can reach our full potential while caring for one another, improving our environment and promoting social well being. He uses the core values of social and economic justice, ecological wisdom, nonviolence and grassroots democracy to guide both what he works on and how he works.
Cam is an effective listener, who cares deeply about his constituents and respects diversity, including a diversity of perspectives and opinions. He knows that rcognizing and respecting differences can help lead to better solutions. He is ready and able to help solve there problems and address their concerns and work with everyone to help forge consensus to an effective representative and ensure the we move forward together.
Cam is focused not only on addressing our immediate needs, but also on teh future we want for our children and for generations to come.

Community Question Featured local question

How would you balance the needs and desires of existing business and housing communities with new development? Would you take gentrification and displacement into consideration when planning neighborhood development?

I believe that gentrification and displacement are major problems in our city today and must be taken into consideration as we develop policy and implement plans. They are clearly highlighted as major concerns in our recently approved comprehensive plan and the strategies and policies outline there should be followed. As the demand for growth and development continues I will work to ensure that new development protects what is valued, prevents and reverses gentrification, and preserves a healthy mix of commercial, and residential uses. We need to carefully implement our plan that is aimed at addressing the racist and classist mistakes of the past and work to incorporate meaningful community benefits agreements into large development projects to meet needs for quality jobs, good housing, public infrastructure and environmental benefits. We must work to create "complete neighborhoods" throughout our city so that we can meet our needs in our neighborhoods and support safe walking, biking and transit.

Community Question Featured local question

Please list the criteria you would use to evaluate which projects are worth maintaining or starting in Minneapolis when it comes to public infrastructure.

Will this bring a benefit to the people of Minneapolis and help address the critical problems of racial inequity, climate change, public health, and housing affordability. What projects would support making Minneapolis a more just, sustainable, democratic, and peaceful city for the present and for generations to come?

Community Question Featured local question

What do you think about the city's environmental health? Would you make any changes to current policy?

I am leading the work to fight climate change at the local level bring a Minneapolis Green New Deal to our City where we invest to address the environmental injustices of the past, create green job and clean up our soil, air and water. We need to fully implement our Climate Action Plan to reduce and eliminate greenhouse gas emissions, build more district energy systems, and transition away from using gas for heat and transportation and transition to 100% renewable energy. I will fight freeway expansion and work to repair the damage they have done to our communities and fight for better transportation options, including rails and bus rapid transit and the transition to fare-free public transportation.

Community Question Featured local question

What role do you feel police should play in Minneapolis? What are your thoughts on the city council’s proposed changes to the Minneapolis Police Department?

Generally speaking, I am, and have been, a strong advocate for making significant and lasting improvements to our public safety system in Minneapolis, particularly in police oversight, and how police policies are made. I also believe that as we need to maintain a well-vetted, well-trained, well-reviewed, professional, and state-licensed division of peace (or police) officers.

I support a comprehensive and multi-disciplinary approach to public safety that includes better trained and better-supervised law enforcement.

This was reflected in last year’s budget where I supported the Mayor and Chief's proposal to fund and hire 3 more "classes" of new police officers and the staffing level of 776 officers that they recommended. I think that we need to maintain an appropriate level of officers as well as adding nonpolice resources to help lift the load off some of the officers who spend time working on things where there may be better alternatives, like getting help for homeless people, responding to a mental health crisis where there is no danger or dealing with minor traffic violations.

Currently our city, along with most cities in our country, is being hit by a wave of violence and criminal behavior. Some of the causes are clearly the COVID pandemic and its economic and social effects, and a reaction to the killings of George Floyd and other BIPOC people around our country. To address this, in the short term I strongly support both greater interventions in upstream violence prevention efforts, to keep young people – most of them young men – from becoming perpetrators and/or victims of violence and the continued provision of both patrol and investigative law enforcement services. I want to see us looking at how we prevent crime and violence on the front, intervene effectively when it is occurring and restore and repair damage after it has occurred. And along that continuum I see a critical role for law enforcement and am open to increase police patrols and investigations where needed.

In the longer term I think there are three many areas where we need to work to remove obstacles to improving our safety system and making meaningful reform to improve policing. They include the Charter, state law, and collective bargaining rules.

I've advocated for the City to take a strong stand on the second two issues, which are outside of the enterprise's control. I had some hope that we'd see some meaningful changes to state law (for example: allowing civilian review authorities in Minnesota to make findings of fact, giving them subpoena power, even giving them direct authority to discipline and fire, all of which are currently prohibited by state law). The fact that the Republicans kept the Minnesota Senate makes that much less hopeful.

We can push for a better contract with the Police Federation, but there is limited power there, too. The Federation ultimately has the power to not agree to anything they object to, and the City can't compel them to accept it. If there's an impasse, the only real effect is that the existing contract stays in place. State law and case law make it very difficult for employers (especially the public sector) to exert that kind of power over employee unions. We have added some provisions to our official state legislative agenda that calls for Arbitration Reform to remove barriers for jurisdictions to discipline or fire officers and not have those decisions over turned and amending the MN Data Privacy Act to make the status of complaints against a peace officer accessible to the public.

Then there is the City Charter. That's the one of these obstacles that we can, as a community, fix. That's why I fought to put a Charter amendment question forward in 2018 and again in 2020, and why I support the Department of Public Safety amendment this year.
If the Charter is amended to create a new Department of Public Safety, I think it will lead to better leadership, oversight, and guidance of the department. It will also bring greater transparency and accountability to residents of Minneapolis, more opportunity for community members to influence City policy on policing, more confidence in our police and a safer City for everyone.
The current arrangement is outdated and unwisely authoritarian. Unlike any other City department, according to the Charter, “the mayor has complete power over the establishment, maintenance, and command of the police department.” It is this arrangement that has made it particularly difficult for Council Members, and through them community members, to fully engage and influence how we manage and assist our police officers. The Council cannot direct staff, set policy about police behavior or institute promising management practices when the Charter gives the Council no authority over the department, except to approve the appointment of the police chief and the department’s budget.
In case you are interested, here are some more details about why I believe this Charter provision should be changed:
- It currently limits the authority of the Council over matters of police department policy and procedures. This has real consequences. One of the first issues I worked on as a Council Member, back in 2006, was a community-driven update of the rules for police use of Tasers. This policy was “passed” with a lot of fanfare as a recommendation by the Council, but quietly rescinded just a few months later by the police department without any notice to anyone. I didn’t think that was right, and I continue to think it’s not right that the Council can’t help set reasonable limits for our police officers’ use of force – or tackle any other policy question related to policing.
- It makes the police department unique among all City departments. It is the only department for which the Charter makes any one policymaker solely responsible. It also creates confusion and complexity for residents and others who do not expect different departments to be governed over so differently.
- It creates confusion among the public. Especially in the wake of serious events like a police officer killing someone, our constituents look to us as their Council Members to help prevent similar future tragedies. They call on us to provide guidance and set better-policing policies. It is time we take on that responsibility.
- It leaves the Council with only the power over the police budget as a way to attempt to alter police policy and behavior. There are voices right now advocating for the Council to use that “power of the purse” to effect change, essentially as a threat. I don’t think that’s the right way to govern. But it is a reasonable reaction to the unreasonable limitation on the Council’s authority, and I understand why people advocate for that course of action.

- It subtly reinforces the idea of policing as a paramilitary enterprise that needs simple, unambiguous chains of command. I believe that we would be better served by a different, less militaristic model of policing that treats police officers as service providers like all of our other professional City employees.

Community Question Featured local question

What would you like Minneapolis' public safety system to look like by the end of your term? What would you do to accomplish your vision of public safety?

We need a new more comprehensive and democratically managed department of public safety that will include investments in violence prevention, alternative unarmed responses to 911 calls when appropriate, strengthened hiring practices, training, performance review and oversight of officers, a demilitarization of policing and the implementation of an authentic model of community-centered safety.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Transforming public safety

Our approach to public safety needs to be radically reimagined. Cam has worked alongside community to fight for reform and invest in safety beyond policing. The work isn’t done – let’s do more together.

Housing
Everyone has the right to a safe and dignified home that they can afford. Cam has led on building and preserving affordable housing, defending public housing, and protecting renters. The work isn’t done – let’s do more together.

Economic Justice
The City needs to focus on helping the least advantaged residents and workers, not wealthy and powerful businesses. Working with advocates for low-income workers and small businesses, Cam has stood up for the least powerful, and stood up to the most powerful. The work isn’t done – let’s do more together.

Health
Everyone deserves to live a healthy life. Cam has worked with health advocates to improve health and reduce racial disparities. He's strengthened the public health department, and increased access to healthy local food. .

Fighting racism
Our society is built on hundreds of years of systemic racism and white supremacy. Cam has worked with BIPOC community activists to fight institutional racism.

Protecting our Environment

Everyone deserves clean air and water, and we need to leave a livable climate to future generations. Cam has worked with environmental advocates to fight climate change

What qualities does this office possess that makes it a unique and important part of the state government and legal system?

The City Council help manages and maintains some of the most important core services that people rely on every day. This includes maintenance of our streets and sidewalks, trash removal, rental licensing, business licensing, providing water and waste removal from every household and business, as well as fire protection and law enforcement. As a Council Member, I am an important link between the community, these, and more, services provided to residents and visitors and to partners in other layers and levels of government and the local, county, state, and federal levels.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

I look up to many people, some famous and many who are not. My parents are wonderful role models for me and I have deep appreciation for how their lives were centered on being kind and compassionate to others as well as hard-working and focused on doing good in the world. When I was growing up I was deeply impressed with the work of Martin Luther King Junior, Angela Davis, Albert Einstein, Rosa Parks, Dahli Lama. Mother Teresa, Dorothy Day, Ralph Nadar, Rachel Carson and many others because of their work for justice, peace and making this a more loving world.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

I think sometimes it is most important to be able to put the needs of others ahead of what might have been or is most important to you at the time. Representative democracy requires that one has both values and clear principles that are always followed, but also the ability to adjust those to make sure the voices, needs and will of the people are reflected in, and driving, the work of the elected official. It is also important to recognize that we are all part of a community and if you are part of a legislative body you can accomplish nothing on your own. We need each other and we do our best work when we are all pulling in the same direction

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

Empathic, Hard Working, Intuitive, Creative, Dependable, Consistent, Patient, Live-long Learner, Good Listener, Consensus Builder, Sense of Humor, Humble (usually;-)), Honest and Kind.

-----at least I strive to be these things.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

I have clear memories of the presidential campaign of John F. Kennedy and remember watching the presidential debates between Kennedy and Nixon when I was 5.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I worked in a car wash part-time in high school for approximately 9 months

Are there any little-known powers or responsibilities held by this office that you believe more people should be aware of?

Anna Karena. It was very engaging and interesting and had meaning and messages on both the bersonal and larger political levels.

Yes

Do you believe that it's beneficial for holders of this office to have previous experience in government or politics?

I think that it can be, but more importantly, might be experience in the community and at the neighborhood and community levels.

What kind of skills or expertise do you believe would be the most helpful for the holders of this office to possess?

Problem-solving, communication, patience, perseverance and creativity.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Note: Community Questions were submitted by the public and chosen for inclusion by a volunteer advisory board. The chosen questions were modified by staff to adhere to Ballotpedia’s neutrality standards. To learn more about Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection Expansion Project, click here.

Tom Anderson

Anderson's ampaign website

Click here to view an archived version of Anderson's campaign website.

Ballotpedia survey responses

Tom Anderson completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2021. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Anderson's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

I was raised in Northern Minnesota by my dad who was a small business owner and my mom who was a teacher. I moved to Minneapolis to attend the University of Minnesota, where I met my wife, Ellie! We moved to Ward 2 ten years ago and have since had two boys. I’ve loved being an active community member, having previously served as the Outreach and Inclusion Officer for the Senate District 63 DFL and on the Longfellow Community Council board of directors. I’m currently serving as a member of the “World’s Best Workforce” Equity Advisory Committee for Minneapolis Public Schools, and the co-chair of the LCC Neighborhood Development and Transportation Committee. After college, I managed Black Sheep Pizza in the North Loop before returning to the University of Minnesota to earn my master’s degree in education. I taught Minnesota History and Global Studies for five years and served as an elected teachers’ union representative, student council advisor, and the middle school football, basketball, and track coach. I’m now the Director of Government Relations for Students United, a 501c3 nonprofit and student coalition that advocates for higher education policies for the 50,000+ Minnesota State university students across our state.

I believe our approach to leadership is important in removing barriers to creating comprehensive, progressive policy changes and that our work needs to be interdisciplinary, collaborative, and inclusive.
Responsive leadership and continually fostering a connection to my community is a pillar of my leadership philosophy. I can’t make the best decisions for our city without including the people I would represent if elected.
It’s important to me to not alienate someone I disagree with. People’s lived experiences inform their perspective and I believe in seeking to understand people. The diversity in our communities is a strength our city has and we need to come together to learn about how our systems have affected people and find the best solutions to solving our collective issues as a city.

Community Question Featured local question

Please list the criteria you would use to evaluate which projects are worth maintaining or starting in Minneapolis when it comes to public infrastructure.

We need to revitalize the East Lake Street corridor that is home to amazing local businesses that have been devastated by the ongoing pandemic and the destruction following the murder of George Floyd. That should be priority number 1 in Ward 2. We also have significant infrastructure issues along Franklin Ave that need to be addressed.

Community Question Featured local question

What do you think about the city's environmental health? Would you make any changes to current policy?

Minneapolis has made strides in recent years at being more environmentally friendly, but there’s still plenty of work that lies ahead of us. I believe in investing in grants for energy efficiency improvements for local businesses and city departments through solar energy, lighting retrofits, and energy-efficient equipment, and push for inclusive financing so that everyone can access the energy-saving improvements they need. We also need to target vacant and unproductive properties for conversion to non-profit community food production and distribution centers, or locally-owned sustainability-based businesses.

Shifting to green energy and investing in sustainability will create jobs and expand the green workforce. We need to support unionized workforce development by investing in job training to provide more employment opportunities to low-income residents and help people escape poverty.

To create the equitable, sustainable, and clean city we desire, it’ll take strong partnerships with our DFL allies at the state and federal level, in addition to listening to—and working with—community organizations and energy providers to implement the best solutions.

Additionally, race has been proven to be the most important factor in determining where polluting industries are located. In fact, 6/7 of the trash incinerators in Minnesota are located in BIPOC and low-income communities. This has directly led to health impacts and other disparities for BIPOC communities. This is why an environmental justice approach to sustainability and clean energy is crucial as we move our city forward toward 100% renewable energy by 2030 and complete carbon neutrality by 2050. To do this, we need to engage our communities in the process of creating green infrastructure across our city.

Community Question Featured local question

What role do you feel police should play in Minneapolis? What are your thoughts on the city council’s proposed changes to the Minneapolis Police Department?

I support the Minnesota Supreme Court’s decision to allow the people of Minneapolis to decide the future of policing in our city. Whether the voters decide to replace the Minneapolis Police Department or not, we need to create a detailed, comprehensive plan for what comes next. We need a system of public safety in our city that is rooted in empathy, community, and service. The city council has had over a year to create a comprehensive plan for what comes next, but due to hyperpolarization and ineffective governance, we are at a standstill. To move our city forward, it will take leaders who understand that compromise and collaboration are strengths, not weaknesses. I disagree with the council’s approach and believe we need to have comprehensive plans before making drastic policy changes that could have an adverse effect if it does not go well. We have a long road ahead of us, but I’m optimistic that the people across our city will come together to create a better future for everyone.

Community Question Featured local question

What would you like Minneapolis' public safety system to look like by the end of your term? What would you do to accomplish your vision of public safety?

Minneapolis has a unique opportunity to create an entirely new blueprint for what public safety is. I believe we need to decentralize the police, invest in alternative emergency response for non-violent instances such as mental health professionals and social workers, and deeply invest in crime prevention. I also believe we need the traditional police officer role, but that this role needs to have more oversight, in addition to a number of other drastic changes to ensure they’re serving without bias and that we’re eliminating police violence at all costs. The number of traditional police officers should be determined by need, as should the number of social workers, housing providers, and transit workers. We should use our resources in the most efficient way possible, using disaggregated data to create effective policy around policing, housing, transit, and other city services.

Additionally, public safety is more than just police officers and social workers. We need to expand access to education and economic opportunity. We need to invest in our communities to provide pathways out of poverty. Programs like Stable Homes Stable Schools are just the beginning, and we should be working with our schools and communities to support our children so that we can finally end the cycle of desperation and violence that has plagued our city for far too long.

If elected, I want to work with city workers at all levels and bring them together with community members who have been the most harmed, community organizations and activists, and public safety experts, so that we can all collaborate in solving this problem together. We all share the same goal, which is eliminating the racism that has plagued our public safety for far too long and ending police violence against BIPOC people.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

As a former teacher and teachers union representative, and current higher education advocate, education is something I’ve dedicated my life to. Minnesota has one of the worst achievement gaps in the U.S. and as a teacher, I’ve seen firsthand how intersecting disparities that marginalize and oppress BIPOC students directly impact their performance in the classroom. We can and must do better, which is why I believe we need full-service community schools, which will provide social and health services and remove barriers to basic needs, and why I also believe in establishing a Minneapolis College Promise Program that will guarantee two years of tuition-free post-secondary education to Minneapolis students.

I’m passionate about eliminating racism in our city systems that have been perpetuated for far too long, namely our system of public safety, but also all the other ways systemic racism creates unequal access to opportunity for our BIPOC neighbors. Our community is rightfully enraged by the lack of justice for Black and Indigenous residents, people of color, and other marginalized groups. From using police to stop runaway slaves to police brutality in the civil rights movement to the murder of George Floyd, it is clear that our system of policing needs deep systemic change to overcome the racism, marginalization, and violence that has plagued our communities for far too long.

What qualities does this office possess that makes it a unique and important part of the state government and legal system?

Municipal government is more closely connected to people’s day-to-day lives than any other level of government. Being a city council member is an extremely important responsibility and is one that I will not take lightly if elected.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

The person I look up to the most is my dad and his commitment to community and family. As a relatively new father and someone who has always enjoyed being active in the community, his model of balancing these two important aspects of life is something I admire and try to be an example of in my everyday life.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln. I’m a progressive DFL member but have always appreciated Lincoln’s ability to bring people together from varying political perspectives. While that concept is relatively simple, it’s also uncommon in today’s political landscape, where political jabs and passive-aggressive tweets have become the norm in many ways. I hope to be a leader that brings people together and focuses on our collective goal of creating a better, safer, more inclusive, and just city for us all.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

There’s no one way to define an elected official and I think it’s important that not all elected officials share the same strengths. Some characteristics that I believe are universal among good leaders, include: the ability to listen actively and having an eagerness to learn, having strong core values and having integrity when it comes time to defend them, and truly understanding that you, alone, cannot solve every problem and that leaning on others and being collaborative is important when working toward solutions.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

Being an active listener is one of my greatest strengths that I think will make me a successful officeholder. When in a representative position, I believe being intentional in seeking out feedback from people with diverse perspectives throughout your constituency is important. As a former teachers union representative, LCC board member, and DFL member, there have been multiple occasions where not everyone agrees on the best path forward. I’ve learned a lot through having conversations with people I don’t agree with and how their perspectives were formed. In order to create progressive policy changes, we are going to need to change some people’s minds and we can’t do that through force or alienation, we need to seek to understand each other first.

My experience being a teacher is an important strength that I would certainly incorporate into my work if elected. Being able to absorb information, comprehend it, and explain it in a way that’s accessible to everyone can be an important tool when explaining policy proposals to neighbors across Ward 2 and the city

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

I believe the core responsibilities of city council members include actively listening and engaging with people in their community, collaborating with others to create sustainable, comprehensive policy plans, and prioritizing working with one another as council members to find the best solutions. If we can achieve this, I believe the path to creating progressive, tangible policy changes to make a direct, positive impact on our communities becomes a lot more accessible. The divisive culture at city hall has directly created more barriers to change than it has opened doors and I think fostering a new culture rooted in seeking to understand one another and being collaborative in finding the best solutions will be an important part of rebuilding our city so that Minneapolis can live up to its potential.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

The idea of leaving a legacy feels self-serving. I believe in doing good, collaborative work to solve the problems our city is facing. I’d like to be part of a culture change at city hall that eliminates the divisive, political rhetoric, and fosters an inclusive, interdisciplinary work environment centered around service-based leadership.

I was 13 when the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001 happened. This was at the age where I started to become interested in history and social studies and this was the first time I was old enough to recognize the gravity of a tragedy of this scale and how it may impact the world. In retrospect, I didn’t quite realize the ripple effect it would have and how it would inform public policy for decades.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

My first job was working at the local grocery store my dad and his brother owned. Some of my earliest memories include stocking shelves, packing and carrying groceries, and keeping the place clean and welcoming for the community. I helped around the store as a kid before starting to work there as a teenager for four years. Unfortunately, the family business fell victim to big corporations and with the rise of commercial grocery shopping, the store inevitably had to close. My experience working with my dad at our family business is why I care so deeply about protecting our local businesses. They’re so much more than transactions, they care deeply about our collective community and provide so much vibrancy and service to our communities.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama. While not perfect, I have so much admiration for President Obama, his approach to leadership, and the barriers he consistently worked to overcome as the first Black president in the U.S. I love how this book opened us up to the “why” behind who he is and what he believes, in addition to learning his thoughts on different aspects of American culture.

I would choose Ryder from Paw Patrol, not only because my 3-year-old loves the show, but because he’s a fun representative of the importance of serving your community.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

Baby Shark because I have two kids who are 3 and under, and it’s surprisingly catchy!

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

The idea of leaving a legacy feels self-serving. I believe in doing good, collaborative work to solve the problems our city is facing. I’d like to be part of a culture change at city hall that eliminates the divisive, political rhetoric, and fosters an inclusive, interdisciplinary work environment centered around service-based leadership.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for holders of this office to have previous experience in government or politics?

This experience can make your transition into an elected role easier, and what you’ve learned through your previous government and/or political experience are skills that are certainly useful. However, I don’t believe it should be perceived as a prerequisite for people running for office. The best representatives don’t always come from a background in government. I believe that people from all walks of life, with diverse experiences, can and should be included in government and politics.

What kind of skills or expertise do you believe would be the most helpful for the holders of this office to possess?

While it’s important to understand the intersecting responsibilities of a city council member, I also think it’s important to not expect members to be an expert on all issues. Council members don’t have all the answers and we shouldn’t expect them to. What we should expect are leaders who are able to collaborate with others to find the best solutions and to lead with the values they were elected for. Important skills that I think are applicable to all types of leaders, include active listening and engaging with your community, being open and receptive to feedback and ideas, and being able to work collaboratively.

Everything Trevor Noah says on the Daily Show

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Note: Community Questions were submitted by the public and chosen for inclusion by a volunteer advisory board. The chosen questions were modified by staff to adhere to Ballotpedia’s neutrality standards. To learn more about Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection Expansion Project, click here.

Yusra Arab

Arab's ampaign website

Click here to view an archived version of Arab's campaign website.

Robin Wonsley Worlobah (Democratic Socialists of America)

Worlobah's campaign website

Click here to view an archived version of Worlobah's campaign website.

Campaign advertisements

This section shows advertisements released in this race. Ads released by campaigns and, if applicable, satellite groups are embedded or linked below. If you are aware of advertisements that should be included, please email us.

Cam Gordon

A sample ad from the candidate's Facebook page is embedded below. Click here to see the candidate's Facebook Video page.

Tom Anderson

A sample ad from the candidate's Facebook page is embedded below. Click here to see the candidate's Facebook Video page.

Yusra Arab

A sample ad from the candidate's Facebook page is embedded below. Click here to see the candidate's Facebook Video page.

Robin Wonsley Worlobah (Democratic Socialists of America)

"Black Power Friday: RISE UP" - Worlobah campaign ad, released Feb. 3, 2021

"Black Power Friday: BUILD" - Worlobah campaign ad, released Feb. 3, 2021

"Black Power Friday: HEAL" - Worlobah campaign ad, released Feb. 3, 2021

A sample ad from the candidate's Facebook page is embedded below. Click here to see the candidate's Facebook Video page.

Ward 3

Candidates and election results

General election

General election for Minneapolis City Council Ward 3

Select round:

The ranked-choice voting election was won by Michael Rainville in round 2 . The results of Round are displayed below. To see the results of other rounds, use the dropdown menu above to select a round and the table will update.

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 13,353
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

Campaign finance

Campaign themes

See also: Campaign themes

Steve Fletcher

Fletcher's ampaign website

Click here to view an archived version of Fletcher's campaign website.

Merv Moorhead

Moorhead's campaign website

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Michael Rainville

Rainville's campaign website

Click here to view an archived version of Rainville's campaign website.

Ward 4

Candidates and election results

General election

General election for Minneapolis City Council Ward 4

The ranked-choice voting election was won by LaTrisha Vetaw in round 1 .

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 7,242
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

Candidate profiles

This section includes candidate profiles created in one of two ways: either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, or Ballotpedia staff compiled a profile based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements after identifying the candidate as noteworthy.^[31]

LaTrisha Vetaw

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office:

Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (Assumed office: 2018)

Submitted Biography: "My mom first moved me and my siblings to the Northside when I was 11 years old over thirty years ago. I feel called to serve the Northside, because of how enormously the community welcomed and supported my family when we were struggling. I am currently serving on the Minneapolis Park Board as an At-Large Member and Board Vice President, but have spent the majority of my career working as the Director of Healthy Policy & Advocacy at NorthPoint Health & Wellness. I am running for City Council this election, because the Northside is not better off four years ago when our current Council Member took office. We are leading the city in homicides, reckless driving is out of control, and economic opportunities are limited. Now more than ever, we need a leader who will prioritize public safety and economic prosperity for the Northside. In office, I will not stop working until livability is improved in our neighborhood."

Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

Public safety is my #1 priority. I will partner with Chief Arradondo to put more good cops on the street and fundamentally reform the Minneapolis Police Department. Minneapolis currently has among the lowest number of police officers per capita of any city in the country. We must replenish our diminished force by hiring more officers, so that we can adequately respond to the violence our community is facing. Further, we need to increase traffic enforcement. Reckless driving and speeding are simply out of control. We undoubtedly need more enforcement of traffic laws, especially in our neighborhoods. Thirdly, we need to open a Fourth Precinct satellite office in Ward 4 so that response times in our community are not as slow as they are now.

Addressing public safety also means that we need to address deep police reform. We need to expand co-responder programs for mental health and social service crisis calls. Officers are not trained to handle every emergency, but we cannot expect unarmed social workers to respond to potentially dangerous situations without support. We also need to invest in and expand programs that increase diversity in the police force and make the career path more attractive to our youth and community members. We need to be policed by our neighbors, not strangers.

Now more than ever, we need to address the system racial disparities that have led to intergenerational harms to our community. The City needs to provide for and support economic development in the Northside. Everyone has a right to stable, safe, and affordable housing. I will preserve existing affordable housing, work to create more, and fight for good-paying jobs so people can stay in our community. In addition, I will make sure that any new developments of the Upper Harbor Terminal will benefit Northside residents first. I will also advocate for an increase in funding for community organizations already doing the great work of supporting our small businesses with resources, training, and other necessities..

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Minneapolis City Council Ward 4 in 2021.

Campaign finance

Campaign themes

See also: Campaign themes

Phillipe Cunningham

Cunningham's campaign website

Click here to view an archived version of Cunningham's campaign website.

LaTrisha Vetaw

Vetaw's campaign website

Click here to view an archived version of Vetaw's campaign website.

LaTrisha Vetaw completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2021. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Vetaw's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

My mom first moved me and my siblings to the Northside when I was 11 years old over thirty years ago. I feel called to serve the Northside, because of how enormously the community welcomed and supported my family when we were struggling. I am currently serving on the Minneapolis Park Board as an At-Large Member and Board Vice President, but have spent the majority of my career working as the Director of Healthy Policy & Advocacy at NorthPoint Health & Wellness. I am running for City Council this election, because the Northside is not better off four years ago when our current Council Member took office. We are leading the city in homicides, reckless driving is out of control, and economic opportunities are limited. Now more than ever, we need a leader who will prioritize public safety and economic prosperity for the Northside. In office, I will not stop working until livability is improved in our neighborhood.

Public safety is my #1 priority. I will partner with Chief Arradondo to put more good cops on the street and fundamentally reform the Minneapolis Police Department. Minneapolis currently has among the lowest number of police officers per capita of any city in the country. We must replenish our diminished force by hiring more officers, so that we can adequately respond to the violence our community is facing. Further, we need to increase traffic enforcement. Reckless driving and speeding are simply out of control. We undoubtedly need more enforcement of traffic laws, especially in our neighborhoods. Thirdly, we need to open a Fourth Precinct satellite office in Ward 4 so that response times in our community are not as slow as they are now.
Addressing public safety also means that we need to address deep police reform. We need to expand co-responder programs for mental health and social service crisis calls. Officers are not trained to handle every emergency, but we cannot expect unarmed social workers to respond to potentially dangerous situations without support. We also need to invest in and expand programs that increase diversity in the police force and make the career path more attractive to our youth and community members. We need to be policed by our neighbors, not strangers.
Now more than ever, we need to address the system racial disparities that have led to intergenerational harms to our community. The City needs to provide for and support economic development in the Northside. Everyone has a right to stable, safe, and affordable housing. I will preserve existing affordable housing, work to create more, and fight for good-paying jobs so people can stay in our community. In addition, I will make sure that any new developments of the Upper Harbor Terminal will benefit Northside residents first. I will also advocate for an increase in funding for community organizations already doing the great work of supporting our small businesses with resources, training, and other necessities..

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am personally most passionate about advocating for public health which is the field that I have worked in for the past 15 years as the Director of Health Policy & Advocacy at NorthPoint Health & Wellness. All of the above areas (Public Safety, Police Reform, and Economic Development) are affected by public health in some manner. We have learned the hard way how critical public health is to the functioning of our city through the COVID-19 pandemic. I also know how greatly public health crises affect people of color and other historically marginalized communities at disproportionate rates. I have abundant experience in the public health sector from passing major tobacco legislation to securing COVID vaccines for the Northside's senior community. I know that I bring valuable skills to City Council and I will fearlessly go to bat for the Northside's needs, no matter the political aftermath. My office will always be open; and if you reach out, you will always get a response from me.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

My favorite book is I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou, because it is the first book I read that accurately spoke to the vulnerability of Black Women.

The last song that got stuck in my head was Stevie Wonder's song "Love's In Need of Love Today."

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Leslie Davis (We the People Party)

Davis' campaign website

Click here to view an archived version of Davis' campaign website.

Ward 5

Candidates and election results

General election

General election for Minneapolis City Council Ward 5

Select round:

The ranked-choice voting election was won by Jeremiah Ellison in round 3 . The results of Round are displayed below. To see the results of other rounds, use the dropdown menu above to select a round and the table will update.

	Candidate	%	Total Votes	Transfer	Round eliminated
	Jeremiah Ellison	31.9	1,752	0	Won (3)
Submit photo	Kristel Porter	24.7	1,355	0	3
	Victor Martinez	24.6	1,352	0	2
Submit photo	Suleiman Isse	9.8	540	0	1
	Cathy Spann	4.5	245	0	1
Submit photo	Elijah Norris-Holliday	3.6	195	0	1
Submit photo	Jim Seymour	0.7	39	0	1
	Undeclared Write-insUndeclared write-in candidates may advance past the first round in some ranked-choice elections. If the official source reports write-in votes by candidate name, Ballotpedia displays them alongside the ballot-qualified candidates. However, if write-in votes are reported without a name, they will instead be included in the total write-in votes figure in Round 1. Please consult the official elections source for more details about unnamed write-in candidate vote totals past Round 1.	0.1	7	0

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 5,485
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

Candidate profiles

This section includes candidate profiles created in one of two ways: either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, or Ballotpedia staff compiled a profile based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements after identifying the candidate as noteworthy.^[32]

Victor Martinez

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Submitted Biography: "I am a proud 17-year resident of North Minneapolis. I am a lead pastor, entrepreneur, author, father of three, devoted husband, and community organizer. I am honest, fun-loving, and always available for advice or help."

Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

As a Pastor I have worked my entire life bringing healing to lives, families and my community.

Our city is externally divided and hurt right now, and we need someone that can bring us together.

A vote for me is a vote for unity and healing for our city.

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Minneapolis City Council Ward 5 in 2021.

Campaign finance

Campaign themes

See also: Campaign themes

Jeremiah Ellison

Ellison's campaign website

Click here to view an archived version of Ellison's campaign website.

Suleiman Isse

Isse's campaign website

Click here to view an archived version of Isse's campaign website.

Victor Martinez

Martinez's campaign website

Click here to view an archived version of Martinez's campaign website.

Victor Martinez completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2021. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Martinez's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

I am a proud 17-year resident of North Minneapolis. I am a lead pastor, entrepreneur, author, father of three, devoted husband, and community organizer. I am honest, fun-loving, and always available for advice or help.

As a Pastor I have worked my entire life bringing healing to lives, families and my community.
Our city is externally divided and hurt right now, and we need someone that can bring us together.
A vote for me is a vote for unity and healing for our city.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

-Public safety

-Youth empowerment

-Small business development

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Kristel Porter

Porter's campaign website

Click here to view an archived version of Porter's campaign website.

Cathy Spann

Spann's campaign website

Click here to view an archived version of Spann's campaign website.

Elijah Norris-Holliday

Norris-Holliday's campaign website

Click here to view an archived version of Norris-Holliday's campaign website.

Ward 6

Candidates and election results

General election

General election for Minneapolis City Council Ward 6

The ranked-choice voting election was won by Jamal Osman in round 1 .

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 6,265
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

Campaign finance

Campaign themes

See also: Campaign themes

Jamal Osman

Osman's campaign website

Click here to view an archived version of Osman's campaign website.

Abdirizak Bihi

Bihi's campaign website

Click here to view an archived version of Bihi's campaign website.

Ward 7

Candidates and election results

General election

General election for Minneapolis City Council Ward 7

The ranked-choice voting election was won by Lisa Goodman in round 1 .

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 11,639
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

Candidate profiles

This section includes candidate profiles created in one of two ways: either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, or Ballotpedia staff compiled a profile based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements after identifying the candidate as noteworthy.^[33]

Nick Kor

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Submitted Biography: "I am a coalition builder, a leader who listens, and have spent the last two years as a Bush Fellow. I grew up in the Twin Cities as the son of immigrants from Hong Kong and small business owners and I currently work as the Senior Manager of Movement Building at the Coalition of Asian American Leaders where I organize partners nation-wide to address racism and xenophobia. In 2012, I was one of the first staff members hired for the Minnesotans United for all Families campaign that led to us securing the freedom to marry and later I organized with OutFront Minnesota to pass some of the strongest anti-bullying legislation in the nation. In 2015, I worked on racial and labor equity issues as the HIRE Minnesota Organizer for the Alliance for Metropolitan Stability. In 2016 I was appointed by Governor Dayton as the Civic Engagement Director for the Minnesota Department of Human Rights. I believe that my unique experience bringing people together to work towards our shared goals is the voice our Ward 7 needs in this moment. "

Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

We need to transition to a system of public safety that is rooted in community

Housing is a human right

All of us deserve clean air, water and confidence in a stable future

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Minneapolis City Council Ward 7 in 2021.

Teqen Zéa-Aida

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Submitted Biography: "Teqen Sjoberg Zéa-Aida is an independent minded Democrat. He is a well known Minneapolis Business Leader and Creative Entrepreneur. Teqen is a 2019-2020 Humphrey Public Policy and Leadership Fellow, an Arts Advocate, Philanthropist, Culture Creator and Community Connector. He has lived in Minneapolis since 1994. His internationally recognized company was founded in 1996 and lasted 22 years. Teqen is the Candidate of Change ready to represent all Ward 7 Neighbors on the City Council. There is no other candidate who knows Minneapolis or her people better. His fresh ideas, skill-set, and professional background are exactly what the Council needs to transform aspirations into action for the post George Floyd era. Teqen has been a tireless advocate for racial and economic justice, affordable housing, public schools, and local small business creation. He believes in a Minneapolis that welcomes everyone. As someone who has an extensive background in creating economic opportunities, Teqen is working towards a city that offers the chance to thrive to all. In this '21 cycle, Teqen is running on a progressive platform offering creative solutions for public safety, investment in our inner-city children, and creative ways to incubate innovative small business. Teqen is a bridge candidate. He is someone who can cross socio-economic and cultural differences in order to bring community together in the interests of creating solutions based in our most common values."

Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

It is time to transforming tragedy onto a vision of safety built on our shared values.

Let's work together to reimage our world class city and accelerating the economic engine of Minnesota.

We are absolutely capable of innovation and excellence for our traditional public school kids.

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Minneapolis City Council Ward 7 in 2021.

Campaign finance

Campaign themes

See also: Campaign themes

Lisa Goodman

Goodman's campaign website

Click here to view an archived version of Goodman's campaign website.

Joanna Diaz

Diaz's campaign website

Click here to view an archived version of Diaz's campaign website.

Nick Kor

Kor's campaign website

Click here to view an archived version of Kor's campaign website.

Ballotpedia survey responses

Nick Kor completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2021. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Kor's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

I am a coalition builder, a leader who listens, and have spent the last two years as a Bush Fellow. I grew up in the Twin Cities as the son of immigrants from Hong Kong and small business owners and I currently work as the Senior Manager of Movement Building at the Coalition of Asian American Leaders where I organize partners nation-wide to address racism and xenophobia.

In 2012, I was one of the first staff members hired for the Minnesotans United for all Families campaign that led to us securing the freedom to marry and later I organized with OutFront Minnesota to pass some of the strongest anti-bullying legislation in the nation. In 2015, I worked on racial and labor equity issues as the HIRE Minnesota Organizer for the Alliance for Metropolitan Stability. In 2016 I was appointed by Governor Dayton as the Civic Engagement Director for the Minnesota Department of Human Rights. I believe that my unique experience bringing people together to work towards our shared goals is the voice our Ward 7 needs in this moment.

We need to transition to a system of public safety that is rooted in community
Housing is a human right
All of us deserve clean air, water and confidence in a stable future

Community Question Featured local question

How would you balance the needs and desires of existing business and housing communities with new development? Would you take gentrification and displacement into consideration when planning neighborhood development?

Minneapolis must be a place that welcomes everyone. Our first order of business must be to take care of BIPOC communities who have historically been displaced by rising housing costs and gentrification. This is why strong renter protections, preserving naturally occurring affordable housing and Tenant Opportunity to Purchase (TOPA) are so important. These tools can help prevent displacement and build wealth for low income communities that have not benefited equally from increasing home prices.

Minneapolis is growing faster than it has since 1950, and continues to build a record number of housing units. This is a good thing.
But as we build more housing, we need to ensure that we are building enough affordable and deeply affordable units in every part of the city to ensure that our neighbors can continue to live in our communities.

Part of that work will be supported through inclusionary zoning, but we cannot rely on that alone. As our tax base expands, the city must invest in deeply affordable housing, with increased contributions to our affordable housing trust fund.

Community Question Featured local question

What do you think about the city's environmental health? Would you make any changes to current policy?

I believe in order to meet our climate goals, we must prioritize renewable energy over oil and gas. This means addressing at least two major sectors in Minneapolis: housing and transportation.

First, we must be doing more to make our homes and businesses more energy efficient. I support inclusive financing as a tool for renters and low-income folks, and I also believe we need to increase the utility franchise fee to more deeply fund energy efficiency programs for those most in need.
Second, we need to prioritize the design of our neighborhoods and transportation systems to so that access to essential services is within a short distance to reducing carbon emission from our transportation infrastructure

Finally, our transition to a renewable energy economy must be equitable and create living wage jobs for a green workforce that provides opportunity for low-income and BIPOC residents in our community.

Community Question Featured local question

What role do you feel police should play in Minneapolis? What are your thoughts on the city council’s proposed changes to the Minneapolis Police Department?

I support Yes 4 Minneapolis and sit on the coalition’s steering committee as a representative from CAAL. I believe we need to create a more holistic system of public safety -- beyond only policing -- that is rooted in community and care. This means ensuring that people have their basic needs met -- access to deeply affordable housing, jobs, healthcare, and that our young people are supported.

Additionally, I believe we need to invest in proven, community-based violence prevention programs that provide culturally-relevant, holistic support to neighbors in need. Many of these programs already exist in our city but need greater investment.
We can also lessen the load on the police by moving unnecessary duties to other city departments and expanding 311 services. We currently see the police as the “catch all” of government. By transferring unnecessary duties to other departments, this would allow officers to focus their time and energy on addressing violence.

Lastly, we have to hold officers accountable and must be able to fire cops who do harm towards our communities. That means we need to renegotiate the police union contract, create better community control, and enforce systems of discipline for misconduct.

Community Question Featured local question

What would you like Minneapolis' public safety system to look like by the end of your term? What would you do to accomplish your vision of public safety?

I believe that we need new systems of public safety that are rooted in care and not criminalization. After the murder of George Floyd last year by the Minneapolis Police Department, a global uprising was birthed and the movement to change policing as we know it gained momentum across our country. Unfortunately, little substantive change has taken place with our police department and how we approach safety in Minneapolis. We owe it to George Floyd, to our residents and to our world to reimagine public safety and shift away from a police-only approach into an approach that is more holistic and comprehensive. Here’s how we get there:

1) We must invest in proven, community-based violence prevention programs that provide culturally-relevant, holistic support to neighbors in need. Many of these programs already exist in our city but need more investment and should be expanded.

2) We have to hold police officers accountable. We must end qualified immunity to be able to fire cops who do harm towards our communities and we need to renegotiate the police union contract, create better community control, and enforce systems of discipline for misconduct.

3) We can lessen the load on the police by moving unnecessary duties to other city departments and expanding 311 services. By transferring unnecessary duties to other departments, including pretextual stops, this would allow officers to focus their time and energy on responding to violence.

4) I believe we need to create a more holistic system of public safety -- beyond policing -- that is rooted in community and care. In order to do this, we must remove the charter requirement for the minimum level of police officers and establish a department of public safety with other types of first responders who will come to the aid of every resident with understanding and care and are best suited for the various needs of the community.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

One of my top priorities is to have safe neighborhoods for everyone. To me that starts with re-envisioning and rebuilding our systems of public safety by creating a new department of public safety and engaging the public in deep conversations about how we move beyond a police-only approach to safety.

Second, I believe housing is a human right and we have much work to do in order to make sure our neighbors aren’t being pushed out or priced out of their homes. That work includes strong renter protections, building and preserving deeply affordable units in our city, and investing in a community-centered housing ecosystem for our future by supporting things like community land trusts, public housing and cooperative housing initiatives.

Third, I believe that racial equity is an issue that needs immediate and serious attention. Building wealth for low-income residents and communities of color is critical. As an organizer, I know how to put this into practice. In 2015, as the HIRE Minnesota organizer for the Alliance for Metropolitan Stability I worked with contractors, unions, and government agencies during the construction of US Bank Stadium to address hiring disparities. We surpassed our 32 percent workforce hiring goal which led to an estimated $39 million in wages for workers of color. We must continue to ensure that our policies are aligned with our values.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Note: Community Questions were submitted by the public and chosen for inclusion by a volunteer advisory board. The chosen questions were modified by staff to adhere to Ballotpedia’s neutrality standards. To learn more about Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection Expansion Project, click here.

Teqen Zéa-Aida

Zéa-Aida's campaign website

Click here to view an archived version of Zéa-Aida's campaign website.

Ballotpedia survey responses

Teqen Zéa-Aida completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2021. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Zéa-Aida's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Teqen Sjoberg Zéa-Aida is an independent minded Democrat. He is a well known Minneapolis Business Leader and Creative Entrepreneur. Teqen is a 2019-2020 Humphrey Public Policy and Leadership Fellow, an Arts Advocate, Philanthropist, Culture Creator and Community Connector. He has lived in Minneapolis since 1994. His internationally recognized company was founded in 1996 and lasted 22 years.

Teqen is the Candidate of Change ready to represent all Ward 7 Neighbors on the City Council. There is no other candidate who knows Minneapolis or her people better. His fresh ideas, skill-set, and professional background are exactly what the Council needs to transform aspirations into action for the post George Floyd era.

Teqen has been a tireless advocate for racial and economic justice, affordable housing, public schools, and local small business creation. He believes in a Minneapolis that welcomes everyone. As someone who has an extensive background in creating economic opportunities, Teqen is working towards a city that offers the chance to thrive to all.

In this '21 cycle, Teqen is running on a progressive platform offering creative solutions for public safety, investment in our inner-city children, and creative ways to incubate innovative small business. Teqen is a bridge candidate. He is someone who can cross socio-economic and cultural differences in order to bring community together in the interests of creating solutions based in our most common values.

It is time to transforming tragedy onto a vision of safety built on our shared values.
Let's work together to reimage our world class city and accelerating the economic engine of Minnesota.
We are absolutely capable of innovation and excellence for our traditional public school kids.

Community Question Featured local question

How would you balance the needs and desires of existing business and housing communities with new development? Would you take gentrification and displacement into consideration when planning neighborhood development?

Teqen is a staunch anti-gentrification activist. Working against the displacement (especially of Seniors and African American, and Indigenous is a top priority.

Community Question Featured local question

Please list the criteria you would use to evaluate which projects are worth maintaining or starting in Minneapolis when it comes to public infrastructure.

Does it fit within our improved metrics for racial and economic equity and inclusion.

Community Question Featured local question

What do you think about the city's environmental health? Would you make any changes to current policy?

Minneapolis has very poor environmental health statistics for its BIPOC Community. Teqen will work to reverse these statistics by listening to those most impacted and developing strategies and polices that actually reverse the harm.

Community Question Featured local question

What role do you feel police should play in Minneapolis? What are your thoughts on the city council’s proposed changes to the Minneapolis Police Department?

Teqen wants a public safety organization that reflects the common values of the People of Minneapolis. This organization should be dedicated to protecting and serving the people. Peace Officers have an important role to play in the life of the Community. We want to make sure that our Peace Officers are trained to exemplify our values and commitment to comfort and safety for all Minneapolitans.

Community Question Featured local question

What would you like Minneapolis' public safety system to look like by the end of your term? What would you do to accomplish your vision of public safety?

https://teqenwardseven.com/comfort-and-safety

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Teqen is passionate about small business creation, opportunities for our inner-city children, and pushing back against gentrification. However, he recognizes that none of this, nor his other ideas for Minneapolis are possible unless we stabilize the City and bring an end to the violence and division of the last few years. Teqen is ready to work with Community to find pragmatic solutions to our challenges. He realizes that the Next Minneapolis Miracle must include everyone at the drawing board.

What qualities does this office possess that makes it a unique and important part of the state government and legal system?

The 7th Ward seat represents an incredibly diverse and powerful cross section of Minneapolis constituents. The Ward is home to leaders of the business, social and academic institutions, arts organizations and faith communities among other important contributors to the Minneapolis Community.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

Teqen's looks up to many, but holds his Afro Colombian Ancestors in highest regard.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

There are too many to list.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

The single most important responsibility of the holder of this office is the stewardship of Minneapolis' natural and cultural legacy and to look after those less fortunate throughout the City.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

Teqen would like to leave a legacy of positive change. He would like to have carved out a place in an ever-changing Minneapolis for the next generation of Agents of Change.

Teqen's first historical memory was the Camp David Accord. He was very young--no more than 3 or 4. He had never seen a Black Leader, and was mystified by President Anwar Sadat.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

Teqen's first job was at Perkins as a bus boy. However, after graduating from High School in 1994, he went on to found Vision Models (Vision Management Group, Inc.) in 1996. Vision lasted until 2018.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

The Autobiography of Malcolm X.

It changed his life.

Another is, The Devil and Commodity Fetishism in South America.

Alone by Heart.

Are there any little-known powers or responsibilities held by this office that you believe more people should be aware of?

There are many, and it is time to connect the people to those powers, and the initiatives that the 7 Ward has the power to help realize.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for holders of this office to have previous experience in government or politics?

No. However, Teqen believes his background in business and community building will be an important addition to the work of City Governement.

What kind of skills or expertise do you believe would be the most helpful for the holders of this office to possess?

Excellent Communication, a d business background, deep connection to existing Community, and an individual identity that reflects the identities of those most impacted will be extremely helpful to the holder of this important office.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Note: Community Questions were submitted by the public and chosen for inclusion by a volunteer advisory board. The chosen questions were modified by staff to adhere to Ballotpedia’s neutrality standards. To learn more about Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection Expansion Project, click here.

Ward 8

Candidates and election results

General election

General election for Minneapolis City Council Ward 8

The ranked-choice voting election was won by Andrea Jenkins in round 1 .

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 10,614
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

Candidate profiles

This section includes candidate profiles created in one of two ways: either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, or Ballotpedia staff compiled a profile based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements after identifying the candidate as noteworthy.^[34]

Andrea Jenkins

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: Yes

Political Office:

Minneapolis City Council (Assumed office: 2018)

Submitted Biography: "I am seeking a second term as City Councilmember representing Ward 8, in Minneapolis, MN. Ward 8 is the district in which George Floyd was murdered. Prior being elected to the City Council, I was the Oral Historian/ Assistant Librarian for the Transgender History Project at the University of Minnesota for three years. Prior to that I worked for twelve years as Senior Policy Aide to two different City Council members. In addition I am an adjunct professor of Poetry at Minneapolis College of Art and Design. I serve on the national boards of The Human Rights Campaign, and The Transgender Education and Legal Defense Fund. I m an Artist, Poet, Public Speaker and Author."

Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

I am committed to Racial, Economic and Gender Justice. I declared "Racism as a Public Health Crisis" on the council. uncil, that resolution passed unamaniously

I am committed to Leadership. I was elected by my peers as Vice President of the Council.

I am committed to ensuring access for ward and city residents to participate in their city government.

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Minneapolis City Council Ward 8 in 2021.

Campaign finance

Campaign themes

See also: Campaign themes

Andrea Jenkins

Jenkins' campaign website

Click here to view an archived version of Jenkins' campaign website.

Andrea Jenkins completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2021. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Jenkins' responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

I am seeking a second term as City Councilmember representing Ward 8, in Minneapolis, MN. Ward 8 is the district in which George Floyd was murdered. Prior being elected to the City Council, I was the Oral Historian/ Assistant Librarian for the Transgender History Project at the University of Minnesota for three years. Prior to that I worked for twelve years as Senior Policy Aide to two different City Council members. In addition I am an adjunct professor of Poetry at Minneapolis College of Art and Design. I serve on the national boards of The Human Rights Campaign, and The Transgender Education and Legal Defense Fund. I m an Artist, Poet, Public Speaker and Author.

I am committed to Racial, Economic and Gender Justice. I declared "Racism as a Public Health Crisis" on the council. uncil, that resolution passed unamaniously
I am committed to Leadership. I was elected by my peers as Vice President of the Council.
I am committed to ensuring access for ward and city residents to participate in their city government.

Community Question Featured local question

How would you balance the needs and desires of existing business and housing communities with new development? Would you take gentrification and displacement into consideration when planning neighborhood development?

I always consider gentrification and displacement in development efforts. We need to utilize community benefit agreements, co-op models and other tools to ensure a proper balance of business desires versus community needs

Community Question Featured local question

Please list the criteria you would use to evaluate which projects are worth maintaining or starting in Minneapolis when it comes to public infrastructure.

Public benefit

Jobs created for inner city residents and youth

Project readiness

Community Question Featured local question

What do you think about the city's environmental health? Would you make any changes to current policy?

Minneapolis has declared Climate Change a Public Health crisis, to that end we've established aggressive goals intended to address these concerns. I will work with advocacy groups, environmental and science professionals to identify and determine what shifts need to change or be implemented going forward.

Community Question Featured local question

What role do you feel police should play in Minneapolis? What are your thoughts on the city council’s proposed changes to the Minneapolis Police Department?

I believe that armed police officers that are well-trained, amenable to accountability, and committed to being a part of the community will play a large and important role in our public safety continuum. Bottom line, we need a system that upholds and enforces the laws of a mutual agreed upon society.

Community Question Featured local question

What would you like Minneapolis' public safety system to look like by the end of your term? What would you do to accomplish your vision of public safety?

My vision of our Public Safety continuum would be a comprehensive public health approach. This would mean mental health providers to respond to emotional crisis' , community based violence interrupters , unarmed traffic enforcement, civilian staff to to take low level property crime reports after the fact.

I will work with community stakeholders, organizers, policy makers and others to bring this vision into fruition.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am passionate about re-imagining Public Safety in the City of Minneapolis. We need systems that respect the humanity of all residents specifically African American and Indigenous communities and other marginalized communities.
I am passionate about addressing climate change, affordable housing and green jobs training to prepare young people of color the skills and tools necessary to compete in the 21st century as well as help address meeting the city's goals of 100 % renewable energy by 2030.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

I admire former President Barack Obama. His vision, political courage and commitment to equity is something I aspire to replicate.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

The book "Leadership on the Line" , Heifiez and Linsky

The movie "Malcolm X" by Spike Lee

The quote by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, " Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that. "

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I love people, and want to help folks live better, healthier more productive lives.

I am well-educated, compassionate, experienced and knowledgeable.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

I want women, Trans and Gender Non Conforming folks to know that they too can aspire to and achieve leadership roles in our society.

The assassination of John F. Kennedy, I was 3 years old and remember seeing my grandmother crying for the 1st time in my life.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

My very 1st job was part of the CETA Program in Chicago, Illinois. It was a youth employment program, I worked as a program assistant at the Wabash YMCA. I worked there through my senior year in High School

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

'The Warmth of Other Suns" , by Isabel Wilkerson

It tells the story of the Great Black Migration from the South to the North, literally my family's story of how I ended up being born in Chicago, IL.

"The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" Gil Scott Heron

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

I have struggled my entire life to overcome the oppressions of racism, transphobia, homophobia, sexism, poverty and now disability. These challenges have help me gain broader perspective and empathy for these communities, as well as provided me the strength to accomplish the goals i CONTINUE TO SET FOR MYSELF

Do you believe that it's beneficial for holders of this office to have previous experience in government or politics?

I believe that experience is enormously helpful but not necessary.

What kind of skills or expertise do you believe would be the most helpful for the holders of this office to possess?

The ability to connect with and listen to a broad range of stakeholders and synthesize that information to positively impact the most people. They must possess the skill to be knowledgeable about a wide range of topics. They absolutely should have empathy and awareness of issues that potentially negatively impact people and willing to work towards eliminating those barriers.

The comedian Chris Rock once joked that "I once asked a homeless white man if he would like to trade places with me a rich Black man, the homeless responded, "nah, Ima ride this white thing out for a little longer"

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Note: Community Questions were submitted by the public and chosen for inclusion by a volunteer advisory board. The chosen questions were modified by staff to adhere to Ballotpedia’s neutrality standards. To learn more about Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection Expansion Project, click here.

Bub Sullentrop

Sullentrop's campaign website

Click here to view an archived version of Sullentrop's campaign website.

Ward 9

Candidates and election results

General election

General election for Minneapolis City Council Ward 9

The ranked-choice voting election was won by Jason Chavez in round 1 .

	Candidate	%	Total Votes	Transfer	Round eliminated
	Jason Chavez	56.9	3,792	0	Won (1)
	Mickey Moore	13.6	906	0	1
	Yussuf Haji	12.6	842	0	1
Submit photo	Ross Tenneson	4.7	313	0	1
Submit photo	Alfred Flowers Jr.	4.0	265	0	1
	Brenda Short	3.7	247	0	1
Submit photo	Carmen Means	3.2	215	0	1
Submit photo	Jon Randall Denison	1.2	80	0	1
	Undeclared Write-insUndeclared write-in candidates may advance past the first round in some ranked-choice elections. If the official source reports write-in votes by candidate name, Ballotpedia displays them alongside the ballot-qualified candidates. However, if write-in votes are reported without a name, they will instead be included in the total write-in votes figure in Round 1. Please consult the official elections source for more details about unnamed write-in candidate vote totals past Round 1.	0.1	6	0

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 6,666
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

Candidate profiles

This section includes candidate profiles created in one of two ways: either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, or Ballotpedia staff compiled a profile based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements after identifying the candidate as noteworthy.^[35]

Jason Chavez

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Submitted Biography: "My name is Jason Chavez (he/him), I’m the DFL-DSA-Labor endorsed candidate for Minneapolis City Council in Ward 9. I was born and raised in the 9th ward; I grew up in Southside Minneapolis, as the son of working-class Mexican immigrants who worked three jobs each just to keep food on the table. I am a proud LGTBQ+ Latino, renter, community organizer, and policy worker at the Minnesota House of Representatives. Since becoming the first in my family to graduate from college, I have worked to support and defend my community in Ward 9.Through my work as a Legislative Aide at the State Capitol and community organizer, I have fought alongside our community to reshape our broken criminal justice system, brought $80 Million dollars in COVID relief funding for our small businesses, implemented protections for essential workers and renters, and have fought for immigration justice.I’m running for City Council to fight for the Ward that helped raise me. I know better days are possible. And I’m ready to lead alongside my community to help create the future we deserve."

Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

I am running for City Council to uplift and unleash the power of community advocacy. The 9th Ward is one of the poorest, most diverse, overpolluted, and underfunded communities in the city. There is remarkable capacity in Ward 9, and I’m running to help secure the resources this community needs and deserves. Our campaign works the same way I’ll work in City Hall: community-led, and community-centered.

There is a housing crisis in Minneapolis, and I am committed to implementing ordinances to address the issue and increase access and affordability. I will always keep the interests of renters, tenants, and our unhoused neighbors at heart — and I will fight for policies that do the same.

I believe our solutions to city problems should focus on prevention and care. Whether it’s homelessness, health care, policing, potholes, or anywhere in between, my approach focuses on how to prevent the issue from continuing, and on how to provide immediate and long-term support to the people and communities who have already been affected by the issue.

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Minneapolis City Council Ward 9 in 2021.

Mickey Moore

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Submitted Biography: "My name is Mickey Moore. I was born and raised in South Minneapolis. I've lived here all my life and as the son of a single mom, I benefitted from the many programs and resources that this city provided for our youth at that time. As a state high school champion athlete, I was fortunate to receive a full scholarship to the University of Minnesota. I opened my most popular business, The Braid Factory, in 1996 and began our state's professional, natural hair care industry. Now, that industry gainfully employs hundreds of people, including dozens of business owners from our African immigrant community. I've been working to create successful business opportunities for people for over 25 years. People know who I am and I have been incredibly well supported by this community. I am a husband, a father, and a homeowner. As a bi-racial man, married to an Asian immigrant woman, I care about all people and passing along the same opportunities that I've been so lucky to enjoy. I am running to represent the 9th Ward because I believe that now, more than ever, our city needs an attentive, experienced, and professional leader who has a long and proven track record of success in turning significant obstacles into real successes. I know this community and I will work hard for this community, including donating a significant portion of the excessive city council salary to charities, nonprofits, and organizations on the ground doing the work we need to transform people's lives."

Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

Crime is at a crisis level in Minneapolis. Gun violence and other serious crime is gripping our community. We need to do everything in our power to increase our overall Public Safety. This means increasing police resources while simultaneously increasing police accountability and transparency. We need more police and more police resources. But we also need a focus on community policing and hiring people who represent and reflect our communities. People who speak our languages and have our local best interests in mind when they consider how they protect and serve us.

Due to the COVID-19 shutdowns and limitations, and also the civil unrest that began last Summer and in many ways has continued, our business districts and commercial corridors have been devastated. We have a one-time opportunity to utilize federal stimulus and disaster relief funds to help restore and rebuild our businesses, but we must have the right person in place to articulately advocate for what our Ward needs and deserves. My 30 years of successful small business experience will put our Ward's economic development centerstage in our city's short-term plans and priorities.

The disconnect between residents and elected officials has become a chronic and dangerous problem. I will revolutionize the collaborative partnership between my office and the people we serve by opening a local ward office. Fully-staffed and open everyday, this office will have community members who look like us and speak all of our languages who can assist residents and business owners in accessing city, county, state and federal programs, resources and services. We will employ several strategic tactics which will help us to maintain a new and innovative, wide-open line of communication between the people and city hall.

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Minneapolis City Council Ward 9 in 2021.

Campaign finance

Campaign themes

See also: Campaign themes

Jason Chavez

Chavez's campaign website

Click here to view an archived version of Chavez's campaign website.

Jason Chavez completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2021. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Chavez's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

My name is Jason Chavez (he/him), I’m the DFL-DSA-Labor endorsed candidate for Minneapolis City Council in Ward 9. I was born and raised in the 9th ward; I grew up in Southside Minneapolis, as the son of working-class Mexican immigrants who worked three jobs each just to keep food on the table. I am a proud LGTBQ+ Latino, renter, community organizer, and policy worker at the Minnesota House of Representatives. Since becoming the first in my family to graduate from college, I have worked to support and defend my community in Ward 9.

Through my work as a Legislative Aide at the State Capitol and community organizer, I have fought alongside our community to reshape our broken criminal justice system, brought $80 Million dollars in COVID relief funding for our small businesses, implemented protections for essential workers and renters, and have fought for immigration justice.

I’m running for City Council to fight for the Ward that helped raise me. I know better days are possible. And I’m ready to lead alongside my community to help create the future we deserve.

I am running for City Council to uplift and unleash the power of community advocacy. The 9th Ward is one of the poorest, most diverse, overpolluted, and underfunded communities in the city. There is remarkable capacity in Ward 9, and I’m running to help secure the resources this community needs and deserves. Our campaign works the same way I’ll work in City Hall: community-led, and community-centered.
There is a housing crisis in Minneapolis, and I am committed to implementing ordinances to address the issue and increase access and affordability. I will always keep the interests of renters, tenants, and our unhoused neighbors at heart — and I will fight for policies that do the same.
I believe our solutions to city problems should focus on prevention and care. Whether it’s homelessness, health care, policing, potholes, or anywhere in between, my approach focuses on how to prevent the issue from continuing, and on how to provide immediate and long-term support to the people and communities who have already been affected by the issue.

Community Question Featured local question

How would you balance the needs and desires of existing business and housing communities with new development? Would you take gentrification and displacement into consideration when planning neighborhood development?

Stopping gentrification and displacement in its tracks is front of mind for me in thinking about the future of development in our City. The 9th Ward is home to working-class people and families that have made their home here for generations. It is a part of our city where naturally occurring affordable housing can be found and the Black, Brown, Indigenous, and Immigrant communities can thrive if they are supported and protected. Development without displacement is possible, it requires engagement with the community, local businesses, and making key changes to zoning policy that will protect the locally owned businesses in the 9th Ward’s cultural corridors. New development should be built to meet the growing need for affordable housing that exists in Ward 9. There is already so much support for developers and it is not my job to be their champion, it is my job to be a champion for the everyday people I have lived with my whole life.

Community Question Featured local question

Please list the criteria you would use to evaluate which projects are worth maintaining or starting in Minneapolis when it comes to public infrastructure.

Whenever I am faced with a policy decision, I first spend time checking whether those investments are made with community backing and uphold our broader values of equity and accessibility. I believe the city ought to require environmental impact and community equity reports before making decisions on or granting approval for public infrastructure projects. Additionally, I will form local community advisory committees to ensure our city integrates feedback from community members, especially from Black, Brown, Indigenous, immigrant, elderly, disabled, and unhoused community members who have historically been left behind or negatively affected by inequitable infrastructure investments. I believe in the importance of accessible, affordable, sustainable public infrastructure projects; whether we are reconstructing an old site or approving new plans, I will always be sure to integrate community input and evidence-based policies as I make my decisions.

Community Question Featured local question

What do you think about the city's environmental health? Would you make any changes to current policy?

We have a lot of work to do to improve the state of our city’s environmental health, but many of our city’s current goals are a good start to those improvements. I believe the city’s 2040 Plan contains goals that are both appropriate and attainable to boost our environmental health, but we have to do the work to make sure we actually attain them.

Ward 9 is the most polluted district in Minneapolis, and I know from first-hand experience what it’s like to deal with toxic chemicals, eat produce grown in contaminated soil, and watch your friends and family get sick because of government inaction. The Ward 9 community — and every community in Minneapolis — deserves a City Council committed to environmental justice. I am disappointed with the Council’s decision to vote against the East Phillips Urban Farm proposal, as I think it goes against the values of protecting environmental health and justice. Nevertheless, I will pursue the passage of ordinances and funds that will support community-led environmental health efforts.

As a long-time Southside resident and former member of the Southside Green Zone Council in Minneapolis, I understand how important it is to institute stronger policies and develop broader incentives to decrease emissions. We need to lower the rates of cancer, asthma, and lead poisoning in our city. It’s also vitally important to ensure our city’s energy and maintenance facilities aren't harming nearby communities, especially considering the communities most often impacted by these pollutants are predominantly low-income, Black, Brown, Indigenous, and immigrant; I will make sure proposals brought before the City Council are accompanied by an environmental health impact report so we do not approve harmful projects.

Community Question Featured local question

What role do you feel police should play in Minneapolis? What are your thoughts on the city council’s proposed changes to the Minneapolis Police Department?

The ballot question on the formation of the Minneapolis Department of Public Safety — an initiative supported by thousands of Minneapolis residents, including myself — is an opportunity for us to take a significant step forward in protecting our communities and preventing crime. As we move towards a safer, stronger, more equitable Minneapolis, we have to address the ways in which police have inflicted community harm, while also recognizing there will be a role for police in this new Department.

Our current system is not working. Our city can create a more holistic and community-centered system of public safety rather than continuing to inject millions of dollars into an unaccountable police-focused model. I believe police will remain a part of this system, but the number of officers and the situations in which they are deployed will depend on community input, budget analysis, and audits of public safety needs that can be more effectively met by non-police public safety workers. There are instances where our city is relying on police when we do not need to be; whether it’s minor traffic violation stops or non-emergency distress calls, we do not need to be putting community members or police officers at risk by dispatching armed police, especially when we could instead be utilizing more efficient and effective measures.

Many of the reforms and policy improvements our communities have advocated for are dependent on the creation of the new Department of Public Safety, and whether or not this ballot measure passes, I believe we ought to pursue tangible changes to our public safety structure to protect our communities and prevent community- or police-caused harm.

Community Question Featured local question

What would you like Minneapolis' public safety system to look like by the end of your term? What would you do to accomplish your vision of public safety?

My vision for public safety in Minneapolis is one which centers the needs, input, and well-being of our community members. I am focused on implementing policies and investing in programs that protect our communities, advance equity, and provide the basic needs to address the root causes of crime rather than violently reacting to crime after it occurs. We must shift away from a police-only model, where crime and safety crises are responded to rather than prevented. I will work to implement a more holistic vision for public safety, designed to protect and enhance the lives of our residents.

I will introduce and/or support community safety initiatives, strengthen accountability systems, and improve our 9-1-1 emergency system by creating more efficient, effective, and culturally sensitive response options — including mental health emergency responders. Throughout the budget processes during my first term, I will fight to make sure our city invests in historically underfunded non-police-centered public safety alternatives, including fully funding and expanding the Community Safety Specialist (CSS) Program. I’ll collaborate with city officials, local leaders, and emergency service administrators to help give proper resources to first responders who can most effectively respond to crime and de-escalate emergencies, like EMT’s, firefighters, mental health workers, social workers, and domestic violence responders.

I will call for the declaration of a gun violence epidemic and public health crisis in Minneapolis to open up funding options to better support victims and families of gun violence. As a City Council Member, I will harness our city’s budgeting powers to increase funding for mental health resources to address rising rates of suicide and youth crises in our neighborhood.

Everybody deserves to feel safe in their communities, and I will remain steadfastly committed to improving our public safety systems throughout my time in City Hall.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

As a young, LGBTQ+ Latino, and formerly unhoused person, politics isn’t just theoretical for me. The issues affecting our city affect me too, and the pressing problems in our communities are personal to me. I am deeply passionate about addressing the inequities in our city, from housing disparities to environmental injustices to a broken public safety system. I was approached by my community to run for City Council to fight for underserved and immigrant communities, and that is what I intend to do in City Hall. As someone who grew up in an underserved community and has spent years in policy work at the State Capitol, I feel passionate about virtually every policy issue affecting this community. I know the personal side of politics here in Minneapolis, and I am devoted to taking substantive policy actions to improve our lives.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

A City council member represents people at the most accessible level of government. It is the role of the City Council member to build trust in government, within the community, and overall help facilitates bridging any gaps in trust that exist. In addition to this, City Council members are representing a handful of neighborhoods so they can be close to the ground and deliver responsive constituent services — it is their job to pick up the phone or call back when a constituent reaches out. The City Council Member also must lead in the spirit of encouraging civic engagement; local government works best when community members are empowered to co-govern with their elected leaders. Finally, it is the role of the City Council member to work passionately and ardently on unglamorous issues like well-shoveled sidewalks, safe street design, and providing basic/necessary city services equitably.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I grew up in a community scarred by policy failures. I grew up in a community which had been left behind. I remember swearing to myself that nobody should have to live like this. I know I am not the only one to have felt this way. I know there are many who feel this way right now. And I know it doesn’t have to be this way. I know what it feels like to think the system has abandoned you. Yet, in spite of our city’s systemic shortcomings, I also know what things can be like when the government has your back and your representatives have your best interests at heart.

To solve any given issue, we have to address the broader issue of trust. Throughout my time in public service and this campaign, I’ve often come face-to-face with people who’ve lost faith in our government.

As I think about the kind of legacy I want to leave behind after my time in City Council, I hope it’s that I was able to deliver on providing the communities of the 9th Ward with the support, funds, and resources they deserve. I hope I can show that there are good people in government who have your back. I’m running for City Council because I believe that our city government can be part of the solution, even if it hasn’t always been that way in the past.

I can’t promise that we’ll agree on absolutely everything, or that we can magically fix all our issues instantaneously, but I can promise you that I will always have our community at the forefront. I’m running because I believe in a government that is community-led and community-centered. That’s how I will serve our city, and that is the legacy I hope to leave.

When I was thirteen years old, my parents and I were evicted from our house and forced into homelessness. Living as a displaced teenager, I picked up a job to help make ends meet for my family; I worked at a community soccer league in the 9th Ward making tacos and selling snacks. For four years (from 13 to 17), I spent my evenings and weekends talking to community members and handling concessions.

Are there any little-known powers or responsibilities held by this office that you believe more people should be aware of?

I love a lot of books, but my favorite is probably Solito, Solita: Crossing Borders with Youth Refugees from Central America. It’s a collection of stories from and about people fleeing their homes and countries, in pursuit of a better life. They cross borders only to find more struggles in the United States. It reminds me of the story of my parents, and so many stories in the 9th Ward where many people escape bad situations and hope to make a better life in our neighborhoods. It reminds me of the story of my family and community members fighting to stay afloat while coming to Minneapolis, and it serves as a reminder for how important it is to support our immigrant neighbors with policies and programs.

A role that the City Council member plays that is often overlooked is being the people’s most effective lobbyist at the different levels of government. City Council members represent the street-level, block-by-block needs of people. They are your most accessible representative (or at least they should be), and as a result, they can use their perspective and power to lobby for key community needs like funding transportation, schools, and supporting the essential workers that serve the community each day. They can call to attention the inequities in the community and push the park board, the transit authority, the state legislature, and congressional delegations to take action. Our city needs its council members to step up at the intergovernmental level to solve the day-to-day issues we see in our neighborhoods.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for holders of this office to have previous experience in government or politics?

Honestly, it can go either way! I think communities are best served when their representatives are members of those communities and are committed to earnestly serving their interests. Just because a candidate has held office before doesn’t automatically mean they adhere to that standard. At the same time, some of the strongest community advocates in history didn’t boast any experience in elected office or government.

Regardless, I do absolutely think it is important for holders of this office to understand what politics means to the people they serve. I think “experience” in politics extends beyond the political office. Living the effects of public policy decisions — for better or worse — is a fundamental component of what politics is. We need leaders and representatives who know what is at stake with the impacts of the decisions they make.

I have a background in government, as a community member, and as a political worker. Through my time as a legislative aide, grassroots organizer, and as the former President of the Minnesota Youth DFL, I have previous experience in working with government officials and addressing political needs.

I know what it’s like to live the effects of governmental decisions, and I know what it takes to change governmental decisions for the better.

What kind of skills or expertise do you believe would be the most helpful for the holders of this office to possess?

Above all else, I think the most important skill necessary for success in City Council is a deep understanding and love for the communities in the 9th Ward. Of course, I think it’s critical for city council members to comprehend complex policy proposals and understand the political process, but the capacity to think about policies is far less valuable if you do not understand how they will impact the people you serve. I grew up in Ward 9. This community is my home, and there is nothing I would not do to support it. I have lived and learned the vast and various dynamics at play in these neighborhoods, and I believe that perspective is invaluable for a council member.

I come to this candidacy with the community knowledge AND the policy knowledge to be an effective advocate for Ward 9, plus the empathy and humility to seek out input from members of the community. This is not new for me: I have lived these struggles and I have fought these fights before. I am no stranger to advocating for the folks in the 9th Ward, and I will continue to do so as their City Council Member.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Note: Community Questions were submitted by the public and chosen for inclusion by a volunteer advisory board. The chosen questions were modified by staff to adhere to Ballotpedia’s neutrality standards. To learn more about Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection Expansion Project, click here.

Alfred Flowers Jr.

Flowers' campaign website

Click here to view an archived version of Flowers' campaign website.

Yussuf Haji

Haji's campaign website

Click here to view an archived version of Haji's campaign website.

Ballotpedia survey responses

Yussuf Haji completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2021. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Haji's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Yussuf Haji is a father, husband, journalist, community mediator, small business owner, and change maker. Having a big heart for people, civil rights, dialogue and understanding, and building a strong, diverse, and inclusive community are the commitments that have led Haji to run for office. For 15 years he has worked, and been vocal, to bring civil rights, interfaith dialogue, and understanding in Minnesota. Previously he has worked for the Minnesota Department of Revenue as an outreach coordinator where he met and listen to people’s every struggle. He and his wife are small business owners, which include running a multilingual communication company, to an online organic cosmetics business.

It’s time for a City Council member who puts us first, who fights for our collective safety, who will push for the city to invest in reducing chemical dependency, informed trauma care, and more mental health professionals, who will help our small businesses struggling through Covid-19, and who will protect the things that matter to our quality of life. From my 15 years of experience working as a mediator, I will bring my valuable skills in unifying stakeholders, including the Mayor, City Council members, community members, businesses, the Police Department, and neighborhood organizations.
As City Council I’ll focus on public safety, small business recovery, Minneapolis economic recovery, the opioid crisis, housing and climate action.
New Pragmatic and Proven Progressive Bold Solutions

Community Question Featured local question

How would you balance the needs and desires of existing business and housing communities with new development? Would you take gentrification and displacement into consideration when planning neighborhood development?

I would balance the needs and desire of existing businesses and housing communities with new development by bringing everyone in to have a seat at the table to discuss concerns. Developers must understand that existing businesses and those with housing will not be pushed out to suit their needs, rather we must all work together. Mass displacement will not happen as city council, because our communities are stronger when they’re more diverse.

Community Question Featured local question

Please list the criteria you would use to evaluate which projects are worth maintaining or starting in Minneapolis when it comes to public infrastructure.

The criteria that I would use to evaluate which projects are worth maintaining or starting in Minneapolis when it comes to public infrastructure would include whether or not a project would adversely impact marginalized communities. If a project will negatively impact marginalized communities in a large way, is something I will consider when evaluating a project.

Community Question Featured local question

What do you think about the city's environmental health? Would you make any changes to current policy?

The city’s environmental health can certainly improve. There still high rates of pollution in certain areas that needs to be addressed.

Community Question Featured local question

What role do you feel police should play in Minneapolis? What are your thoughts on the city council’s proposed changes to the Minneapolis Police Department?

The police should be present for violent and emergency situations for community members. I believe Minneapolis needs safety in order to thrive, so we must hold officers accountable when they make bad choices.

Community Question Featured local question

What would you like Minneapolis' public safety system to look like by the end of your term? What would you do to accomplish your vision of public safety?

I would like community to feel safe and to foster a neighborly concern for their neighbors. To foster this, I would like to have community events so people within communities can get to know one another and have a greater dialogue about how they envision safety. I would also like to speak about the ways in which the police department can take accountability for bad behavior.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

The areas of public policy that I am personally passionate about are being inclusive and providing the tools needed for our diverse communities to thrive in their neighborhoods. Each person deserves shelter, access to healthy food, and to be safe in their homes as a foundational requirement in each city. I am passionate about implementing policies that will allow people to have these essentials.

What qualities does this office possess that makes it a unique and important part of the state government and legal system?

It is about bringing together community stakeholders and residents on a localized level. That is important, to represent everyone even on a local level within a specific ward.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

During a rally in South Minneapolis in 2001, Paul Wellstone said “a politic that is not sensitive to the concerns and circumstances of people’s lives, a politic that does not speak to the people and include people is an intellectually arrogant politics that deserves to fail”. His words inspired me as a joined in the causes and concerns of my fellow neighbors.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

The characteristics that are most important for an elected official is being a team player. Knowing how to work with others is extremely important.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

Active listener, approachable, and solution driven.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

The core responsibility for someone elected into this office is to represent and advocate what people envision for their communities as it relates to safety, the economy, education, and health.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

I would like to leave a legacy that can be built upon for future generations to come. I got into politics in part because I want my children and their friends to be in a safe environment. I don’t want them to grow up seeing injustice constantly. The legacy I would like to leave is a safer Minneapolis and Minnesota, a nurturing environment where communities have voices and can thrive financially, socially, and health wise.

Paul Wellstone’s rally in South Minneapolis in 2001.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I was part founder and leader of an organization who’s mission was to ease racial tension in Minnesota, as a civil rights leader. I led that organization for 5-6 years.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

The Bill of the Century by Clay Risen because it provides a historical account of a bill meant to promote equity in America.

Bob Marley - Don't worry be Happy

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

Something that has been a struggle in my life is hearing the concerns of others. That is why it was important for me to run. Not only do I want my children to grow in a safe environment, but I also want to address the concerns of those who are my neighbors.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for holders of this office to have previous experience in government or politics?

I believe it’s beneficial for holders of this office to have experience working with people and hearing their concerns at some capacity, it is an added bonus if holders have experience in government or politics.

What kind of skills or expertise do you believe would be the most helpful for the holders of this office to possess?

The most helpful skill that will be the most helpful for holders of this office to possess is include knowing how to actively listen to people and knowing how to speak to them about their concerns.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Note: Community Questions were submitted by the public and chosen for inclusion by a volunteer advisory board. The chosen questions were modified by staff to adhere to Ballotpedia’s neutrality standards. To learn more about Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection Expansion Project, click here.

Mickey Moore

Moore's campaign website

Click here to view an archived version of Moore's campaign website.

Mickey Moore completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2021. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Moore's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

My name is Mickey Moore. I was born and raised in South Minneapolis. I've lived here all my life and as the son of a single mom, I benefitted from the many programs and resources that this city provided for our youth at that time. As a state high school champion athlete, I was fortunate to receive a full scholarship to the University of Minnesota. I opened my most popular business, The Braid Factory, in 1996 and began our state's professional, natural hair care industry. Now, that industry gainfully employs hundreds of people, including dozens of business owners from our African immigrant community. I've been working to create successful business opportunities for people for over 25 years. People know who I am and I have been incredibly well supported by this community. I am a husband, a father, and a homeowner. As a bi-racial man, married to an Asian immigrant woman, I care about all people and passing along the same opportunities that I've been so lucky to enjoy. I am running to represent the 9th Ward because I believe that now, more than ever, our city needs an attentive, experienced, and professional leader who has a long and proven track record of success in turning significant obstacles into real successes. I know this community and I will work hard for this community, including donating a significant portion of the excessive city council salary to charities, nonprofits, and organizations on the ground doing the work we need to transform people's lives.

Crime is at a crisis level in Minneapolis. Gun violence and other serious crime is gripping our community. We need to do everything in our power to increase our overall Public Safety. This means increasing police resources while simultaneously increasing police accountability and transparency. We need more police and more police resources. But we also need a focus on community policing and hiring people who represent and reflect our communities. People who speak our languages and have our local best interests in mind when they consider how they protect and serve us.
Due to the COVID-19 shutdowns and limitations, and also the civil unrest that began last Summer and in many ways has continued, our business districts and commercial corridors have been devastated. We have a one-time opportunity to utilize federal stimulus and disaster relief funds to help restore and rebuild our businesses, but we must have the right person in place to articulately advocate for what our Ward needs and deserves. My 30 years of successful small business experience will put our Ward's economic development centerstage in our city's short-term plans and priorities.
The disconnect between residents and elected officials has become a chronic and dangerous problem. I will revolutionize the collaborative partnership between my office and the people we serve by opening a local ward office. Fully-staffed and open everyday, this office will have community members who look like us and speak all of our languages who can assist residents and business owners in accessing city, county, state and federal programs, resources and services. We will employ several strategic tactics which will help us to maintain a new and innovative, wide-open line of communication between the people and city hall.

Community Question Featured local question

How would you balance the needs and desires of existing business and housing communities with new development? Would you take gentrification and displacement into consideration when planning neighborhood development?

Because of my 30 years of business experience, 1 of the 3 committee areas upon which I plan to focus is Economic Development. I believe that for decades this city has incentivized high-dollar development to the detriment of small and local businesses and housing communities. Indeed, over the past 10 years, over 95% of all new housing development has been rental development. This is just 1 reason why Minneapolis ranks at the bottom of the entire country when it comes to racial homeownership disparities, What we need to do is shift our priorities 180 degrees and start focusing on transitioning renters into homeownership. This is how we solve our affordable housing crisis, while creating generational wealth at the same time.

As someone who has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars renting and leasing space for my businesses, I know that we need a city that partners with business owners to help them acquire and maintain property ownership. This turns simpy owning a successful business into having transformative wealth. We need to do this with a focus on minority communities and minority business ownership, because those are the demographic groups who have been chronically underserved, relocated and have typically suffer disproportionately from the adverse affects of gentrification.

Community Question Featured local question

Please list the criteria you would use to evaluate which projects are worth maintaining or starting in Minneapolis when it comes to public infrastructure.

I would look at all policies with a series of expert questions, diagnoses, and analyses. Do we have ALL of the most advanced and updated information and analysis? Is the information independent and unbiased? Who does this project serve? What is the return on investment as it relates to the entire population? By starting this project, are we limiting our ability to invest in or develop alternative options? Is this a project on which we might be able to create multi-level jurisdictional or even private partnerships? Does this project meet our standards for social and environmental justice? Does this project meet our standards of diversity, equity, and inclusion? Have we heard all the feedback and input from a truly informed community? The answers to questions like this are not complicated nor should finding answers be excessively time-consuming. Only when the answers to all of these (and more) questions are received and positive, can we proceed.

Community Question Featured local question

What do you think about the city's environmental health? Would you make any changes to current policy?

This city has a long history of environmentally unjust policies and as a representative of the most polluted area of the city, I would make a lot of changes. Ward 9 residents suffer from the largest rate of asthma and lead poisoning in our state. This isn't an accident. This is the result of decades of purposeful policy that has resulted in our area being declared a green zone. Yet, despite that declaration, our city. Still, to this day, our city govt. insists on developing, proposing and implementing environmentally unsound and unfriendly policies that disproportionately affect Ward 9 residents. The failure of our city govt. to enthusiastically support the East Phillips Urban Farm Initiative is just 1 example. I would immediately advocate for our new city council to move forward with this project with the full support of the city.

Community Question Featured local question

What role do you feel police should play in Minneapolis? What are your thoughts on the city council’s proposed changes to the Minneapolis Police Department?

Minneapolis has always needed and will continue to need an effective police department. What we need is more police accountability and a city govt. that supports empowering our police dept. with the authority to discipline and terminate officers for cause. Our current city council and their dangerous messaging of "abolish", "dismantle" and "defund"-ing the police are precisely what caused hundreds of police officers to leave the force. We don't need any undisciplined and irresponsible political grandstanders that prefer to advocate an extremist agenda, even if it means endangering our residents and communities. Especially those communities who are most chronically adversely affected by high crime and violence.

I believe that a responsible and professional city council might be able to craft meaningful and significant reforms that allow our police department to enter a new era of cooperative collaboration with a city and community that needs and respects each other.

Community Question Featured local question

What would you like Minneapolis' public safety system to look like by the end of your term? What would you do to accomplish your vision of public safety?

Please bear in mind that this particular city council term is only 2 years long, instead of the typical 4 years. Nevertheless, we are missing almost 300 police officers from our previous levels, and more than 500 from levels that independent committee estimates claim are needed for our city. While we can focus on targeting and hiring a more diverse group of potential police officers who are from our community, look like our community and speak the languages of our community, this deficit isn't something we can magically overcome. It will take years to properly reinforce our department, so we have to take other steps in the short-term, that have an effect on our public safety right now.

We need a platform of strategic reforms that will bring our department into line with our new vision of effective actions, and also, community understanding. We need a police department that rebuilds a cooperative partnership with the community they serve, including hiring local community members who reflect our communities and speak our languages, including more minority, female, and immigrant officers. We need a community policing effort that puts police into neighborhoods at the ground level so that people can get to know and understand each other more intimately.

Additionally, we can incorporate private security firms that focus on particular and specific areas of high concern. This has already proven effective in several "hotspots". We need policies that work to help create a better department, not reinforce bad characteristics. So our chief needs the authority to terminate and discipline problem officers. We need a body camera policy, that includes oversight and follow-up, that is both effective and also unbreakable. We need policies that help control the physical interactions the police have with people so that we have less opportunity for problems, both perceived and real. Better policies will automatically limit and eliminate the potential for problematic interactions. Just as ending the practice of traffic stops can reduce or eliminate racial profiling and dangerous police chases that are the direct reaction of fleeing the police.

There are a number of simple, intelligent, and strategic reforms and restructures that we can introduce right away that will go a long way towards helping our community regain trust and appreciation for the work that police officers do. 1.) Re-open old cases of police use of excessive force. 2.) engage our youth in employment opportunities related to cleaning up the city, both repainting property that has been targeted by graffiti, as well as the broken glass/dirty needle problem that plagues many neighborhood streets and alleyways. 3.) Redeploy the foot patrol units that had p[previously seen real success in creating an interactive environment with the public.

I believe that in less than 2 years we can 1.) hire a minimum of an additional 100 officers, with a strong focus on women, minorities, and multiple language speakers. 2.) re-open several police substations. 3.) employ many more portable police cameras as well as fixed CCTV units with increased monitoring. 4) coordinate better and more comprehensive responses and a more appropriate delegation of resources by working collectively with Hennepin County and their mental health units. 5.) Pass a comprehensive reform package that includes but is not limited to the expansion of community oversight and also the elimination of problematic procedures that lead to excessive force interactions.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Many city council members try to sit on every committee possible. I have a different approach. Based on a fair analysis of my personal experience and passions, I will sit on just 3 types of committees. There are multiple committees in these areas, but they can be broken down into just 3 general areas. 1.) Economic Development and Planning. 2.) Civil Rights, Justice and Equity. 3.) Environment, Climate and Green Energy. It is within these 3 areas that I plan to focus my attention and effort for the 9th Ward. Naturally, there are many areas of public policy that are critically important to both myself and the residents of the 9th Ward, but I'm not afraid to admit that I am not a homelessness or a housing expert. As much as I recognize the desperate need for more police and a focus on public safety, and that opinion is shared by the vast majority of the residents of Ward 9, I myself am not a policing expert. I think it's important to point out that although I can effectively advocate for the needs of our ward, but involving myself at the policy level is not the most effective use of my time or energy. It is my true hope and belief that our city is best served by allowing experts to do the expert work that we need to craft and implement the best policies that our city needs to move us forward. I will work and focus on building the relationship and partnership between city hall and the Ward so that everyone feels heard and believes they have a seat at the table.

What qualities does this office possess that makes it a unique and important part of the state government and legal system?

In Minneapolis, we do not use the boundaries of "Wards" for anything. They do not determine how we spend money, where our kids g to school, what businesses we access, where we shop, who we connect with or how our transit is system is designed. We don't ask each other, "what Ward do you live in?", in fact, the majority of us do not know what Ward WE live in, or at least, what our own Ward boundaries even are. Wards are, in plain fact, the most useless and meaningless physical designation our municipality utilizes. The plain and factual truth is that the only time we hear or use the term "Ward" is when we have a municipal election and we have to figure out what council member we have, and who we want to vote for.

To me, this is what makes our city council system a unique opportunity to create something much more meaningful than what we have done in the past. It is a chance to forge out a special space of importance and significance for our city. A unique set of neighborhoods where 1 person can decide how they want to organize and administer their office. There really aren't many rules or regulations about Wards because, as we said, they aren't used for anything outside of determining city council seats and memberships. So, that means, it's essentially virgin territory, where a person can create their own structure of impact and influence.

This is partly why I plan to do something that no one has done. Open a functional local Ward office where residents can come to access city, county, state or federal resources, right here, in our own community, with no appointment necessary. A fully-staffed location, open every day, where community members who look like us, and speak our languages can assist residents and business owners gather information, or fill out forms to access the programs and services they need to improve their lives, start a business, obtain healthcare, find rental housing, learn about opportunities and connect with local organizations.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I have always described myself as a lifelong pragmatic, progressive Democrat. However, I also consider myself to be nonpartisan, unbiased and extremely practical. I think these are the most important qualities I possess that will aid me in the position I seek. As a city council member, you must not only work with 12 other council members, and a mayor, you must also represent an entire Ward of unique residents, business owners and other interested and associated parties. Ward 9 has large business entities like Target, Cub Foods, Children's and Abbott hospitals, the Global Market building. We also have a plethora of nonprofits and organizations working within our Ward to service their own missions and goals. It will take balance and perspective to approach all the critical issues we face here with a uniformed mentality. As a professional business leader for 3 decades, I have the rel world experience to handle all issues and circumstances with a steady and calm demeanor. I understand ethical practicality and the common sense judgment of a disciplined executive. The same skills that allowed me to navigate a successful business through multiple generations of clientele, locations, and technologies, will serve me well as a city council member dealing with peers, staff and govt. leadership.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

As a Ward representative, I believe that each city council member is tasked with 4 basic ideals. 1.) Being an accessible, accountable and transparent conduit between city govt. and the residents and business owners they serve. Making sure that everyone, voter, and on-voter alike, is given all the necessary information in a fair and deliberate manner so that people can have the highest level of understanding about every issue. 2.) Working with people to comprehend the issues that we face. We cannot just post information. We must also fairly and articulately interpret that information. Much of what city govt. crafts is complex and purposefully convoluted. So we must also serve as translators, in both a real and figurative sense. Making crystal clear what our various policies and procedures really say and do. 3.) We must always do that due diligence to determine how people feel about issues and policies, taking the necessary time to listen, survey, and poll people about what they want, whether or not they agree, what they're hoping to accomplish, and how accurately you, as the city council member, are truly understanding their issues and concerns. 4.) Appropriately and responsibly representing the attitudes and feelings of your Ward (again, not just the people who vote, or the people who vote for you, but rather, your entire population) to the city govt. and council.

I firmly and steadfastly believe that City Council members do not and should not represent themselves, or the ideas that in which they believe, but rather, the they should solely represent the interests of the people they serve. This means, from time to time, they may be forced to vote for, or advocate for a position with which they do not agree. I believe that this core principle is both at the heart of the responsibility of a city council member, and also why our city residents and voters are so discouraged by the performance of our city govt.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

As the son of a single mom, non-school days were always a complication. This also meant I would go to a string of different Summer camps from soon after the school year ended, to right before it started again. Boys Club, Big Brothers, Boy Scouts, YMCA, Pillsbury House, and others, all had Summer camp sessions typically lasting between 10-14 days each. All Summer long I would go to one after another, so that my mother would be free to work and attend school. All of these camps ended at age 13, which meant that when I turned 14, I would be eligible to actually work at a camp. Which I did. At age 14, I became a Counselor-in-Training at the Boy's Club Camp in Mound Minnesota. I received $300 for each 10-day session (there were 5 throughout the Summer) but more importantly, it provided housing and food for the duration of the Summer. As one of the most experienced staff members, (having attended that particular camp for each of the previous 7 years) I was a valuable and competent assistant. Many of the counselors had never been there before, didn't know all the practices, traditions, and protocols, or didn't possess the requisite skills required to teach or train the campers. (horse riding, archery, canoeing, fishing, swimming, and many others...) Although the experience was, by its nature, short-lived, it was an extremely rewarding opportunity and set a stage for me to develop a work ethic that would stay with me. Working with others, training and teaching young people, taking orders as a low-level employee and operating outside of my own home for an extended period of time are all useful skills that, at age 14, served me well as I worked to secure more and better employment opportunities throughout my youth. It also instilled in me a closer understanding and value of our inner-city programs and services that provide our most at-risk youth a meaningful and uplifting alternative to the normal and complicated difficulties they face.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for holders of this office to have previous experience in government or politics?

My favorite book is probably still The Souls Of Black Folks. It's been my favorite for almost 35 years. As some people know, it was the tragic and horrific murder of George Floyd that compelled me to enter politics last Summer. On the day it happened, there was a quote by W.E.B. DuBois that immediately rang through my head on that day...

"Daily the Negro is coming more and more to look upon law and justice, not as protecting safeguards, but as sources of humiliation and oppression. The laws are made by men who have little interest in him; they are executed by men who have absolutely no motive for treating the black people with courtesy or consideration; and, finally, the accused law-breaker is tried, not by his peers, but too often by men who would rather punish ten innocent Negroes than let one guilty one escape.”

The morning after George Floyd was killed, I was in the Secretary of State's office registering as a candidate for U.S. Congress.

I believe that previous experience of any type can be both beneficial or detrimental. What matters most is the character of the person and the motivation behind why they are seeking public office. there are positive and righteous motivations, like doing good and wanting to help people. If a person has previous experience that has led them to feel compelled to be guided by these positive motives, then those experiences will undoubtedly be useful in assisting them achieve their goals.

However, if a person is motivated by other reasons, greed, power, the fulfillment of their own personal political ambitions. Then their own personal experiences, be they in govt. politics, or any other field, will certainly be employed in a cause for concern and negative outcomes. we see examples of both all the time.

The bottom line is, whatever a person's background, be it in business, politics, or philanthropy, what will determine their effectiveness will be their own personal character and the motivations behind why they are seeking to become a public servant. For myself, I can state without any equivocation that I am motivated solely by my love for this city, this community and my desire to see people receive the same opportunities to fulfill their highest possible potential in life. We cannot control outside forces or circumstances beyond our control. But, as leaders, we have an obligation to manage the circumstances that are within our control to the best of our ability in a fair, transparent and accountable manner. That's what I seek to accomplish as the next city council member in the 9th Ward of Minneapolis.

What kind of skills or expertise do you believe would be the most helpful for the holders of this office to possess?

I want to start out by explaining that I have been a business owner for over 30 years. This means I understand how to take an idea and turn it into a functional and successful reality. This involves not just understanding how every component must work together, but also, having the comprehensive ability and coordination to amass experts and delegate authority to people to accomplish shared goals. A business owner must take the personal responsibility of investing in the idea of something, and then making it work, not just for themself, but for the people who rely on those products or services, as well as the individual employees and staff members who are relying upon the overall success of the operation to provide them with gainful employment. It comes with a lot of responsibility, stress, and risk. Most businesses fail. It takes a lot of combinations of factors to make businesses succeed, and possessing the strength of will to not only have a successful business but to remain successful over the course of several decades, while also battling against the State agencies and departments that are trying to prevent your success, is a truly remarkable accomplishment.

Now, being a successful city council member takes having a lot of real-world experience, like traveling around the world, living in a foreign country, having a family, and owning a home. It's useful to already have a lot of experience being in charge of other people and working with large groups of staff. Working well with peers and others especially people with whom you do not always agree. You need to be book smart and able to think on your feet. You need to be extremely articulate in advocating not only for those issues you care about but also those issues about which you are fighting on someone else's behalf. Most of all you have to be prepared to accept that you are representing the needs and desires of others, not yourself, and your personal feelings may not always be a priority.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Note: Community Questions were submitted by the public and chosen for inclusion by a volunteer advisory board. The chosen questions were modified by staff to adhere to Ballotpedia’s neutrality standards. To learn more about Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection Expansion Project, click here.

Brenda Short

Short's campaign website

Click here to view an archived version of Short's campaign website.

Ward 10

Candidates and election results

General election

General election for Minneapolis City Council Ward 10

Select round:

The ranked-choice voting election was won by Aisha Chughtai in round 3 . The results of Round are displayed below. To see the results of other rounds, use the dropdown menu above to select a round and the table will update.

	Candidate	%	Total Votes	Transfer	Round eliminated
Submit photo	Aisha Chughtai	36.9	3,934	0	Won (3)
	Alicia Gibson	18.8	1,999	0	3
	Katie Jones	19.6	2,086	0	2
Submit photo	Chris Parsons	15.1	1,610	0	1
	David Wheeler	5.9	625	0	1
Submit photo	Ubah Nur	3.5	374	0	1
	Undeclared Write-insUndeclared write-in candidates may advance past the first round in some ranked-choice elections. If the official source reports write-in votes by candidate name, Ballotpedia displays them alongside the ballot-qualified candidates. However, if write-in votes are reported without a name, they will instead be included in the total write-in votes figure in Round 1. Please consult the official elections source for more details about unnamed write-in candidate vote totals past Round 1.	0.3	31	0

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 10,659
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

Candidate profiles

This section includes candidate profiles created in one of two ways: either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, or Ballotpedia staff compiled a profile based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements after identifying the candidate as noteworthy.^[36]

Alicia Gibson

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Submitted Biography: "I am running TO EMPOWER those of us who live and work here to become active agents of positive change in the city decisions that impact our lives. TO SERVE this place I love with my unique set of skills and experiences in conflict resolution, law, education, and community advocacy as we co-create a city where we live together in peace and with justice. TO STRENGTHEN grassroots democracy by disarming divisive political rhetoric with joy, compassion, and competence. I have lived in Ward 10 for eleven years as a renter, a homeowner, a student, and a mom."

Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

Restorative Justice -- There are 2 truths: we need police and we need real policing reform to restore the dignity of all.

Economic Justice -- Let's rebuild with a focus on equity: we have an opportunity to undo generations of harm and build back better.

Environmental Justice -- Climate change is an existential threat: we must all become agents of change.

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Minneapolis City Council Ward 10 in 2021.

Katie Jones

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Submitted Biography: "I’m an engineer, a climate advocate, and a community builder. I’ve served as President of the Lowry Hill East Neighborhood Association Board, a member of the Minneapolis Parks Community Advisory Committee, as part of Minneapolis’ Capital Long Range Improvement Committee, and on the Minnesota Department of Transportation’s Sustainable Transit Board. I like to consider myself a local government nerd. I worked within City Hall for years and in my current day job, I work with cities around the state developing and implementing policies and programs that help achieve their climate goals. As an engineer, I’m a pragmatist. My job is to take on tough problems on a daily basis and in the City of Minneapolis we are facing many tough problems. From housing to public safety to sustainability and climate change, our community is grappling with how to provide the best possible solutions to these complex problems. As a member of the City Council, I want to work with you to build a Minneapolis that is more just, connected, and sustainable."

Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

Sustainability - I am committed to expanding organics recycling to all renters, updating the City’s Climate Action Plan, and investing in green entrepreneurship — especially in BIPOC communities.

Public Safety - I am committed to implementing a Department of Public Safety which delivers mental health and substance use resources and prioritizes violence intervention.

Renter Protection - I am committed to focusing public money on deeply affordable housing, promoting rent stabilization, and building new, family-sized homes.

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Minneapolis City Council Ward 10 in 2021.

David Wheeler

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Submitted Biography: "My family motto was "Service is the rent you pay for the space your occupy." As a pastor, non-profit executive, assistant store manager, and public servant for nearly 16 years, I have lived up to that motto. An exchange student in India, spending a Junior Year abroad in London during college, and having worked for two years in Athen Greece for YMCA, and have broad experience and exposure that has made my uniquely qualified to serve. I look forward to continuing to make a difference in our community and world. "

Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

Return reponsible leadership and good governance to the City Council

Transform the MPD; increase public safety; NO to defunding

Economic redevelopment; revitalize small businesses; create good-paying jobs

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Minneapolis City Council Ward 10 in 2021.

Campaign finance

Campaign themes

See also: Campaign themes

Aisha Chughtai

Chughtai's campaign website

Click here to view an archived version of Chughtai's campaign website.

Alicia Gibson

Gibson's campaign website

Click here to view an archived version of Gibson's campaign website.

Ballotpedia survey responses

Alicia Gibson completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2021. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Gibson's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

I am running TO EMPOWER those of us who live and work here to become active agents of positive change in the city decisions that impact our lives. TO SERVE this place I love with my unique set of skills and experiences in conflict resolution, law, education, and community advocacy as we co-create a city where we live together in peace and with justice. TO STRENGTHEN grassroots democracy by disarming divisive political rhetoric with joy, compassion, and competence. I have lived in Ward 10 for eleven years as a renter, a homeowner, a student, and a mom.

Restorative Justice -- There are 2 truths: we need police and we need real policing reform to restore the dignity of all.
Economic Justice -- Let's rebuild with a focus on equity: we have an opportunity to undo generations of harm and build back better.
Environmental Justice -- Climate change is an existential threat: we must all become agents of change.

Community Question Featured local question

How would you balance the needs and desires of existing business and housing communities with new development? Would you take gentrification and displacement into consideration when planning neighborhood development?

Gentrification and displacement would be at the center of my considerations in neighborhood planning. We need an economically sustainable level of growth of new buildings to ensure affordability over time (slow and steady growth instead of housing spikes), and we need to remove the barriers that keep us from transitioning currently existing buildings into new uses / housing in order to keep up with that sustainable growth of new housing units.

Community Question Featured local question

Please list the criteria you would use to evaluate which projects are worth maintaining or starting in Minneapolis when it comes to public infrastructure.

Public infrastructure that addresses a community need, and that includes those most impacted in its design processes from start to finish are the kinds of projects I support and will champion.

Community Question Featured local question

What do you think about the city's environmental health? Would you make any changes to current policy?

We have many environmental policies that are not adequately followed--we have policies regarding stormwater runoff and green spaces on developments, but these are often ignored when granting development variances. Related to this, our policies need to be more environmental holistic -- there are many competing interests even inside environmental sustainability and too often in our city the needs of the urban natural ecosystem itself is left aside. This is the replication of mindsets of domination. Another replication of a mindset of domination is the all too common practice of not including those most impacted as partners in the creation of projects and plans meant to address environmental goals. This means practically speaking, wasting money on projects that don't meet community needs so they will be underutilized or cause unintended negative consequences. Ethically speaking, it means those who have always been left out continue to be left out.

Community Question Featured local question

What role do you feel police should play in Minneapolis? What are your thoughts on the city council’s proposed changes to the Minneapolis Police Department?

There is nothing progressive about privatizing public security, which is what happens in the absence of an adequately functioning police force--people arm themselves and turn to vigilante justice, and businesses hire private security to ensure the safety of their patrons. We do not want a multitude of armed people taking it upon themselves, or being forced to take it upon themselves, to maintain their personal security. The role of our police is to relieve the average citizen of the need to own or carry a gun in order to protect themselves from crime, and it is the role of the police to enforce the laws that enable all of our other city services, commerce, and general well being to flourish.

The proposed changes in Amendment 2 are chaotic and divisive. They are chaotic because there is not a plan for what a Public Safety Department would look like or do, and a sate law requires the amendment to be implemented in 30 days. Currently that would mean implementation without a plan, or even a known plan for a plan. It is divisive because it was made without citywide engagement and input from all of our diverse communities. We need to first follow the law passed by City Council in the summer of 2020 (and ignored) to hold citywide conversations on policing and public safety to discern what the aim of system change would be, what kinds of changes there is consensus around, and then develop a concrete plan from there.

Community Question Featured local question

What would you like Minneapolis' public safety system to look like by the end of your term? What would you do to accomplish your vision of public safety?

I would like for our public safety system to include enough officers to not only respond to our crisis calls with the response times that keep us safe, but that also allow for community relationship-building, and constant training on the multitude of complex issues that officers encounter everyday. I would like for our public safety system to be more holistic with collaborative partnerships with police officers, mental health and drug addiction specialists, as well as cultural organizations. I would like for our public safety system to have much better accountability systems that do not tolerate abuse of power. And I would like for our public safety system to take the oath of service written by Chief Arradondo seriously by creating restorative justice pathways to help our officers stay committed to his vision of service guided by compassion and a respect for the dignity of all.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I lived in South Africa in the 1990s to learn about the truth and reconciliation commissions and trained in international peace and conflict resolution. Most recently I have trained in restorative justice facilitation. The through line between these two parts of my life is a passionate belief that we must learn to heal community trauma and rebuild institutions to stop harm. This is why real police reform -- not defunding or abolishing police -- will be a top priority. Another priority is to mobilize mass action on climate change with a Community Climate Corps, and as a continuation of my training in environmental law take seriously our responsibilities to serve as stewards of our urban natural environment through development policy. Finally, our small businesses are at the heart of our community -- they are those "third spaces" that unite us and connect us beyond our differences. As someone who has owned a small retail business and started a small business association, protecting, supporting, and growing our small business sector will also be a priority. Finally, we are in an affordable housing crisis and need innovative / regional / collaborative solutions, as well as a focus on closing the racial homeownership gap that is a foundational gap anchoring all the others.

What qualities does this office possess that makes it a unique and important part of the state government and legal system?

City council member is the first level of representative democracy, the one closest to the communities and neighborhoods, and thus vital in determining what kind of democracy we have. Will it be an empowering form of democracy where people have meaningful input into government functions that directly impact them? Or will it be a democracy where decisions are made by others with engagement coming every few years in the form of a ballot?

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

My modern day heroes are Nelson Mandela, Ruth Bader Ginsberg, and Elizabeth Warren -- these are three people, trained as lawyers, who transform radical social critique into creative reform.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

I would recommend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's book, "Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community."

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Honesty, transparency, compassion, and competency are the most important characteristics for elected office. I would combine this with a belief in the principles of integrity, equality, and cooperation.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I genuinely enjoy and like people, feel compelled to help solve problems, can analyze a situation from many different angles and disciplinary fields, and innovate within practical perimeters to find creative ways forward. I want to put particular emphasis on the first of these qualities because serving in public office is hard. An elected representative hears from people in anger and pain. I believe the best representatives stay centered in that storm by staying compassionate, and by finding ways to connect to people even when they disagree.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

The core responsibilities for someone elected to city council is to be constantly present in the communities you serve, responsive to questions and concerns, and to be always working towards practical solutions to meet those needs. It is then the responsibility of a council member to be open and innovative, as well as collaborative in order to create the consensus needed to not only push the solution through but to do so in a way that unifies rather than divides the electorate. It is the responsibility of a council member to prove oversight into the city departments to ensure that the laws and policies in place are followed, and that our city's essential services are being met. Finally, it is the responsibility of a council member to serve as a positive role model for compassion and good faith, as well as tenacity in hard times so that members of the community can move forward together rather than splinter apart.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

When I leave office I would like our ward and city to have engagement and input processes they trust because they are included earlier, more often, and more meaningfully in the city projects and policies that impact their lives. This lack of meaningful impact is currently felt across the board from policing to road reconstruction and will require a paradigm shift at City Hall that centers community.

The first historical event that directly impacted me was the bombing of the federal building in Oklahoma City my senior year in high school. I lived 20 miles south of the state capitol where so many in our community commuted. Our classmate's father was a federal judge who was killed in the bombing. That was an intense moment of communal suffering and grief. For weeks and weeks you would just find people crying, and it would be okay to put an arm around them or put a hand on a shoulder. There was something very powerful and unifying about grieving together, and in a way it was hard for us to move on because as we moved on we had to let go of the intensity of that bond too.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

My first job was helping to care for my sisters in my single-parent home. I was in charge of picking up and dropping off at school, as well as many overnight "shifts" of preparing dinner, helping with homework, and putting them to bed. My first paid job was at restaurant, which I had for a short six months until my father overheard our stories of sexual harassment by an older male trainer, and said his 16-year-old daughter was never going back there (while he also worked to have that person fired).

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

This is an impossible question -- I have favorite books for different moments in my life. The two that come to mind right now are "Life After Life" by Kate Atkinson and "Deacon King Kong" by James McBride. How did Atkinson create this novel that includes a series of starts and stops by the same character and do so in a way that kept the thread? I have always been fascinated by the idea of "what if" and was affected by the depth of insight into the essential questions of what it means to be human. Similarly, I was completely dumbfounded by how McBride could create this novel that is a perfect balance of comedy, tragedy, and beauty. I have never encountered a narrative that captured the complexity of community, especially in the American context, in such a profound and true way.

I suppose if I could be any fictional character I would be Agatha Christie's Miss Marple who is constantly traveling to interesting places, is universally trusted and liked, and never gets bested.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

"Try Anything" by Shakira. It's one of my family's favorite dance party songs and we were just moving our bodies to it the other day.

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

The American work life is very imbalanced and makes it hard -- especially for women -- to be present and care for their children, elderly loved ones, and partners without sacrificing career achievement or sanity. My chosen career -- higher education -- has been defunded to the point that full-time positions are hard to come by without an extraordinary amount of sacrifice. I have no regrets in my choice to step away from that in order to put my family and emotional well being first but stepping off the achievement wheel was more difficult than anticipated and can only be described as a kind of grief. Learning to value myself outside achievement was a real struggle for me -- but has made me more resilient, more confident, and more compassionate.

Are there any little-known powers or responsibilities held by this office that you believe more people should be aware of?

In our current system little is known about who and how our city departments are actually managed since this power is shared by the mayor. In fact, people assume the mayor has more control over things even like policing than he does when the most powerful city body is likely the executive council: one mayor, and four city council members who create the city's strategic plans for each department as well as have authority over the negotiations with our public unions. Another power that has been overlooked is a Council member's ability to appoint members to carious commissions and long-range planning committees. I would like for there to be much more transparency about these positions and appointments, as well as more clarity about their roles and powers.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for holders of this office to have previous experience in government or politics?

No. I believe it is beneficial for holders of this office to have relevant skills to governing -- collaboration, legal analysis, communication, accountability, responsiveness, and consensus-building. I also think it is beneficial for office holders to have had meaningful and sustained active participation in their communities and neighborhoods.

What kind of skills or expertise do you believe would be the most helpful for the holders of this office to possess?

See previous answer.

I'm horrible at jokes.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Note: Community Questions were submitted by the public and chosen for inclusion by a volunteer advisory board. The chosen questions were modified by staff to adhere to Ballotpedia’s neutrality standards. To learn more about Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection Expansion Project, click here.

Katie Jones

Jones' campaign website

Click here to view an archived version of Jones' campaign website.

Katie Jones completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2021. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Jones' responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

I’m an engineer, a climate advocate, and a community builder. I’ve served as President of the Lowry Hill East Neighborhood Association Board, a member of the Minneapolis Parks Community Advisory Committee, as part of Minneapolis’ Capital Long Range Improvement Committee, and on the Minnesota Department of Transportation’s Sustainable Transit Board. I like to consider myself a local government nerd.

I worked within City Hall for years and in my current day job, I work with cities around the state developing and implementing policies and programs that help achieve their climate goals. As an engineer, I’m a pragmatist. My job is to take on tough problems on a daily basis and in the City of Minneapolis we are facing many tough problems. From housing to public safety to sustainability and climate change, our community is grappling with how to provide the best possible solutions to these complex problems.

As a member of the City Council, I want to work with you to build a Minneapolis that is more just, connected, and sustainable.

Sustainability - I am committed to expanding organics recycling to all renters, updating the City’s Climate Action Plan, and investing in green entrepreneurship — especially in BIPOC communities.
Public Safety - I am committed to implementing a Department of Public Safety which delivers mental health and substance use resources and prioritizes violence intervention.
Renter Protection - I am committed to focusing public money on deeply affordable housing, promoting rent stabilization, and building new, family-sized homes.

Community Question Featured local question

How would you balance the needs and desires of existing business and housing communities with new development? Would you take gentrification and displacement into consideration when planning neighborhood development?

Communities should never be forced to decide between better transit, more density, and affordable housing. That's why projects which bring new development to neighborhoods must take gentrifications and displacement into consideration.

Policies that help keep people in their homes like rent stabilization and the Tenant Opportunity To Purchase (TOPA) Act, must be implemented alongside policies which make it easier to build new and different types of housing like boarding house rooms, senior living, ADUs, cooperatives, and triplexes. To ensure that current businesses, especially BIPOC and women-owned businesses, aren’t also being priced out of the community, I support the development of commercial community land trusts to keep commercial space perpetually affordable. In Ward 10, there is a current pilot project testing how to best operationalize community land trusts in commercial spaces, and I aim to take lessons learned and scale the program to areas throughout Minneapolis.

Community Question Featured local question

Please list the criteria you would use to evaluate which projects are worth maintaining or starting in Minneapolis when it comes to public infrastructure.

As an engineer, I believe in people-centered design and that any new public infrastructure project must make it easier for people to live in our city.

Our roads are currently almost entirely car focused and that needs to change. As a part of the grassroots advocacy group Hennepin for People, I have helped organize direct action events, built a coalition of neighbors, businesses, and elected officials, and pushed City planners to follow the Transportation Action Plan and adopt a design with dedicated bus and protected bike lanes. Hennepin needs to be the example by which future city road projects are measured. Improving our street design to be people centric is good for all users and good for business. Data from cities around the world and in climates similar to ours shows that business improves with increased access by various modes. Solely focusing our roads on cars or any piece of infrastructure on a single group of people does not serve our entire city and should not be accepted.

Community Question Featured local question

What do you think about the city's environmental health? Would you make any changes to current policy?

Currently, low-income and BIPOC residents in Minneapolis are being forced to shoulder a disproportionate burden of poor environmental health. Regardless of race or income, we deserve city systems that support the most basic needs of people – clean air, water, and a stable climate.

Over the past decade, I’ve worked extensively on clean energy in cities around the state, including Minneapolis, having developed and implemented multiple energy disclosure, energy audit, and sustainable building policies in the Metro. While working in the Sustainability Office in City Hall, I calculated the City’s greenhouse gas inventory and know that our focus must be on decarbonizing the 100,000 buildings in our city and our transportation system. Leveraging the utility franchise fees, we can incentivize beneficial electrification of buildings, reduce natural gas use, and direct funds to the Green Cost Share, which provides energy efficiency grants to businesses with enhanced incentives for those in Green Zones. None of this can happen without increasing skilled clean energy workers. We must join local educational partners to attract and train new electricians, HVAC technicians, insulators, and solar installers, especially focusing job pipelines and fostering entrepreneurship in BIPOC communities.

The City may not have direct control over all climate solutions, but we hold important influence. For example, we must continue to push with partner cities for stronger State energy codes, and we must withhold municipal consent for any new MNDOT and County projects that do not fit our climate goals.

Community Question Featured local question

What role do you feel police should play in Minneapolis? What are your thoughts on the city council’s proposed changes to the Minneapolis Police Department?

From what I’ve heard in my conversations with neighbors around Ward 10, one thing is abundantly clear — our current public safety system is not working, which is why I am voting yes on City Question 2 - Department of Public Safety. Our system has racially unjust outcomes, is not designed to tackle the holistic nature of community safety, and is attempting to use police officers as the sole tool. Creating better safety outcomes and a system which can reduce the need for police but still employ them for dangerous emergency situations requires Minneapolis to expand the toolbox, include the use prevention models, and begin developing unarmed, community-based responses to public safety. Expanding what’s possible is a key promise I am making to the residents of Ward 10, and a core reason I am running for office. Conventional wisdom tells us a lot of things aren’t possible or shouldn’t be tried, even when evidence suggests otherwise. We know from models in other cities that utilizing different yet appropriate professional responders for mental health, substance abuse, property crime, and homelessness can improve outcomes.

Community Question Featured local question

What would you like Minneapolis' public safety system to look like by the end of your term? What would you do to accomplish your vision of public safety?

I envision a public safety system in Minneapolis that is rooted in public health, racial justice, and prevention. A system that not only meets everyone’s basic needs -- housing, clean air, safe streets, employment opportunities -- but renders aid and justice in a way that is restorative to the community. As an engineer, my aim is a system that relies on evidenced-based intervention strategies to address the root causes of violence in our community.

For too long we’ve seen armed police response as the first and only tool to address public safety. As the famous urban journalist, Jane Jacobs, stressed: community safety is supported by having eyes on the street. However, that does not have to come with weapons and should provide resources to proactively meet people’s needs. We need unarmed patrols, which are trained first responders to walk neighborhoods, be a friendly face to business owners and residents, provide resources to those experiencing homelessness, and call in additional responders when needed. Creating such a force that is under the level of police would circumvent the State’s prohibition on residency requirements and allow us to enhance our public safety system with staff from local neighborhoods. Just as Ben Franklin founded the country’s first firefighting brigade and the Freedom House Ambulance Service created the country’s first paramedics in the 1960s, it’s once again time to innovate in the public safety field and create prevention-focused community safety specialists.

Creating the public safety system we want will take inclusive conversations and innovation. We must come together as a city, engage with our neighbors, and elevate the voices of those whose lives are most impacted. Pursuing upstream solutions to crime prevention through investments in housing and economic development will go a long way towards making Minneapolis a safe place to live, work and thrive for every resident.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Being passionate about creating a 15-minute city has made me passionate about all areas of local policy from zoning to transportation, affordable housing, and public safety.

A 15-minute city is one where all residents can access their everyday destinations within a 15 minute walk, bike, roll, or transit ride. When I talk with neighbors, they love the walkability, bikeability, and transit options in Ward 10 and want to see that be even better. They’re also worried about speeding vehicles on streets with children and about how to efficiently travel around without harming the planet

The City can pull two levers to make this a reality: zoning authority and public right of way jurisdiction. With the first, the City can encourage complete neighborhoods - ones with grocery stores, pharmacies, and daycare centers among other necessities. And with the second, the City can build complete streets by improving pedestrian access, expanding bike infrastructure, partnering with MetroTransit to build out our bus rapid transit system, and using our lever of municipal consent to encourage MNDOT to add dedicated transit as part of the Re-Thinking I-94 project.

As someone who uses all modes to get around and who is a member MnDOTs Sustainable Transportation Advisory Council, I understand both what it is like on the street and the complex planning system that underpins our current transportation.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Note: Community Questions were submitted by the public and chosen for inclusion by a volunteer advisory board. The chosen questions were modified by staff to adhere to Ballotpedia’s neutrality standards. To learn more about Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection Expansion Project, click here.

Ubah Nur

Nur's campaign website

Click here to view an archived version of Nur's campaign website.

Chris Parsons

Parsons' campaign website

Click here to view an archived version of Parsons' campaign website.

David Wheeler

Wheeler's campaign website

Click here to view an archived version of Wheeler's campaign website.

Ballotpedia survey responses

David Wheeler completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2021. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Wheeler's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

My family motto was "Service is the rent you pay for the space your occupy." As a pastor, non-profit executive, assistant store manager, and public servant for nearly 16 years, I have lived up to that motto. An exchange student in India, spending a Junior Year abroad in London during college, and having worked for two years in Athen Greece for YMCA, and have broad experience and exposure that has made my uniquely qualified to serve. I look forward to continuing to make a difference in our community and world.

Return reponsible leadership and good governance to the City Council
Transform the MPD; increase public safety; NO to defunding
Economic redevelopment; revitalize small businesses; create good-paying jobs

Community Question Featured local question

How would you balance the needs and desires of existing business and housing communities with new development? Would you take gentrification and displacement into consideration when planning neighborhood development?

The key is start the development process with neighborhoods - it has to be a ground up approach, not the top down practice of recent years. Good listening and process takes time. We do not need the dislocation that often happens low income communities. Also variances in development project should be the exception, not the rule.

Community Question Featured local question

Please list the criteria you would use to evaluate which projects are worth maintaining or starting in Minneapolis when it comes to public infrastructure.

Criteria should include maximum impact of residents, especially in communities of color and other undeserved communities.

Community Question Featured local question

What do you think about the city's environmental health? Would you make any changes to current policy?

More green initiatives and investment in energy conservation for older structures; more trees in all neighborhoods; quickly transition to EV for all transit, city fleet, and police vehicles; EV charging stations throughout the city

Community Question Featured local question

What role do you feel police should play in Minneapolis? What are your thoughts on the city council’s proposed changes to the Minneapolis Police Department?

Police can help to provide personal and public safety, but they are only part of the solution. Neighborhood groups, business associations, non-profits and faith communities are also key players in public safety. My plan for the MPD was answered in the previous question. The Council already has the authority to make these significant changes. The second amendment to the charter is not needed, and appears to be a power grab. I will vote NO and encourage others to do the same. The Council needs to provide leaderships not conflict.

Community Question Featured local question

What would you like Minneapolis' public safety system to look like by the end of your term? What would you do to accomplish your vision of public safety?

Because the first is only a 2-year term, we can make significant beginnings. Mental health, homelessness, and chemical dependency issues should no longer be handled by the police, but using existing and strengthened co-responder models. The city, the county, non-profits, and faith communities all need to be part of this solution. We must recruit diverse classes of new cadet with extensive de-escalation training, to replace the members lost in the past 16 months. No to an warrior training. Police was records of violence and racial incidents need to be disciplined or removed, and that will take a change in state law. Provide incentive for officers to live within the City limits of Minneapolis.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Thoughtful transportation policy in this time of transition; careful financial stewardship; creating affordable housing; climate action and economic justice.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

The writings of Thoreau, Gandhi, and Martin Luther King have always been part of my philosophy.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Compassion, insight, intellectual rigor, the ability to ask thoughtful questions, a good sense of humor (especially about oneself), and strong ethics.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I bring broad life experience and the skill to bring people with differing opinions together, and the ability to build strong healthy relationships with all kinds of people. Having lived, studied, worked, and traveled in a variety of countries I also bring significant cultural competence.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Legislating and offering ordinances that will improve the life of the "polis"; constituent services; and always acting on behalf of the entire city.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

The healing of our city and people - the trauma of George Floyd's murder and the pandemic are a legacy we must deal with!

I remember President Eisenhower - I was 6 years old!

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

The Bible, especially the Old Testament, because it is about real life people who had struggles and failing just like us!

In play I was once "Captain Billy Bones" - great fun!

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

Amazing Grace. However we have season tickets to the MN Orchestra which is a great joy and really enjoyed Elton Johns last live concert in Minneapolis!

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

Overcoming rejection.

Are there any little-known powers or responsibilities held by this office that you believe more people should be aware of?

A Minneapolis City Council member has the ability to work with neighborhood groups, small businesses, service clubs, non-profit, faith communities to strengthen the fabric of the ward. Less time in City Hall meetings, and more time out in the community will improve governance.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for holders of this office to have previous experience in government or politics?

Yes, I believe it is beneficial to have previous experience. I was a part-time City Council Member in Duluth, MN; launched an unsuccessful bid for Mayor of Duluth, and have served 3 - 4 year terms on the Minneapolis Board of Estimate & Taxation, working with 3 mayors many council members, and senior city staff. This has great preparation for this election season!

What kind of skills or expertise do you believe would be the most helpful for the holders of this office to possess?

The skill to real listen, the ability to work with people who have different opinions, and the skill of forging consensus on important issues. You have to have a heart for the people, and the discipline to do the unglamorous work required!

Too many!

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Note: Community Questions were submitted by the public and chosen for inclusion by a volunteer advisory board. The chosen questions were modified by staff to adhere to Ballotpedia’s neutrality standards. To learn more about Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection Expansion Project, click here.

Ward 11

Candidates and election results

General election

General election for Minneapolis City Council Ward 11

The ranked-choice voting election was won by Emily Koski in round 1 .

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 13,354
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

Candidate profiles

This section includes candidate profiles created in one of two ways: either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, or Ballotpedia staff compiled a profile based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements after identifying the candidate as noteworthy.^[37]

Jeremy Schroeder

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: Yes

Political Office:

Minneapolis City Council (Assumed office: 2018)

Submitted Biography: "After spending almost 20 years as a community advocate pushing for human rights, a healthy democracy and homes for all, I first ran for office in 2017 to work alongside my Ward 11 neighbors to make the City work better for them and to ensure their voices were heard at City Hall. I am seeking re-election to continue to represent my district in a way that reflects our community’s values and builds a Minneapolis that works for everybody. I believe every individual is a valuable part of our community, and that we can only solve the complex problems of our time if everyone is empowered to participate freely and effectively. I am passionate about the power of government to be a force for good on issues like affordable housing, public safety and climate action, and look forward to continuing to help guide Minneapolis toward the safer, more equitable future the community deserves and is demanding."

Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

Jeremy is a proven community advocate for all

Jeremy has successfully increased affordable housing, fought climate change and is working to transform public safety into something that keeps us all safe.

Jeremy's 20 years of experience as a community advocate is needed now

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Minneapolis City Council Ward 11 in 2021.

Dillon Gherna

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Submitted Biography: "My name is Dillon Gherna, I moved to Minneapolis when I was 18 years old after coming out to my family and have called this amazing city home for the greater part of 15 years. I was drawn to Minneapolis by the incredible diversity of its people, excellent quality of life, and strong sense of community. But my story doesn’t begin here. I was born and raised in Calumet, a small mining community on Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. I am the proud grandson of a copper miner and great-grandson of dairy farmers. Growing up, my single mother did her best to provide for my four siblings and me. My childhood was trying, but like many in our community, the lessons learned were foundational to my character, and belief in the power of hard work. My blue-collar upbringing and lived experiences as an adult have kept me grounded and fuel me to improve life in Minneapolis for everyone.I have worked hard to prove myself as a dedicated community leader. I currently serve the over 1.2 million residents of Hennepin County, as the Public Initiatives Coordinator within the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office. My most recent efforts have expanded access to safe drug disposal, advanced our role in restorative justice programs, secured grant funding to reduce the economic burden on taxpayers, organized town hall events to engage with the Sheriff, and other important initiatives county-wide. Prior to this work, I have spent my career in leadership and owned a small business."

Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

I believe we need a 21st century approach to public safety — one that is mindful and respectful of everyone involved. Let me be clear, I do not believe defunding or abolishing the police will accomplish this. This type of rhetoric and ill-informed ideology will only continue to drive a divide in the important work ahead of us to reform our police department and public safety system as a whole. The message is clear from residents across this city, we need comprehensive police reform and we need to provide tools to our police department to tackle the violent crime that is plaguing our city.

As leaders in this city, we need to do more than just put words on paper, we need to implement real action and real solutions to tackle our affordable housing challenges, invest in dignified, long-term solutions to the growing and increasingly vulnerable homeless population, as well as balance our approach in the way we grow and develop this city. Everyone deserves a safe, stable, and affordable place to call home.

Listening, creating space, and putting people first has been what I have done my entire life. Our residents in our ward and across this city deserve a leader at city hall, one with heart, compassion, love for our city, and one that will be honest about their intentions. Our residents have spoken loud and clear, they want an individual committed to having conversations, communicating, addressing their needs, working collaboratively together to tackle the challenging obstacles we are faced with. I am that leader.

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Minneapolis City Council Ward 11 in 2021.

Emily Koski

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Submitted Biography: "My name is Emily Koski and I am running to represent you on the Minneapolis City Council. I’m here to listen, to learn, and to work together to build a better future for all of us. I am running for Minneapolis City Council because I believe in this community and I have decided to put my values into action. I am a connector, I am a strategic problem solver, and I bring a balanced approach. Now is the time for us to unite - to work together to build a Minneapolis we are all proud of. It’s time for us to work together to make our communities safe, fight for justice and equity, support our businesses, create affordable housing, and sustain our environment. Our community doesn’t just want a representative on the Minneapolis City Council, we want a voice on the Minneapolis City Council. Our leadership should not be operating in a vacuum. No one person, no one City Council Member, can single handedly solve every challenge, and address every issue that faces our city. Our best chance, our best path forward - is one that brings all of us together. It is my personal goal, as a candidate, and as a City Council Member - to have each member of this community seen and heard. I will continue to immerse myself in our community, engage in open conversations, earn your trust, and bring your voices to the table. My name is Emily Koski and I am running to represent you on the Minneapolis City Council, and I’m asking for your support."

Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

Public Safety: I believe in a both/and approach to reforming our public safety system. I believe we must take a comprehensive approach to reforming our public safety system; and, I believe this comprehensive approach must be a product of deep engagement with our community, inclusive conversations, strategic problem solving, and long-term planning. I believe we must reform our public safety system, by addressing structural and systemic racism, implementing deep structural change, and creating public safety alternatives beyond traditional policing; and, we must continue to perform the core components of our public safety system, which requires adequately staffing and funding the Minneapolis Police Department. I am a strong advocate for develo

Supporting Businesses: I believe the City of Minneapolis should designate a full-time Small Business Liaison within the City Coordinators Office to support locally owned small businesses, educate the small business community on available resources, and work with the small business community to address issues. I also believe the City of Minneapolis should make targeted financial investments into resources for locally owned small businesses, and ease the burden of property taxes, mandates, and other barriers to participate for locally owned small businesses, to create pathways for them to prosper. It’s worth mentioning that the COVID-19 pandemic has had disproportionately negative effects on the BIPOC community, as well as BIPOC, Latinx, Immi

Creating Affordable Housing: The City of Minneapolis is responsible for ensuring that the residents of Minneapolis have access to safe, adequate, affordable housing. I support the significant investments that the Mayor has included in his budgets, especially directing it towards deeply affordable housing, with 30% AMI or below, and towards collaborative work with the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority. Further, I am supportive of the diversification of our housing sector to meet the needs of Minneapolis residents - this must include variation in size, type, affordability, and location of housing. In order to create these opportunities, we will need to find ways to incentivize production for neighborhood organizations, nonprofits, develope

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Minneapolis City Council Ward 11 in 2021.

Albert T. Ross

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Submitted Biography: "Albert Ross has served in leadership positions throughout his entire life. From Descendents of Slaves; Albert was Born and Raised in Greenville, Mississippi and moved to Minneapolis in his teens more than 20 years ago. Albert has four girls ages 7months, 2years, 10years, 11years, and one son who is 14years of age with his wife of 11 years. Albert has worked in the construction industry for over 25years. Today Albert is the CEO, CFO, and COO of a small fast growing construction company. Albert never thought he would be the person running for office to help fight to keep our Minneapolis Police Department from being defunded and dismantled, but yet here he stands ready to lead the fight to reform our Minneapolis Police Department and not defund our Minneapolis Police Department."

Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

I promise I want defund or dismantle our Minneapolis Police Department

It's not enough to go out and buy a George Floyd sign or a Black Lives Matter sign to put in your front yard and think that you have done your part when it comes to Racial Injustice. We as a community have to do more to bridge the gap of racial equality. I am the candidate who will bridge our racial divide.

I promise, I will protect your family, your home, your car, your business, your community. If I am elected to represent ward 11, I promise you can throw away your boards, because you will not have to board up your business if injustice happens in our streets again.

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Minneapolis City Council Ward 11 in 2021.

Kurt Michael Anderson

Do you have a photo that could go here? Click here to submit it for this profile!

Party: Independent

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Submitted Biography: "I am a 36-year Minneapolis Ward 11 resident. Various family members have resided within the city limits continuously since at least 1923. I also have a substantial background in suburban and rural Minnesota.My political resume includes some DFL politics in Bloomington-Richfield (1972-74); Fred Harris campaign (New Hampshire, 1976); national convention alternate for Mondale (1984, representing a rural MN congressional district); State DFL Platform Commission co-chair, 1998-90; SD 62 (Mpls – Richfield) DFL Chair, 1992-94; Ward 11 DFL convention co-convenor, 1993; Treasurer, John Brandl for State Senate, 1986-90; Treasurer, George Dahl for School Board, 1987; Treasurer, Tim Penny for Governor, 2002.I was Parish Council President at the now-closed Church of the Visitation in Minneapolis, in about 1998-90.In approximately 1993 I was invited but declined to join the U.S. Foreign Service. In 1986-92, I provided pro bono legal representation to an unsuccessful asylum applicant, from Haiti.My published online commentaries in MinnPost.com are:One and a half cheers for Ruth Bader GinsburgHow to lessen inequality in a pandemic: a COVID-19 financial amnesty.I filed an amicus brief in the United States Supreme Court, addressing whether the First Amendment mandates property rights in vulgar or offensive expression. Iancu v. Brunetti, No. 18-302,"

Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

Strongly Oppose defunding Minneapolis police. Instead, double the size of the force, with culturally competent officers.

Revise Minneapolis 2040 zoning plan to emphasize integrated home ownership throughout the city.

Actually 3rd and 4th. 3. Revise Ranked Choice voting to have a ranked choice primary from which three candidates advance to a ranked choice general election.

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Minneapolis City Council Ward 11 in 2021.

Noteworthy endorsements

See also: Ballotpedia: Our approach to covering endorsements

This section lists noteworthy endorsements issued in this election, including those made by high-profile individuals and organizations, cross-party endorsements, and endorsements made by newspaper editorial boards. It also includes a bulleted list of links to official lists of endorsements for any candidates who published that information on their campaign websites. Please note that this list is not exhaustive. If you are aware of endorsements that should be included, please click here.

Click the links below to see endorsement lists published on candidate campaign websites, if available.

Minneapolis City Council, Ward 11, noteworthy endorsements
Endorsement	Schroeder (D)	Gherna (D)	Koski (D)
Newspapers and editorials
Star Tribune^[38]			✔
Wedge Live^[39]	✔
Elected officials
Minn. Attorney General Keith Ellison (D)^[40]	✔
U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.)^[40]	✔
State Sen. Scott Dibble (D)^[40]	✔
State Sen. Omar Fateh (D)^[40]	✔
State Sen. Patricia Torres Ray (D)^[40]	✔
State Rep. Aisha Gomez (D)^[40]	✔
State Rep. Emma Greenman (D)^[40]	✔
State Rep. Jamie Long (D)^[40]	✔
Hennepin County Commissioner Angela Conley^[40]	✔
Hennepin County Commissioner Marion Greene^[40]	✔
Individuals
Frmr. Minneapolis Mayor Sharon Sayles Belton (D)^[41]			✔
Organizations
AFSCME Council 5^[40]	✔
IBEW Local 292^[41]			✔
IUPAT District Council 82^[41]			✔
LiUNA! Minnesota & North Dakota^[41]			✔
Minnesota Realtors^[41]			✔
Minneapolis Building Trades Council^[41]			✔
Minneapolis Firefighters Local 82^[41]			✔
Minnesota 350 Action^[40]	✔
Minnesota DFL Senior Caucus, Minneapolis Area Chapter^[41]			✔
Minnesota Municipal Retirement Association^[41]			✔
Operation Safety Now^[42]		✔
OutFront Minnesota Action^[20]^[40]	✔
Run For Something^[42]		✔
Sierra Club^[40]	✔
SEIU Minnesota State Council^[40]	✔
Smart Local #10^[41]			✔
Stonewall DFL^[40]	✔
Take Action Minnesota^[40]	✔
Teamsters Joint Council 32^[42]		✔
Women Winning^[41]			✔

Minneapolis Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party endorsement, Ward 11

While the Minneapolis charter allows candidates to display party affiliations next to their names on the ballot, the official Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL) of Minneapolis also endorses specific candidates in each race.^[23]

The Minneapolis DFL did not make an endorsement in Ward 11.^[23]

In order for a candidate to receive the endorsement, he or she must receive at least 60% of the vote from ward delegates who cast ballots using ranked-choice voting. If no candidate receives at least 60% of the vote, the party does not make an endorsement in that ward.^[23]

Click [show] on the table header below to view a detailed vote breakdown of the Ward 11 endorsement contest. Click here to view more information about the Minneapolis DFL endorsements in 2021.^[23]

Minneapolis city council DFL endorsement, Ward 11
Candidate	Round 1	Round 2	Endorsee
Koski	52.2% (252)	54.1% (261)	None
Schroeder (i)	44.5% (215)	45.0% (217)
Gherna	2.5% (12)	Eliminated
None	0.8% (4)	0.8% (4)

Campaign finance

Campaign themes

See also: Campaign themes

Jeremy Schroeder

Schroeder's campaign website

Click here to view an archived version of Schroeder's campaign website.

Ballotpedia survey responses

Jeremy Schroeder completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2021. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Schroeder's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

After spending almost 20 years as a community advocate pushing for human rights, a healthy democracy and homes for all, I first ran for office in 2017 to work alongside my Ward 11 neighbors to make the City work better for them and to ensure their voices were heard at City Hall. I am seeking re-election to continue to represent my district in a way that reflects our community’s values and builds a Minneapolis that works for everybody. I believe every individual is a valuable part of our community, and that we can only solve the complex problems of our time if everyone is empowered to participate freely and effectively. I am passionate about the power of government to be a force for good on issues like affordable housing, public safety and climate action, and look forward to continuing to help guide Minneapolis toward the safer, more equitable future the community deserves and is demanding.

Jeremy is a proven community advocate for all
Jeremy has successfully increased affordable housing, fought climate change and is working to transform public safety into something that keeps us all safe.
Jeremy's 20 years of experience as a community advocate is needed now

Community Question Featured local question

What do you think about the city's environmental health? Would you make any changes to current policy?

I have consistently fought to ensure Minneapolis is doing everything it can to keep residents and our natural resources insulated from harm. That’s why I led efforts to declare a climate emergency in our city, providing us a platform to do more. I am looking forward to building on my award-winning portfolio of climate policy in my next term, including through my involvement in an update to our Climate Action Plan that will lay out our best next steps to meet this moment. I will continue to champion investment in our Green Cost Share program that allows property owners to access the growing clean energy economy, an especially critical consideration as we work together to build back after the pandemic and last summer’s unrest. The science is clear: climate action must happen now. We can’t afford to risk our future with untested elected officials. We need proven climate champions in office at every level, including at City Hall.

Community Question Featured local question

What role do you feel police should play in Minneapolis? What are your thoughts on the city council’s proposed changes to the Minneapolis Police Department?

We need to move away from a one size fits all approach to public safety, following the data and modeling programs after successful initiatives proven in other cities. Armed police officers cannot solve every public safety issue in the city, and we need to unburden police officers currently faced with the unfair challenge of responding to every kind of crisis. While I have consistently supported funding to ensure MPD has adequate resources to respond to violent and extreme situations -- including an overtime fund I created last year with added transparency and accountability requirements -- I have also sought to make sure our police force is operating as efficiently as possible. I have continued to support increasing resources for violence prevention, specialized mental health crisis response, and more -- urgent work that the horrific killing of George Floyd at the hands of MPD officers made brutally clear we need to accelerate and build upon. There is widespread agreement in our community that the people of Minneapolis deserve a public safety system that keeps everyone in our city safe. To get there, we need to make sure the City is not just relying on police to respond to crime after it happens. Instead, we must focus on addressing the root causes and systemic problems that lead to crime and violence in the first place. We must ensure our police are working in sync with our mental health crisis response, with violence prevention programs, and with our communities.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Ward 11 residents are unified in their belief that we need to preserve and create affordable housing, and we need to support a sustainable Minneapolis. We need to continue the historic investment I’ve supported throughout my term in preserving affordable housing and adding new affordable units. Preserving affordability means empowering tenants and protecting their rights while giving good landlords the tools they need to keep their housing affordable. I’m eager in my next term to ensure my inclusionary zoning ordinance is having the biggest impact it can in holding developers accountable to include affordability in new projects, something that we’ll need to continue assessing as the market evolves. As Zoning & Planning Committee chair, I am well-equipped to continue to lead on housing issues, including the ongoing expansion of housing options.

I’ve also proven I have the courage to confront our climate crisis head-on, to make sure Minneapolis is doing everything it can to keep residents and our natural resources insulated from harm. That’s why I led efforts to declare a climate emergency in our city, providing us a platform to do more. I am looking forward to building on my award-winning portfolio of climate policy in my next term, including through my involvement in an update to our Climate Action Plan that will lay out our best next steps to meet this moment. I will continue to champion investment in our Green Cost Share program that allows property owners to access

Do you believe that it's beneficial for holders of this office to have previous experience in government or politics?

Yes, this is a critical role to make sure city services are working for the people of the city. I had almost 20 years of working with governments and that experience has enabled me to work within the bureaucracy to keep city services running while also working on expanding the basic service of the city.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Note: Community Questions were submitted by the public and chosen for inclusion by a volunteer advisory board. The chosen questions were modified by staff to adhere to Ballotpedia’s neutrality standards. To learn more about Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection Expansion Project, click here.

Dillon Gherna

Gherna's campaign website

Click here to view an archived version of Gherna's campaign website.

Ballotpedia survey responses

Dillon Gherna completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2021. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Gherna's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

My name is Dillon Gherna, I moved to Minneapolis when I was 18 years old after coming out to my family and have called this amazing city home for the greater part of 15 years. I was drawn to Minneapolis by the incredible diversity of its people, excellent quality of life, and strong sense of community. But my story doesn’t begin here. I was born and raised in Calumet, a small mining community on Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. I am the proud grandson of a copper miner and great-grandson of dairy farmers. Growing up, my single mother did her best to provide for my four siblings and me. My childhood was trying, but like many in our community, the lessons learned were foundational to my character, and belief in the power of hard work. My blue-collar upbringing and lived experiences as an adult have kept me grounded and fuel me to improve life in Minneapolis for everyone.

I have worked hard to prove myself as a dedicated community leader. I currently serve the over 1.2 million residents of Hennepin County, as the Public Initiatives Coordinator within the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office. My most recent efforts have expanded access to safe drug disposal, advanced our role in restorative justice programs, secured grant funding to reduce the economic burden on taxpayers, organized town hall events to engage with the Sheriff, and other important initiatives county-wide. Prior to this work, I have spent my career in leadership and owned a small business.

I believe we need a 21st century approach to public safety — one that is mindful and respectful of everyone involved. Let me be clear, I do not believe defunding or abolishing the police will accomplish this. This type of rhetoric and ill-informed ideology will only continue to drive a divide in the important work ahead of us to reform our police department and public safety system as a whole. The message is clear from residents across this city, we need comprehensive police reform and we need to provide tools to our police department to tackle the violent crime that is plaguing our city.
As leaders in this city, we need to do more than just put words on paper, we need to implement real action and real solutions to tackle our affordable housing challenges, invest in dignified, long-term solutions to the growing and increasingly vulnerable homeless population, as well as balance our approach in the way we grow and develop this city. Everyone deserves a safe, stable, and affordable place to call home.
Listening, creating space, and putting people first has been what I have done my entire life. Our residents in our ward and across this city deserve a leader at city hall, one with heart, compassion, love for our city, and one that will be honest about their intentions. Our residents have spoken loud and clear, they want an individual committed to having conversations, communicating, addressing their needs, working collaboratively together to tackle the challenging obstacles we are faced with. I am that leader.

Community Question Featured local question

How would you balance the needs and desires of existing business and housing communities with new development? Would you take gentrification and displacement into consideration when planning neighborhood development?

As leaders in this city, we need to do more than just put words on paper, we need to implement real action and real solutions to tackle our affordable housing challenges, invest in dignified, long-term solutions to the growing and increasingly vulnerable homeless population, as well as balance our approach in the way we grow and develop this city. Everyone deserves a safe, stable, and affordable place to call home. Transitional housing, access to social services, and increased incentives to develop affordable housing must be prioritized for our most vulnerable neighbors. Additionally, we must leverage Minneapolis 2040 to protect the rights of renters, while also being mindful of new developments as our city and ward continue to grow. Developments should go beyond just apartments which leave out many members of our community (multi-generational families, families with children, the aging members of our community, our disability community, and others) Creating pathway’s to home ownership and wealth generation should be at the forefront of our work around housing. Renters should not have to live in sub-standard conditions, anywhere in our city. This has to be a collaborative effort across city, county, and state governments/agencies. Some specific commitments I make to you, housing strategies, programs, and ideas that I support are:

Investing in a variety of developments throughout our city to address our affordable housing needs, creating more than just apartments. Investments in innovation and adapting city code to allow for new models of homes such as tiny homes, small homes, shipping container homes, and other innovative accessory dwelling units. Development should include a variety of housing options, styles, formats, and ability to purchase versus just rent.

Expanding affordable housing and preserving existing affordable housing by prioritizing the development of diverse affordable housing solutions and types. Being committed to preserving our options for affordable housing is key and ordinances like the Advanced Notice of Sale will help to ensure we are not leaving residents without housing suddenly while I also support investing in incentives for property owners and developers to maintain affordable housing units. We also must continue to make investments as a city into our affordable housing fund to support the multi-prong approach to development of affordable housing units available to meet our needs.

Protect the rights of renters throughout our city. Throughout the majority of my life in Minneapolis I have been a renter, having personally lived in a property owned by one of the city’s most notorious poor landlords. I know first hand what its like to not have things repaired, bug/insect issues, poor building conditions, and more. We must hold landlords accountable to providing safe, clean, and affordable apartments to our residents.

Supporting landlords investments by streamlining the licensing and permitting processes, connecting landlords with support and resources to ensure they can provide housing to our residents that is safe, accessible, and affordable. Creating space to listen to the concerns of landlords and work collaboratively together to build a strong rental market for decades to come.

Keeping homes affordable by ensuring continued development of housing options in our city, creating programs to allow seniors to continue to age in their homes, and continuing to expand the array of housing options for our neighbors with the lowest incomes

Holding developers and landlords accountable is key to how we continue to make our city an attractive place to work, raise a family, build a business, visit for entertainment or arts, and more. Developers must be held to a standard of development that will ensure safe, accessible, and affordable housing for our residents and landlords must be held to a standard of providing safe, well maintained, and affordable housing rentals.

Unsheltered resources and long-term dignified solutions for those experiencing homelessness. Projects like the Avivo village are great transitional housing projects. I support expanding transitional housing while also making investments in programs and development of more permanent affordable housing for those struggling the most.

Creating pathways to home ownership and wealth generation by working with developers to produce more homeownership and housing opportunities across the city in a variety of home types and styles to meet the needs of our community, without leaving anyone out of the fold.

Community Question Featured local question

Please list the criteria you would use to evaluate which projects are worth maintaining or starting in Minneapolis when it comes to public infrastructure.

As we continue to grow, we need to identify the best places for investment to ensure we position our city in a good spot for years to come. We have to stop making such short term decisions and be more intentional about leaving the city in a position for success and growth for years that will come after each of us are not in a role of leadership in the city. Much like my career experience, evaluating priorities and vision are specific to how we make investment in both the short and long term.

Community Question Featured local question

What do you think about the city's environmental health? Would you make any changes to current policy?

I support our goal as a city of 100% renewable electricity by 2030 for all of Minneapolis. I also recognize this is a steep challenge that is ahead of us. In order to get to this goal, we need to not only invest in climate initiatives/programs, but we have to educate our resident’s on the importance of this work, the costs associated, and communicate our real climate challenges that we face as a city.

I support investments in renewable energy projects, increasing awareness and implementation of energy efficiency and sustainability. It has to be more than words on paper, we need to connect and engage with residents in our city, scientists that work in this space every day, our utility partners, business leaders, community organizations, and other levels of government to aggressively meet our goals, but we must do this collaboratively and that is what I am committed to doing. Additionally, as a city council member, I would ensure future policy and projects are in line with our climate focus.

I will continue to educate myself by the professionals who have direct and intimate knowledge of our climate impacts and the challenges we are facing.

Community Question Featured local question

What role do you feel police should play in Minneapolis? What are your thoughts on the city council’s proposed changes to the Minneapolis Police Department?

The police should maintain their role in the public safety eco-system which is to provide proactive support for safety in our city through patrols, community engagement, and law enforcement. As mentioned above, I do not believe defunding or abolishing the police will accomplish this. This type of rhetoric and ill-informed ideology will only continue to drive a divide in the important work ahead of us to reform our police department and public safety system as a whole. The message is clear from residents across this city, we need comprehensive police reform and we need to provide tools to our police department to tackle the violent crime that is plaguing our city. Some of the current council I do not believe have fully understood the gravity of the current situation we are facing as a city. As I fill this out, our city marked our 72nd homicide. Violent crime in our city is out of control and our residents, business owners, and community visitors are demanding leadership that will start the important work of reforming our police department while also making investments in proactive support to reduce violence and invest in mental health resources.

Community Question Featured local question

What would you like Minneapolis' public safety system to look like by the end of your term? What would you do to accomplish your vision of public safety?

I believe we need a 21st century approach to public safety — one that is mindful and respectful of everyone involved. Let me be clear, I do not believe defunding or abolishing the police will accomplish this. This type of rhetoric and ill-informed ideology will only continue to drive a divide in the important work ahead of us to reform our police department and public safety system as a whole. The message is clear from residents across this city, we need comprehensive police reform and we need to provide tools to our police department to tackle the violent crime that is plaguing our city. Public safety is more than policing, policing is the reactionary part of public safety. We have to be willing to work together to identify the path forward that includes investments in violence prevention, youth focused engagement, mental health support, officer training and wellness, community engagement expansion, re-thinking how we handle non-emergency calls, and other critical steps. I want to share some of those ideas with you:

Rebuilding and re-imagining our police response to community needs, I do not support defunding or abolishing the police or any form that is branded in a feel good way that accomplishes the same thing (our current proposed public safety charter amendment), and it is not because of my professional career in public safety, however, I am a well informed citizen of the crime in our city and county because of that.

We need to support our chief as council members and community. I believe in the chief’s commitment to reforming our police department to be more fair, inclusive, responsive to community feedback and continually be transparent.

Officer Accountability/Civilian Oversight/Transparency/Additional Officers, we know currently there is a reduction in critical services, such as community outreach, homeless engagement, and investigators being pulled to other areas such as patrol. The massive exodus and efforts by members of the current council to defund/dismantle/abolish the police are costing residents their peace of mind, physical safety, and causing individuals and families to consider leaving our city. I have seen firsthand the hard work our police officers and sheriff’s deputies do each and everyday to serve our community and how budget cuts can really have an effect, lower numbers of officers equals increased overtime and increased burnout and chances for mistakes or judgement errors to occur. We must hold officers accountable, create increased measures for civilian and community engagement/oversight, and commit to being transparent in all that we do. The bottom line is this, we NEED more police officers in our community to serve and protect. Even prior to the large decrease in services, our officers were consistently running from call to call leaving very little time for relationship building and to learn their community. At this point, there is no reason we are not at 100% compliance with officers wearing and using Body Worn Cameras, it protects officers as well as the public. I support a consistent review of even lower level incidents to evaluate officer conduct and engagement in the community, it’s focus is to ensure we are growing and building community trust while ensuring our officers are engaging with the public the manner we as a city want our city to engage with the community.

Officer Wellness (Mind, Body, Spirit, Financial) We often forget that our police officers are humans just like each of us but they layer on incredible levels of pressures and criticism in addition to the everyday challenges we each face. Rates of divorce, substance abuse, burnout, and mental health issues in this career field are staggering. We must do better by the officers we ask to serve us and handle our darkest moments. In my official capacity, I partnered with our Tri-Wellness division to help identify funding to support the growth of this division across our agency. This issue is personal, these officers and deputies are my friends, colleagues, and by and large here for the right reason, to serve and protect each of us, we need to ensure we make the investments into them to ensure they are of right wellness to serve our community.

Hiring, Training, Recruitment are critical to ensuring we reform our police department in a way that serves our current and future needs. A lot of the conversations that we have had are so short sided in nature, we need to start looking at how to right-size our agency to serve the future needs, anticipate for retirements, staff to the needs of our 911 emergency services, and beyond that increase our efforts to engage and build relationships. We need to look at how and where we are recruiting officers from, analyze our requirements of service to community, increase the funding for new and continuing training, identify professionals in the subject matter to provide innovative training and identify the right candidates through involving community in the hiring process. We must make significant investment in Deescalation, Anti-Biased, Use of Force, and Community engagement training. Utilizing our Cadet program to identify strong talent for our open and upcoming positions, investing in our Community Service Officers to train them and groom them to potentially make that transition.

Identifying ways to handle non-emergency or low-level enforcement calls that will free up the officers to focus on proactive policing and relationship building throughout the city. Some of these call-types can be routed to city support services, our Community Service Officers, and other county agencies to layer on support as it makes sense.

911 Dispatch Emergency Services, supporting our dispatchers in providing advanced training, mental health/substance abuse support integrated in the call-taking process with a focus on a connection to resources, support, and professionals integrated in our 911 services to triage calls better that will ultimately yield more positive outcomes by connecting trained professionals and case management to those who need it most.

Officer Discipline has to be foundational to how we continue to reform our police department. The police chief should be able to terminate an officer and that termination be upheld. I support a review process but do not believe an officer who has caused harm, done something to break the law that we expect community members to follow, or another gross violation of policy or standards, should be able to return to the job serving the community. Implementing community review processes and input can aide in the transparency and oversight that will help ensure this is supported. Additionally, I believe we need a system to flag officers displaying at-risk behavior based on investigated complaints or behavioral with options to remedy by the chief. This is no different than how other components of the business/employment world work, development and training is a significant component in delivery of discipline.

Mental Health & Violence Prevention has to be a fundamental focus of ours as we focus on reforming our public safety system, as a whole. We need to make investments to further expand mental health co-responder programs, social work intervention, case management, victim services and resources, violence prevention, and restorative justice programs. Many of the above programs or pilots have shown great promise in large metropolitan cities. A significant component of violence prevention is youth engagement, making investments in after school programming, youth events, avenues for career exploration, unique neighborhood/business sponsored activities, and thinking outside of the box on creating new avenues for youth engagement and support. We have to stop treating this as a one size fits all solution.

Learning from other cities, agencies, jurisdictions. We do not have to re-create the wheel of police reform if there are things that are working in other agencies or jurisdictions around the country that we can try. Not everything will work here in Minneapolis, but it does not mean that we should not invest in researching what is working, what is not working, and new innovative ways to deliver public safety services.

Investing in tools, increasing the tools and technology for officers to be able to quickly de-escalate situations. The reality is, each and everyday companies around this country are researching and creating tools to aide in the de-escalation, intervention, and reduction of use of force such as BOLA WRAP, a non-violent tool used to temporarily restrain a potentially violent subject so officers can safely take them into custody.

Partnership across governmental lines is a critical piece in our reform efforts. Police officers are licensed PEACE officers in the State of MN and are licensed through the POST board. We need ensure we are continually working with local, state, and federal officials to ensure our city operations and policy are cutting edge, in line with the standard of policing that we expect as a state, county, and local municipality. We must also work to ensure we have the funding support and legislative support for changes to policing at a state level, being the largest metropolitan city in the state our work has significant impact across the entire state.

Community education and resources is a piece we miss all too often. The more the community is trained in safety, awareness, and operational information, the greater understanding each citizen will have when interacting with the police and in some cases, preventing the need for an interaction with the police. Making investments in community education and resources should be on the priority list of how we move forward.

Tools to track and document performance are critical to ensure our city police department and leadership are delivering on the commitments made to reform, reimagine, and serve our city. By having specific KPIs (key performance indicators) and creating tracking/performance measures for the chief and the department, there will be less political influence and maneuvering and more in line with running a department in a large organization. Allowing the chief to specifically address key areas of opportunity and allowing city government a tool to followup on performance.

These are some of the ideas that I have for how to comprehensively reform our police department to ensure it meets the needs of our growing city for years to come. At the foundation of any changes we make, I believe we must be transparent with the public and allow time for community input, engagement, and preparation. A key piece of what we need to do as a city is education, we must educate our residents to ensure they are informed of changes we are adopting to our core city service delivery such as policing and public safety. Together we can make this city safer for ALL residents!

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Public Safety, Housing, Accessibility, and Small Business are four areas that I am passionate about. My passion is derived from lived experience all of these areas. Currently I serve our county in Public Safety each and everyday. At 18 years old, just having moved to this city, I spent two months homeless and living out of my vehicle with no safe place to call home. Accessibility to our city is personal, in 2018 I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis which turned made making our city more accessible personal to me. After being a former small business owner, I know the process from idea to opening day and have helped hundreds of businesses be successful through my consulting firm that I previously owned.

What qualities does this office possess that makes it a unique and important part of the state government and legal system?

Municipal government is one level of government that I believe people can see and are most immediately impacted by. We are talking about creating safer communities, filling potholes, answering questions from residents about challenging situations in their lives, or answering the phone when a business owner get frustrated with our city processes. These are direct impacts on individuals lives and so critical to being able to help community members live more fulfilled lives.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

I have two life-long role models. One is my grandfather and the second is my mother. My grandparents helped my mom raise all five of us children and my grandfather alongside my mother taught me so much about how to treat others, how to love unconditionally, how to have strength in the toughest of times, and ultimately how to have courage through life's darkest moments. I am forever grateful of the lessons and example they both have set for me and my siblings.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Compassion, listening, leadership, and courage. Elected officials need to be able to lead through challenges, listen to community and business leaders, have courage to make decisions (sometimes unpopular), and compassion to understand the impacts on the lives of residents.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

I want to leave a legacy of compassion, love, and respect. A legacy that others will view as someone who gave it their all to fight for those without a voice, that fought for a balanced future forward filled with heart and soul. One that was based in love for all people and respect for each and every person's lived experience and journey in life.

September 11th 2001, I will never forget where I was or what I was doing at the time. In addition and more locally understood, when the 35 W bridge collapsed in Minneapolis.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

My very first job was a summer job working at one of Michigan's beautiful state parks (McLain State Park in Hancock, MI). My role was cleaning outhouses in the hot summer weather and maintaining the camp grounds (mowing, trimming, pulling weeds).

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F*ck and the reason behind this is because as a society we often spend so much time worried about what others think about us or our life choices or we worry about another person's judgement of us when in all reality, we are all trying to navigate this thing called life and just by caring a bit less, we can find true happiness.

High Hopes by Panic at the Disco

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

I have had a number of struggles, from having spent time being homeless to struggles financially at times as I worked to create a life I can be proud of and thrive in, struggle for me has always been a motivation to succeed.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for holders of this office to have previous experience in government or politics?

I do not, in fact I believe that at times that can hinder true change or growth. In some cases, individuals with experience in government or politics may have a view of either that can create competing agendas whether personal or political growth agendas. I have historically supported candidates that are lesser known and not politically connected to money or power. I fully support creating avenues to encourage average individuals to run for elected office. Additionally, my efforts were recognized of the same and I was endorsed by a national organization committed to encouraging individuals from all walks of life to run for office, that organization is Run For Something.

What kind of skills or expertise do you believe would be the most helpful for the holders of this office to possess?

Compassion, listening, leadership, and courage. This position needs to be able to lead through challenges, listen to community and business leaders, have courage when they make an unpopular decision and compassion to understand the impacts of city governance on the lives of residents throughout our city.

What do you call a can opener that doesn't work? ....... A can't opener haha :)

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Note: Community Questions were submitted by the public and chosen for inclusion by a volunteer advisory board. The chosen questions were modified by staff to adhere to Ballotpedia’s neutrality standards. To learn more about Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection Expansion Project, click here.

Emily Koski

Koski's campaign website

Click here to view an archived version of Koski's campaign website.

Emily Koski completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2021. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Koski's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

My name is Emily Koski and I am running to represent you on the Minneapolis City Council. I’m here to listen, to learn, and to work together to build a better future for all of us. I am running for Minneapolis City Council because I believe in this community and I have decided to put my values into action. I am a connector, I am a strategic problem solver, and I bring a balanced approach. Now is the time for us to unite - to work together to build a Minneapolis we are all proud of. It’s time for us to work together to make our communities safe, fight for justice and equity, support our businesses, create affordable housing, and sustain our environment. Our community doesn’t just want a representative on the Minneapolis City Council, we want a voice on the Minneapolis City Council. Our leadership should not be operating in a vacuum. No one person, no one City Council Member, can single handedly solve every challenge, and address every issue that faces our city. Our best chance, our best path forward - is one that brings all of us together. It is my personal goal, as a candidate, and as a City Council Member - to have each member of this community seen and heard. I will continue to immerse myself in our community, engage in open conversations, earn your trust, and bring your voices to the table. My name is Emily Koski and I am running to represent you on the Minneapolis City Council, and I’m asking for your support.

Public Safety: I believe in a both/and approach to reforming our public safety system. I believe we must take a comprehensive approach to reforming our public safety system; and, I believe this comprehensive approach must be a product of deep engagement with our community, inclusive conversations, strategic problem solving, and long-term planning. I believe we must reform our public safety system, by addressing structural and systemic racism, implementing deep structural change, and creating public safety alternatives beyond traditional policing; and, we must continue to perform the core components of our public safety system, which requires adequately staffing and funding the Minneapolis Police Department. I am a strong advocate for develo
Supporting Businesses: I believe the City of Minneapolis should designate a full-time Small Business Liaison within the City Coordinators Office to support locally owned small businesses, educate the small business community on available resources, and work with the small business community to address issues. I also believe the City of Minneapolis should make targeted financial investments into resources for locally owned small businesses, and ease the burden of property taxes, mandates, and other barriers to participate for locally owned small businesses, to create pathways for them to prosper. It’s worth mentioning that the COVID-19 pandemic has had disproportionately negative effects on the BIPOC community, as well as BIPOC, Latinx, Immi
Creating Affordable Housing: The City of Minneapolis is responsible for ensuring that the residents of Minneapolis have access to safe, adequate, affordable housing. I support the significant investments that the Mayor has included in his budgets, especially directing it towards deeply affordable housing, with 30% AMI or below, and towards collaborative work with the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority. Further, I am supportive of the diversification of our housing sector to meet the needs of Minneapolis residents - this must include variation in size, type, affordability, and location of housing. In order to create these opportunities, we will need to find ways to incentivize production for neighborhood organizations, nonprofits, develope

Community Question Featured local question

What do you think about the city's environmental health? Would you make any changes to current policy?

We have delayed addressing climate change for far too long, and it will take serious action to respond to the current - and future effects of climate change. We are in a moment that requires us to be continually thinking about what else can be done to respond to our climate crisis. This is not the time to be taking pause in regard to our climate change response.

We must take bold action, have unwavering commitment, and assess all policy through a climate centered lens. We must work to build an inclusive clean energy economy, implement sustainable and efficient energy practices, and educate our community on climate change.

I believe we must take a holistic approach to environmental sustainability and climate change. This means increasing community education and awareness on behavior changes that minimize the impact of climate change, providing support and resources to help the community adapt and adjust to changes in their community that are a product of climate change, and promoting and advocating for policies that address disparities that emerge as a product of our response to climate change.

Additionally, I believe we must work to identify communities that are disproportionately impacted by climate change, environmental pollution, and other environmental problems and engage these communities in the process of seeking equitable solutions.

Community Question Featured local question

What role do you feel police should play in Minneapolis? What are your thoughts on the city council’s proposed changes to the Minneapolis Police Department?

I do not support the Public Safety Charter Amendment proposed by Yes 4 Minneapolis.

I do not support the language in the Charter Amendment that states that the Department of Public Safety will “include licensed police officers if necessary”. While I believe we need to reform our public safety system, I believe our reformed public safety system must include police officers.

Additionally, I do not believe that having the Commissioner of the Department of Public Safety report to the Mayor and 13 City Council Members is an effective form of management, nor does it create clear lines of accountability.

If the Public Safety Charter Amendment passes, the current Minneapolis City Council, regardless of the results of the upcoming election, will be tasked with enacting a Department of Public Safety within 30 days before the Minneapolis Police Department will cease to exist. The current Minneapolis City Council has not created a comprehensive plan regarding how to enact the Department of Public Safety, or what the Department of Public Safety would look like.

If the Public Safety Charter Amendment does not pass, we must work to reform our public safety system by implementing deep structural change, and creating public safety alternatives beyond traditional policing; however, we must also continue to perform the core components of our public safety system which requires adequately funding and staffing our Minneapolis Police Department.

Community Question Featured local question

What would you like Minneapolis' public safety system to look like by the end of your term? What would you do to accomplish your vision of public safety?

I believe in a both/and approach to reforming our public safety system. I believe we must take a comprehensive approach to reforming our public safety system; and, I believe this comprehensive approach must be a product of deep engagement with our community, inclusive conversations, strategic problem solving, and long-term planning.

I believe we must reform our public safety system, by addressing structural and systemic racism, implementing deep structural change, and creating public safety alternatives beyond traditional policing; and, we must continue to perform the core components of our public safety system, which requires adequately staffing and funding our Police Department.

As it stands, our Police Department is understaffed and is having difficulty retaining or recruiting staff. In order to effectively and efficiently perform the core components of our Public Safety System, we need a well staffed and adequately funded Police Department.

Beyond this - I am a strong advocate for developing alternatives to traditional police response, including non-police response for situations in which police officers are not best able or not trained to handle. I support the implementation of Crisis Intervention Team Programs, or Co-Responder Programs, to respond to mental health crisis calls. I also support the expansion of and investment in the Office of Violence Prevention. Further, I am also supportive of the revitalization of Block Leader Programs and Community Crime Prevention Programs.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am running for Minneapolis City Council - Ward 11 because I believe in this community and I have decided to put my values into action. Now is the time for us to unite - to work together to build a Minneapolis we are all proud of.

The City of Minneapolis is facing tremendous challenges - the COVID-19 Pandemic, public safety reform, and racial justice and equity - to name few. The decisions we make now will affect the future of the City of Minneapolis, and the livability of the entire metropolitan region.

As I have connected with Ward 11 residents, I have heard time and time again that while there is a general consensus that the City of Minneapolis is in need of public safety reform, we are also in need of a public safety system that includes licensed police officers to support the core functions of our public safety system.

Additionally, I have heard that a top concern of Ward 11 residents is COVID-19 recovery, and the economic viability of the City of Minneapolis. Our small businesses in Ward 11 have felt the effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic, and are in need of support to recover and grow.

Ward 11 residents have shared with me that their primary concern is the type of leadership they are seeing on the current Minneapolis City Council.

This race is about choosing the type of leader we want to represent us on the Minneapolis City Council. This moment requires elected leaders who will work together, bring all voices to the table, and find real solutions.

What kind of skills or expertise do you believe would be the most helpful for the holders of this office to possess?

As a candidate - I bring a different kind of experience to the table - experience working with our community. I am a member of the Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity Leadership Council, a Member of the Minneapolis Public Schools Parent Legislative Committee, and in the past I have served as a Board Member of the Hale School Site Council, the Waite Park Community Council, the Waite Park School Site Council, and 261 Fearless. This experience shows the perspective I will bring to City Hall, it shows that I will work for this community - because I am a part of this community.

Our community doesn’t just want a representative on the Minneapolis City Council, we want a voice on the Minneapolis City Council. It is my personal goal, as a candidate, and as a City Council Member - to have each member of this community seen and heard.

I will continue to immerse myself in our community, engage in open conversations, earn your trust, and bring your voices to the table. As your City Council Member, I will be focused on working with our community and being the leader that our community deserves.

Representing Ward 11 is about being a part of the community, being aware of the issues that affect our neighbors, leveraging the power of the city so that it helps all people, and being dedicated to hearing all voices from all sides regardless of the topic. Our community wants to be involved in the process, through inclusive leadership and inclusive policy making.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Note: Community Questions were submitted by the public and chosen for inclusion by a volunteer advisory board. The chosen questions were modified by staff to adhere to Ballotpedia’s neutrality standards. To learn more about Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection Expansion Project, click here.

Albert T. Ross

Ross' campaign website

Click here to view an archived version of Ross' campaign website.

Albert T. Ross completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2021. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Ross' responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Albert Ross has served in leadership positions throughout his entire life. From Descendents of Slaves; Albert was Born and Raised in Greenville, Mississippi and moved to Minneapolis in his teens more than 20 years ago. Albert has four girls ages 7months, 2years, 10years, 11years, and one son who is 14years of age with his wife of 11 years. Albert has worked in the construction industry for over 25years. Today Albert is the CEO, CFO, and COO of a small fast growing construction company. Albert never thought he would be the person running for office to help fight to keep our Minneapolis Police Department from being defunded and dismantled, but yet here he stands ready to lead the fight to reform our Minneapolis Police Department and not defund our Minneapolis Police Department.

I promise I want defund or dismantle our Minneapolis Police Department
It's not enough to go out and buy a George Floyd sign or a Black Lives Matter sign to put in your front yard and think that you have done your part when it comes to Racial Injustice. We as a community have to do more to bridge the gap of racial equality. I am the candidate who will bridge our racial divide.
I promise, I will protect your family, your home, your car, your business, your community. If I am elected to represent ward 11, I promise you can throw away your boards, because you will not have to board up your business if injustice happens in our streets again.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

1. Zero tolerance approach to gun violence in our community.

2. Engage civic leaders, neighborhood associations, and non-profit organizations regularly and actively as part of the governing process.
3. Create an Inspector General for Minneapolis to ensure our government is absent of any corruption.
4. Ensure all historically marginalized groups have designated liaisons with the council or mayor's office.
5. Require yearly anti-racism training for all city departments, commissions, and boards.
6. Require racial equity and anti-racism training for our entire city government.
7. Implement the Office of Police Accountability and Transparency as well as civilian review board as well as an internal affairs oversight board.
8. Ensure national standards around police use of force policies are implemented and enforced.
9. Ban no-knock warrants

While these polices aren't the smoking gun, we need to take back our community, they are a start. It's going to take the entire ward 11 working together to take back our streets. Thats why anyone with ideas on how we can make our community safe and prosperous for all within we are all ears? Please contact us at www.albertross.org with ideas or just to see what you can do to help out.

What qualities does this office possess that makes it a unique and important part of the state government and legal system?

This office will give me more resources to reach and help more people in our city. This office will also give me a voice and authority to keep our Minneapolis Police Department. through this office, I will be able to make true, countless and everlasting change in our city and community.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

I look up to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, because he was a very strong and passionate leader for freedom and equality for all people not just for one race. If I am elected to represent ward11, I will follow his example.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

My grandmother received the key to the city in Greenville, Mississippi because she turned 100 years old. In the state of Mississippi, they give you the key to the city if you make it to age 100. I was 8 years old at the time and I was very proud of my great grandmother.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

My very first job was picking cotton, and it last for 5 years.

What responsibilities of this office do you personally consider the most important?

I will be able to enact ordinances and resolutions that would be fair and equal to all Minneapolis residents and not one group. Me being a small business owner and knowing how invisible Black, Brown, and People of Color are to the status quote, I will prioritize small business that never get the time of day.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for holders of this office to have previous experience in government or politics?

We have already tried the very rich folks from the well-to-do families
We have already tried the lawyer from law school, yet today our city is more messed up than I have ever seen it. As to your question, I feel that as long as the officer holder has a heart to do right and be just and equal that's what matters most.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Kurt Michael Anderson

Ballotpedia survey responses

Kurt Michael Anderson completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2021. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Anderson's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

I am a 36-year Minneapolis Ward 11 resident. Various family members have resided within the city limits continuously since at least 1923. I also have a substantial background in suburban and rural Minnesota.

My political resume includes some DFL politics in Bloomington-Richfield (1972-74); Fred Harris campaign (New Hampshire, 1976); national convention alternate for Mondale (1984, representing a rural MN congressional district); State DFL Platform Commission co-chair, 1998-90; SD 62 (Mpls – Richfield) DFL Chair, 1992-94; Ward 11 DFL convention co-convenor, 1993; Treasurer, John Brandl for State Senate, 1986-90; Treasurer, George Dahl for School Board, 1987; Treasurer, Tim Penny for Governor, 2002.

I was Parish Council President at the now-closed Church of the Visitation in Minneapolis, in about 1998-90.

In approximately 1993 I was invited but declined to join the U.S. Foreign Service. In 1986-92, I provided pro bono legal representation to an unsuccessful asylum applicant, from Haiti.

My published online commentaries in MinnPost.com are:

One and a half cheers for Ruth Bader Ginsburg

How to lessen inequality in a pandemic: a COVID-19 financial amnesty.

I filed an amicus brief in the United States Supreme Court, addressing whether the First Amendment mandates property rights in vulgar or offensive expression. Iancu v. Brunetti, No. 18-302,

Strongly Oppose defunding Minneapolis police. Instead, double the size of the force, with culturally competent officers.
Revise Minneapolis 2040 zoning plan to emphasize integrated home ownership throughout the city.
Actually 3rd and 4th. 3. Revise Ranked Choice voting to have a ranked choice primary from which three candidates advance to a ranked choice general election.

Community Question Featured local question

How would you balance the needs and desires of existing business and housing communities with new development? Would you take gentrification and displacement into consideration when planning neighborhood development?

The next step in racial integration should be to sponsor integrated home ownership throughout the city, focusing the effort on persons whose ancestors were excluded by previous covenants, redlining, or social custom. In other words, persons historically forced to live in segregated neighborhoods should have the first opportunity to integrate other neighborhoods.

Community Question Featured local question

Please list the criteria you would use to evaluate which projects are worth maintaining or starting in Minneapolis when it comes to public infrastructure.

Give first priority to infrastructure supporting major growth projects, then to the most damaged, obsolete, or vulnerable infrastructure.

Community Question Featured local question

What do you think about the city's environmental health? Would you make any changes to current policy?

I am a longtime transit user and more recent Nice Ride bike rental member. I also have conducted most of my business online, for decades. I appreciate the city's progress in trying to get commuters out of single-occupant cars and I would look for opportunities to expand that effort.

I also think we need to continuously review and evaluate the neighborhood benefits and burdens of our public works efforts, in the interests of promoting equity.

Community Question Featured local question

What role do you feel police should play in Minneapolis? What are your thoughts on the city council’s proposed changes to the Minneapolis Police Department?

I strongly oppose Charter Amendment 2, seeking to abolish the police department. It is the wolf of police defunding dressed in the sheepskin of public safety. All of the "choices" that defunding advocates promise already exist, and can be enhanced without a charter amendment. Most prominently, Hennepin County COPE (Community Outreach for Psychiatric Emergencies) already sends competent treatment and social work personnel to intervene with persons having psychiatric emergencies. But Step 1 in these situations is to get the person to accept, or in any event submit to, the intervention. Therefore, COPE staff is almost always accompanied by police in any community intervention.

Community Question Featured local question

What would you like Minneapolis' public safety system to look like by the end of your term? What would you do to accomplish your vision of public safety?

I propose what may seem, to many, to be a counterintuitive solution – doubling the authorized strength of the Minneapolis police force. As many persons have pleaded, we need community cops more than 911 cops. We need police officers who include mental health specialists and mediators, and all of whom both represent and are attuned to the diverse culture of our city. Organizations such as Mad Dads are excellent resources both for recruiting and referral as well as evaluating the suitability of police candidates.

We need a police department adequately staffed to analyze rape kits as well as investigating homicides, burglaries, and muggings. The recent mass resignations and retirements of police officers present part of an opportunity to make the changes we need; but the officers in the community need to know that they are not funded to be Lone Rangers, and that they have a strong force behind them – as well as good community relationships – to ensure the safety and success of their efforts.

I recall but cannot retrieve Steve Berg’s StarTribune OpEd c.2006, “How New York Got Its Groove Back.” He pointed out that New York City had 2.5 times the number of police, per resident, than Minneapolis had at the time. Granted, this was before the Eric Garner killing and also included an overly aggressive stop and frisk policy by the NYC police. On the other hand, the homicide rate was much lower than in other major US cities including Minneapolis. One may surmise that there are a large number of middle-aged people walking around NYC today who might have been dead in the streets two decades earlier.

These historical lessons indicate a need to implement Broken Windows 2.0, an approach to policing that involves a large, community-supported law enforcement presence, while avoiding racial profiling and adhering to Warren court standards regarding stops and frisks.

I calculate that doubling the size of the Minneapolis police force, once we are able to actually fill the positions (and assuming no cuts elsewhere), would increase the total tax bill in Minneapolis by six to seven percent.

Here is some additional recommended reading, from the Atlantic: Progressive Denial Won’t Stop Violent Crime (July 2021), https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/07/crime-progressives/619569/ .

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I adhere to the biblical principle that the last shall be first, and the first shall be last. Too often, the burden of social progress has fallen on the middle economic classes in our country.

I believe that while market economics are an important policy tool, they are not the Holy Grail.

What qualities does this office possess that makes it a unique and important part of the state government and legal system?

It's the most local of all offices, closely connected to the individual citizenry. People expect a personal acquaintance with their council member.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

I would take my examples as the situation required, For example, among presidents during or near my lifetime I admire Truman's decisiveness amid uncertainty, Eisenhower's international restraint, Johnson's determination to advance a social and economic agenda, Ford's attempt to heal a wounded nation, George H.W. Bush's navigation out of the Cold War, and Barack Obama's determination to renew government confidence as an agent of social and economic progress - and also his recognition of and steps to address a new geopolitical threat.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

Possibly J.K. Galbraith's "Economics and the Public Purpose"

Otherwise, none in particular, but I feel I have benefited from the following recent reading:

Piketty -- Capitalism and Ideology
Case and Deaton -- Deaths of Despair and the Future of Capitalism
Chernow's biographies of Washington and Grant (and Grant's own memoirs)
Practically anything published in The Atlantic (ignore the covers, read the articles)

But to keep myself up to speed on the larger discussion, I have also recently read:
Zuboff -- The Age of Surveillance Capitalism
Kendi -- How to be an Antiracist
DiAngelo -- White Fragility

I also feel much benefited from a reading project over several years, decades ago, from cover to cover and much revisited since -- the Bible.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Demonstrated competence and experience in the analysis and resolution of competing interests - together with an insistence on keeping matters as transparent as possible.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

The experience, patience, intelligence, and sense of good will that I can contribute to the reconciliation of competing interests and the resolution of conflict.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Show up for the job; stay close to constituents; and pay attention to detail while keeping the big picture in view.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

50 years of prosperity, tranquility, and the brightening of our democratic beacon.

President Kennedy's assassination, when I was 10.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

Newspaper carrier, 3 years

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

None in particular. I have enjoyed many.

Why would I want to exchange my life for any of theirs???

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

I haven't had an earworm for a long time. But you may enjoy listening to Laura Nyro's "Goodbye Joe."

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

Financial challenges in the 1990s and early 2000s in raising children amid several voluntary job changes.

Are there any little-known powers or responsibilities held by this office that you believe more people should be aware of?

It depends on another charter question, Question 1. Currently, the council - and in particular a select four of the 13, plus the Mayor - have executive control of all departments except for the police (which the Mayor commands). This "weak mayor" system has worked relatively well for the city for 150 years, but drawing a clear line between executive (Mayoral) and legislative (Council) functions would be an improvement. So, Question 1 has my mild support.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for holders of this office to have previous experience in government or politics?

Not necessarily. Experience in trades, professions, and businesses is also an important part of the necessary mix of expertise to run this city well.

What kind of skills or expertise do you believe would be the most helpful for the holders of this office to possess?

Integrity

Attention to several levels of detail without losing sight of the big picture

Ability to listen and to respond candidly to constituent concerns -- and the same when communicating with interest groups, with a special emphasis in that case on transparency

Look, I'm a Dad. They come and go too quickly to retain them.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Note: Community Questions were submitted by the public and chosen for inclusion by a volunteer advisory board. The chosen questions were modified by staff to adhere to Ballotpedia’s neutrality standards. To learn more about Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection Expansion Project, click here.

Ward 12

Candidates and election results

General election

General election for Minneapolis City Council Ward 12

The ranked-choice voting election was won by Andrew Johnson in round 1 .

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 15,333
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

Campaign finance

Campaign themes

See also: Campaign themes

Andrew Johnson

Johnson's campaign website

Click here to view an archived version of Johnson's campaign website.

Nancy Ford

Ford's campaign website

Click here to view an archived version of Ford's campaign website.

Ward 13

Candidates and election results

General election

General election for Minneapolis City Council Ward 13

The ranked-choice voting election was won by Linea Palmisano in round 1 .

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 16,442
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

Candidate profiles

This section includes candidate profiles created in one of two ways: either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, or Ballotpedia staff compiled a profile based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements after identifying the candidate as noteworthy.^[43]

Mike Norton

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Submitted Biography: "Hi, I’m Mike Norton. My family and I have lived in the Lynnhurst neighborhood since 2014. Our rescue dog, Maleficent J. Woofingtons (aka “The Woofs”), joined the family in 2016.I’m a small business owner and the founder of an award-winning company in the logistics industry (one of the 50 Fastest Growing Companies in 2019 and recipient of a MnTech Tekne Award in 2020). My wife is completing her Masters in Art Education at U of MN and last year was the PTA Vice President at Justice Page, where my stepdaughter is the co-founder of the “Green Team.” On a personal note, growing up with eight siblings in a family with a wide variety of political views has also taught me a lot about compromise and having tough conversations. In 2019 I was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome, a form of Autism Spectrum Disorder. Learning the reasons why that I process things and communicate in a different way than most people has helped me better understand myself. It also reminds me to always make an effort to try to understand where other people are coming from when talking with someone with a different perspective.I’m running to represent Ward 13 because Southwest Minneapolis deserves a candidate to meet the moment on public safety reforms in Minneapolis. The past year has shown that we need to make serious changes. Our incumbent council member has stood in the way of much-needed progress for our city, using obstructive votes and procedural complaints to distract us from the real issues.
"

Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

After two terms in City Hall, Council Member Palmisano has failed to deliver on public safety reform. We need immediate, significant action to prevent further violence and unrest, acknowledge the needs of vulnerable residents, and promote more efficient use of our budget. Existing leadership is what led to the uprising in Minneapolis, and we need to go in a new direction now. I support the charter amendment to create a Department of Public Safety that will be flexible to our needs and accountable to Minneapolis residents.

We are in a climate emergency. We can and must act now to protect our air quality and reduce our reliance on fossil fuels as a city, but we can’t do it without being realistic about people’s needs. One of the best ways to reduce carbon emissions is to make it safe and convenient to choose greener transit options. I support increasing protected bike lanes, expanding Bus Rapid Transit lines, and making all public spaces safe and accessible for all.

Minneapolis has a serious shortage of affordable housing. The most effective way to get more affordable housing is to allow for more housing, period. I support the council’s recent decision to allow single-room occupancy residences (SROs). This is a long-overdue tool to combat homelessness and rising costs of living, but it doesn’t go far enough. I also support rent stabilization. One-fourth of our neighbors in Ward 13 are renters and we can’t build a safe, thriving community without protecting renters’ rights. Another way to make housing more affordable is to pay a livable wage. I support a citywide minimum wage of $20/hr in Minneapolis.

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Minneapolis City Council Ward 13 in 2021.

Campaign finance

Campaign themes

See also: Campaign themes

Linea Palmisano

Palmisano's campaign website

Click here to view an archived version of Palmisano's campaign website.

Mike Norton

Norton's campaign website

Click here to view an archived version of Norton's campaign website.

Ballotpedia survey responses

Mike Norton completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2021. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Norton's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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