Tom Hoch

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Tom Hoch

Nonpartisan

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 7, 2017

Education

Bachelor's

St. Cloud State University

Law

Hamline University

Personal

Profession

Nonprofit executive

Contact

Personal website

Tom Hoch was a candidate for mayor of Minneapolis, Minnesota. He was defeated in the general election on November 7, 2017. Although municipal elections in Minneapolis are officially nonpartisan, candidates can choose a party affiliation to appear on the ballot. Hoch ran as a DFL candidate.

Biography

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Hoch earned a B.S. from St. Cloud State University and a J.D. from Hamline University.

Hoch's professional experience includes work for the Minneapolis Community Development Agency and the Historic Theatre Group and as the founding president and CEO of Hennepin Theatre Trust, the deputy executive director of the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority, and a teacher for the Minneapolis Public Schools. He has also served as the chair of the boards of directors of the Minneapolis Downtown Council/Downtown Improvement District and the Animal Humane Society, the president of the St. Anthony East Neighborhood Association, and a member of the executive committee of the Meet Minneapolis Board of Directors, the steering committee for the Ivey Awards, the steering committee for Minneapolis MOSAIC, and the board of directors of Planned Parenthood Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota.

Elections

2017

See also: Mayoral election in Minneapolis, Minnesota (2017) and Municipal elections in Minneapolis, Minnesota (2017)

Minneapolis, Minnesota, held a general election for mayor, all 13 seats on the city council, both elected members of the board of estimate and taxation, and all nine members of the park and recreation board on November 7, 2017. The filing deadline for candidates who wished to run in this election was August 15, 2017.

Incumbents ran for re-election to all but two of the city council seats. Ward 3 Councilman Jacob Frey filed to run for mayor instead, and Ward 8 Councilwoman Elizabeth Glidden opted not to run for re-election.

Minneapolis Mayor, 2017, Round 5
Candidate	Vote %	Votes	Transfer
Betsy Hodges (i) - Eliminated	0%	0	−26,875
Raymond Dehn	42.8%	34,971	7,613
Al Flowers	0%	0	0
Jacob Frey - Winner	57.2%	46,716	7,348
Tom Hoch	0%	0	0
Gregg Iverson	0%	0	0
Nekima Levy-Pounds	0%	0	0
Aswar Rahman	0%	0	0
Charlie Gers	0%	0	0
L.A. Nik	0%	0	0
Troy Benjegerdes	0%	0	0
Ron Lischeid	0%	0	0
David Rosenfeld	0%	0	0
Ian Simpson	0%	0	0
Captain Jack Sparrow	0%	0	0
David John Wilson	0%	0	0
Christopher Robin Zimmerman (Write-in)	0%	0	0
Theron Preston Washington (Write-in)	0%	0	0
Undeclared Write-ins	0%	0	0
Exhausted		22,835	11,914
Total Votes		104,522	0
Note: Negative numbers in the transfer total are due to exhaustion by overvotes.

Minneapolis Mayor, 2017, Round 4
Candidate	Vote %	Votes	Transfer
Betsy Hodges (i)	28.7%	26,875	3,364
Raymond Dehn	29.2%	27,358	3,330
Al Flowers	0%	0	0
Jacob Frey - Most votes	42.1%	39,368	9,888
Tom Hoch - Eliminated	0%	0	−22,754
Gregg Iverson	0%	0	0
Nekima Levy-Pounds	0%	0	0
Aswar Rahman	0%	0	0
Charlie Gers	0%	0	0
L.A. Nik	0%	0	0
Troy Benjegerdes	0%	0	0
Ron Lischeid	0%	0	0
David Rosenfeld	0%	0	0
Ian Simpson	0%	0	0
Captain Jack Sparrow	0%	0	0
David John Wilson	0%	0	0
Christopher Robin Zimmerman (Write-in)	0%	0	0
Theron Preston Washington (Write-in)	0%	0	0
Undeclared Write-ins	0%	0	0
Exhausted		10,921	6,172
Total Votes		104,522	0
Note: Negative numbers in the transfer total are due to exhaustion by overvotes.

Minneapolis Mayor, 2017, Round 3
Candidate	Vote %	Votes	Transfer
Betsy Hodges (i)	23.6%	23,511	4,044
Raymond Dehn	24.1%	24,028	5,454
Al Flowers	0%	0	0
Jacob Frey - Most votes	29.5%	29,480	2,730
Tom Hoch	22.8%	22,754	1,842
Gregg Iverson	0%	0	0
Nekima Levy-Pounds - Eliminated	0%	0	−16,189
Aswar Rahman	0%	0	0
Charlie Gers	0%	0	0
L.A. Nik	0%	0	0
Troy Benjegerdes	0%	0	0
Ron Lischeid	0%	0	0
David Rosenfeld	0%	0	0
Ian Simpson	0%	0	0
Captain Jack Sparrow	0%	0	0
David John Wilson	0%	0	0
Christopher Robin Zimmerman (Write-in)	0%	0	0
Theron Preston Washington (Write-in)	0%	0	0
Undeclared Write-ins	0%	0	0
Exhausted		4,749	2,119
Total Votes		104,522	0
Note: Negative numbers in the transfer total are due to exhaustion by overvotes.

Minneapolis Mayor, 2017, Round 2
Candidate	Vote %	Votes	Transfer
Betsy Hodges (i)	19.1%	19,467	552
Raymond Dehn	18.2%	18,574	473
Al Flowers - Eliminated	0%	0	−711
Jacob Frey - Most votes	26.3%	26,750	634
Tom Hoch	20.5%	20,912	787
Gregg Iverson - Eliminated	0%	0	−335
Nekima Levy-Pounds	15.9%	16,189	473
Aswar Rahman - Eliminated	0%	0	−756
Charlie Gers - Eliminated	0%	0	−1,233
L.A. Nik - Eliminated	0%	0	−612
Troy Benjegerdes - Eliminated	0%	0	−184
Ron Lischeid - Eliminated	0%	0	−325
David Rosenfeld - Eliminated	0%	0	−477
Ian Simpson - Eliminated	0%	0	−119
Captain Jack Sparrow - Eliminated	0%	0	−438
David John Wilson - Eliminated	0%	0	−220
Christopher Robin Zimmerman (Write-in) - Eliminated	0%	0	−1
Theron Preston Washington (Write-in) - Eliminated	0%	0	0
Undeclared Write-ins - Eliminated	0%	0	−138
Exhausted		2,630	2,630
Total Votes		104,522	0
Note: Negative numbers in the transfer total are due to exhaustion by overvotes.

Legend:     Eliminated in current round     Most votes     Lost

This is the first round of voting. To view subsequent rounds, click the [show] button next to that round.

Minneapolis Mayor, 2017, Round 1
Candidate	Vote %	Votes	Transfer
Betsy Hodges (i)	18.1%	18,915
Raymond Dehn	17.3%	18,101
Al Flowers	0.7%	711
Jacob Frey - Most votes	25%	26,116
Tom Hoch	19.3%	20,125
Gregg Iverson	0.3%	335
Nekima Levy-Pounds	15%	15,716
Aswar Rahman	0.7%	756
Charlie Gers	1.2%	1,233
L.A. Nik	0.6%	612
Troy Benjegerdes	0.2%	184
Ron Lischeid	0.3%	325
David Rosenfeld	0.5%	477
Ian Simpson	0.1%	119
Captain Jack Sparrow	0.4%	438
David John Wilson	0.2%	220
Christopher Robin Zimmerman (Write-in)	0%	1
Theron Preston Washington (Write-in)	0%	0
Undeclared Write-ins	0.1%	138
Exhausted		0	0
Total Votes		104,522	0
Note: Negative numbers in the transfer total are due to exhaustion by overvotes.

Campaign themes

2017

Hoch's campaign website highlighted the following issues. Click "show" on the boxes below for more information about his positions.

Affordable Housing

"We have an affordable housing crisis in Minneapolis that our current elected leaders have not done enough to address. Tom believes that we need a multi-faceted approach to provide safe, stable housing for every Minneapolitan. The greatest enemy of affordable housing is a tight rental market. Current vacancy rates in Minneapolis are a paltry 3%. That means that until supply actually catches up to demand, we’ll never solve the problem. Tom believes the following policies are a good start to solving this problem: PRIORITIZE PUBLIC HOUSING We need to do everything we can to guarantee that the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority remains funded. The MPHA currently controls over $1 billion in housing assets. With a hostile legislature and Donald Trump in the White House, we must ensure that this housing stock is fully protected or we will have hugely exacerbated the shortage. PROJECT-BASED ASSISTANCE Tom believes we need to place a greater emphasis on project-based assistance in new mixed income, affordable housing developments. Where traditional housing vouchers, like Section 8, enable renters to find affordable units on the open market, project-based assistance is tied to the unit itself. Tying assistance to a unit means we can have greater influence to ensure properties stay affordable. This also gives the city more options in developing affordable housing in every neighborhood. INCLUSIONARY ZONING Tom supports an inclusionary zoning policy. One such policy was enacted in Edina in 2015. Inclusionary Zoning requires that new developments of a certain size, receiving any government assistance, contain a portion of affordable units. This policy also provides incentives like relaxed parking requirements or limited tax abatements to developments that meet the requirements. ACROSS THE METRO AREA Tom is committed to working with other mayors to lead on the creation of a metro-wide affordable housing initiative. The bottom line is that neither Minneapolis…nor any individual community…can solve this problem alone. If we build 500 units of affordable housing in Minneapolis, but 700 units in Richfield go to market-rate, we haven’t made the progress we need to make as a region. Minneapolis can be, and should be, a leader on this issue in the metropolitan area and at the State Legislature."

Public Safety & Police Reform

"Objective #1: Restore Confidence in the Minneapolis Police Department. Top-to-Bottom Review of the MPD. I will initiate a review of every critical aspect of our police department and its performance over the past five years. We will assess the department’s culture, its relationship with the various communities it serves, its recruitment policies and programs, its training program, including supervisor training, and its adoption of best practices in law enforcement. Reform Civilian Review. I will ensure that our department is not at odds with the population it serves. We will make sure our civilian review panel has subpoena power, and that all investigations of alleged wrongdoing are conducted quickly and handled with the highest quality, with all decisions publicly. Use Outcomes to Drive Performance—and Communicate Broadly. I will work personally with our neighborhoods and the MPD at the precinct level to create community-oriented partnerships. We will measure and communicate progress on our desired outcomes. We will be clear about what we are doing and why, and will ask the people of Minneapolis for their assessment of our performance as well. Provide Effective and Supportive Supervision of the Police Chief. The mayor’s job is to guide and support the chief, ensuring the department has the resources necessary to achieve our stated goals. That’s what I’ll do. If the chief fails to meet our city’s expectations in achieving our goals and building an effective community-oriented culture, I will take appropriate action without waiting to measure the political climate. Change Police Licensing. A priority of our 2018 legislative agenda will be a substantial revision of the operation of the Police Officer Standards and Training Board. This must include a more detailed and transparent tracking system for all infractions, including information on plea agreements. If the state fails to act, I will make every effort to include these substantial changes in the MPD’s internal disciplinary policies. Objective #2: Address Fear, Crime and Violence in Our Neighborhoods. Ensure that Minneapolis remains a safe and welcoming home for new Americans. Minneapolis is and will continue to observe and vigorously protect its separation ordinance, which limits the situations in which MPD officers can enforce federal immigration laws. Keeping our community safe and violence free requires the participation of all our citizens. Provide Collaborative Leadership. I will convene a working group encompassing representatives of social service organizations, businesses, the judicial system, the Minneapolis Police Department, the city council, the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office, Metro Transit, and non-profits serving the homeless and/or providing housing/food/mental health services. This group will identify ways to improve public safety with clear responsibilities for each partner. Ensure Law Enforcement has the tools they need to do the job. It’s the job of the mayor to listen and ensure that law enforcement has what they need to do their important jobs in the way our community wants them done. And I will. Focus on Serious Part 1 Crimes including Violent Assault, Robbery and Rape. Minneapolis’ arrest rates for the most violent crimes are shockingly low: Aggravated assaults result in arrest only 35 percent of the time; for robberies the arrest rate is 24 percent; for rape, an arrest happens in only 15 percent of cases! We need to set aggressive major crime arrest targets and put a plan in place to make this happen. Dramatically Increase our Investigative Resources. Minneapolis needs to add more investigators and detectives to investigate serious crimes, find core offenders and secure lasting convictions. While we have added more police officers, our staffing level for investigators and detectives at the MPD has been the same for years. We must increase these resources to attack and address the core drivers of our rising violent crime rates. Focus on Repeat Offenders. A large percentage of violent crimes are committed by a small percentage of individuals. I will work with the MPD, our city and county attorneys, district court judges, and non-profit groups such as Watch, to ensure that the revolving door closes for repeat offenders. Work with Non-Profits to Provide Programs and Support at Agencies and on the Streets. Providing impactful programs on the street and at service agencies can pay huge dividends. Programs that provide entertainment, career training, and intervention services can also take the pressure off law enforcement. The mayor must play a consistent lead role in bringing programs and services to meaningful scale. We can also consider ideas such as adjusting bar closing times or exploring the design and operation of transit stops – and we will. Increase the Access to Services. Despite the political pledges of four years ago, homelessness in Minneapolis has continued to rise. I will work with Hennepin County, the State of Minnesota, our Downtown Improvement District, and our incredible non-profits to make sure that the services we provide correspond with the needs we see. We must make headway on transforming individual lives, and decrease homelessness now. Objective #3: Build Community-wide Collaboration and Effort. We need coordinated and substantial investments in effective programs and efforts that help all of our citizens realize their potential. I will lead a community-wide collaboration with efforts in every neighborhood, including: Expanded After-School Programs. Our schools, parks, universities and technical colleges, as well as businesses and our non-profit community, all can be better coordinated to provide a strong base for the constructive engagement for our kids. We need consistent leadership from the mayor in a city-wide effort to coordinate these opportunities. Expanded Youth Employment Programs. Every child in our city must have the opportunity to build skills and grow constructively in the summer. We need a mayor who will visibly, strongly and consistently advocate for expanded youth employment programs, in partnership with employers, the non-profit community and government. Increase Access to Mental Health and Substance Abuse Treatment. We need increased access to substance abuse treatment services and treatment for mental health conditions. I will work with Hennepin County to better coordinate the connection between street outreach and chemical and mental health assessments and treatment. I will also work with other mayors across Minnesota to lobby our state government for increased funding. A Comprehensive Approach. Crime and violence are a systemic problem with multiple and complex causes. My plans for economic vitality and affordable housing are comprehensive—and designed to address the issues of crime and violence." Click here to read more about Hoch's positions on public safety.

Jobs & Economy

"A PROSPERITY PLAN FOR MINNEAPOLIS Minneapolis needs a plan for our future prosperity—instead of just relying on our legacy Fortune 500 companies to keep us prosperous in the future. Minneapolis could be doing so much more to support start-ups and its small business entrepreneurs. The city could also do more to target and attract established businesses that would benefit from the business resources we have here in Food & Agriculture, Health & Wellness, and Arts & Culture, to name a few. Here are my plans for creating our future by supporting new & small businesses: 1. Re-imagine the City’s Community Planning & Economic Development (CPED) organization. Starting with the 2018 Business Plan, require specific planning targets and track the organization’s progress on a quarterly basis. Reform the Economic Development area to focus on attracting new businesses in Food, Health & Wellness, and Arts, Culture & the Creative Class to Minneapolis with specific recruitment targets. Expand to other business sectors as appropriate. 2. Establish ward-specific private sector job goals — working with each ward councilperson and neighborhood representatives -- for our neighborhood commercial centers where 50% of our city employment works. 3. Streamline the city regulatory process and make it more entrepreneur-friendly to reduce the time from idea to market. Set specific timelines and approval goals with quarterly reporting on performance vs. plan. 4. Champion and help expand established small business initiatives like the Twin Cities Start-Up Week, Minnesota Cup and Minneapolis-based entrepreneurial conferences like Expo West. Champion the goal of bringing together entrepreneurs, venture capital, retailers and other members of the new business eco system to develop the nation’s leading program for start-ups and new businesses. 5. Work with established entrepreneurs like the Food Building and others to ensure that our new and small businesses get an opportunity for placement in all city-owned operations and use our city influence to create new retail opportunities with city partners for start-ups and small businesses. ACCESS TO CAPITAL FOR COMMUNITIES OF COLOR One of the biggest barriers to economic success in communities of color is access to capital. Tom believes we should identify new ways to provide budding entrepreneurs with the resources they need to be successful. This means expanding training programs and business planning support. It also means expanding micro-financing programs that put real money in the hands of small business owners. RE-EVALUATE JOB REQUIREMENTS FOR POSITIONS IN CITY GOVERNMENT Hennepin County has blazed a trail with its Pathways program. This program combined forward- thinking job training programs and paid internships with the needs faced by a coming wave of retirements. It also re-evaluated the job requirements for all positions in county government. By eliminating onerous and unnecessary certifications and education requirements, they were able to open the door to a large pool of new applicants. Tom believes that this is precisely the kind of program that Minneapolis should be pursuing."

Education

"Here's how we will make our schools better in Minneapolis: REGULAR MEETINGS WITH THE SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS Tom pledges to meet monthly with the Superintendent of Schools to make sure the City is partnering effectively with our schools. The key objective of these meetings will be to assess and track the ‘school readiness’ of our students by neighborhood, so that the City can support neighborhoods with key services to ensure that our children are walking into class ready to learn. JOBS AND ECONOMIC GROWTH As a former teacher, Tom understands how important it is for kids to have stability in their lives. Children who arrive at school hungry, homeless or traumatized by the volatility of their home life, simply cannot concentrate on learning. Poverty is enormously destabilizing for families. This is why our campaign has a detailed Jobs and Economic Growth Plan to bring new businesses and jobs to our community. AFFORDABLE HOUSING Transience is a significant challenge for teachers and students alike. Nothing destabilizes a school like a student population that’s constantly in flux. Tom has a detailed and specific Affordable Housing Plan which outlines how to support public housing first, keep and build affordable housing in all neighborhoods and to offer the opportunity to create more home ownership in the same neighborhood where people are renting. CHANGE OUR VALUE PROPOSITION IN EDUCATION THROUGH THE ARTS Tom believes that the arts is a place where we can make a huge difference in closing the achievement gap and where we can change the entire value proposition for our public schools. Tom wants to focus and lead a public-private effort to guarantee free arts instruction in areas like music, dance and the visual arts for our elementary students. He wants to work with the arts institutions in the City to provide school visits and field trips so that every school and student in the district is exposed to the world-class arts in our city! Tom believes that Minneapolis could be the first public school system in the country to provide free, multi-year arts instruction to its students. EXPAND AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAMS Tom believes that we need a more comprehensive after school program for our students and that Minneapolis can stand above all others in this area. If elected mayor, Tom will bring together the School District, the Park Board, Arts and Sports Institutions and Educational Institutions to explore how we might develop a multi-faceted program that provides an array of opportunities to aid in school work, advance arts education and sports training and prepare others for career training, all in after school and recreation centers located in their neighborhoods. SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICERS Teachers cannot teach when students are disruptive or violent. Tom acknowledges that school resource officers are necessary. However, he also supports programs like New Vision Initiatives, which helps children learn mindfulness and meditation. "

Arts & Culture

"Key elements of Tom's Arts & Culture Plan for Minneapolis: CHANGE OUR VALUE PROPOSITION IN EDUCATION THROUGH THE ARTS Tom believes that the Arts is the place where we can make a huge difference in closing the achievement gap and where we can change the entire value proposition for our public schools. And he believes that the Mayor can work in partnership with the Minneapolis Public Schools to take a historic step in this direction. Tom wants to focus and lead a public-private effort to guarantee free arts instruction in areas like music, dance, and the visual arts for our elementary students. And he wants to work with the arts institutions in the city to provide school visits and trips so that every school and student in our district is exposed to the world-class arts in our city—not just a few! Tom believes that Minneapolis could be the leading public school system in the country in providing free, multi-year arts instruction to its students. BUILD AN EXPANDED AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM WITH THE ARTS Tom believes that we need a well-coordinated and more comprehensive after school program for our students and that Minneapolis can stand above all others in this area. As Mayor, Tom will bring together the Minneapolis Public Schools, the Park Board, arts, sports and other educational institutions to explore how we can develop a multi-faceted program that provides an array of after-school/out-of-school opportunities for our students including a focus on advancing arts education at neighborhood schools and recreation centers. EXPAND ‘MADE HERE’ ACROSS THE CITY ‘Made Here’ is the nationally-acclaimed program where empty storefronts in downtown Minneapolis were turned into the nation’s largest urban walking gallery. Tom wants to expand this program to include not only visual arts in empty buildings but also sculpture and other art forms across our city. This will bring a new vibrancy and life to many of our neighborhoods. MAKE ARTS & ARTISTS PART OF KEY CITY PROJECTS Artists are rarely part of the conversation regarding city projects. Tom believes that artists can actually play leadership roles in providing creative solutions for city projects. Imagine if artists had been part of the Nicollet Mall renovation so that there was a reason to visit Nicollet Mall during construction versus three years of dead space downtown. Tom knows that artists could create innovate crosswalks, transit stops, etc. in our city that would distinguish Minneapolis on the world stage. DEVELOP THE HENNEPIN CULTURAL DISTRICT ALONG WITH THE RENOVATION OF HENNEPIN AVENUE Hennepin Avenue is slated for a major renovation in 2020, similar to Nicollet Mall. Tom believes that artists should be invited to create ideas and solutions for keeping Hennepin Avenue vibrant during construction. Tom also believes it’s time to implement the iconic ideas embedded in the Hennepin Cultural District Plan in order to attract even more than the 500,000 plus people coming to Hennepin Avenue today for the arts. DEVELOP A SHARED PLAN FOR GROWTH WITH OUR CREATIVE ADVERTISING, DIGITAL & SOCIAL, PRODUCTION AGENCY COMMUNITY The broader creative advertising, digital, social, public relations and production agency community is a major employer in Minneapolis. Tom believes that we should convene these creative class members and identify ways that the Mayor can help set the stage for more growth in this important industry. CHAMPION PROGRAMS THAT PROVIDE ACCESS TO CAREERS IN THE CREATIVE INDUSTRY We have an amazing industry of creative talent in Minneapolis. But, too often, these have been off limits to all of our community. We can change that. For instance, BrandLab is a unique and nationally recognized program that introduces the broader creative advertising, digital, social, public relations and production agency industry to diverse high school students and helps guide them to these careers through a multi-year learning and support program. Tom wants to foster the creation and expansion of these programs within the Minneapolis Public Schools as well as explore how similar programs for technology, health and other careers could be developed for Minneapolis."

Minneapolis Road Construction

"Lack of Communication One reason why road construction is currently such a hassle is that the state, county and city are all working on different projects at the same time, but not communicating with each other. The city could do a better job of facilitating communication between the three entities to ensure that projects are more streamlined and that the public has a better understanding of when road closures will happen, when they need to plan alternate routes and when they can expect the project to be finished. Tom Hoch's Road Construction Plan Better Planning Let's ensure that major construction projects don't coincide with big events. Better Coordination Let's coordinate city construction projects on major routes. Better Communication Let's communicate proactively to make everyone in the city aware of projects before they start, and keep everyone up-to-date on projects as they progress. Better Accountability Let's ensure our officials in charge convene with state and county leaders to balance projects and inform citizens of their progress."

Endorsements

2017

Hoch received endorsements from the following in 2017:

• Minneapolis Star Tribune

Recent news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Tom Hoch Mayor of Minneapolis. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

Tom Hoch - Google News

See also

Minneapolis, Minnesota	Minnesota	Municipal government	Other local coverage

External links

Suggest a link

• Office of the mayor of Minneapolis
• Campaign website
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