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Tuesday, October 29, 2013

ELECTION GUIDE INTRODUCTION BY JESSICA LEE jlee@mndaily.com

To prepare for Election Day, the Minnesota Daily interviewed eight Minneapolis mayoral contenders and the Minneapolis City Council candidates for wards that include the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. The Nov. 5 ballot will list 35 mayoral candidates hoping to succeed Mayor R.T. Rybak, City Council candidates from the city’s 13 wards and other elected positions. For the first time, voters will use the ranked-choice voting system to make their selections.

How-to: Rankedchoice voting

WHAT’S ON THE BALLOT MAYOR Gregg A. Iverson Christopher Robin Zimmerman Dan Cohen Ole Savior Rahn V. Workcuff Doug Mann Mark V. Anderson Abdul M. Rahaman “The Rock” Edmund Bernard Bruyere James Everett John Charles Wilson Mark Andrew Bob Fine Merrill Anderson Bob “Again” Carney Jr. Mike Gould John Leslie Hartwig Stephanie Woodruff Tony Lane Troy Benjegerdes Christopher Clark Kurtis W. Hanna Neal Baxter James “Jimmy” L. Stroud, Jr. Jackie Cherryhomes Don Samuels Cam Winton Betsy Hodges Jaymie Kelly Captain Jack Sparrow Joshua Rea Alicia K. Bennett Bill Kahn Jeffrey Alan Wagner Cyd Gorman

CITY COUNCIL (WARD)

Kevin Reich* Mark Fox Vincent Coffeen

Diana Newberry Cam Gordon*

Jacob Frey Diane Hofstede* Kristina Gronquist Michael Katch

Elizabeth Glidden*

Alondra Cano Abdi Abdulle Charles Curtis Pat Fleetham Gregory McDonald Ty Moore

10 4

Barbara A. “Barb” Johnson* Kris Brogan Dan Niesen Brett Buckner Ian Alexander Blong Yang Kale R. Severson Robert Lilligren* Abdi Warsame Mahamed A. Cali Abdi Addow Sheikh Abdul Abukar Abdi

Lisa Goodman*

Lisa Bender Meg Tuthill* Nate Griggs Scott Hargarten

John Quincy* Bob Schlosser Matt Steele

“Dick” Franson Andrew Johnson Ben Gisselman Chris Lautenschlager Charlie Casserly

Linea Palmisano Matt Perry Bob Reuer David Regan Missy Durant

PARK AND RECREATION COMMISSIONER AT LARGE John Erwin Hashim Yonis Tom Nordyke Jason Stone Annie Young Mary Lynn McPherson Meg Forney Steve Barland Casper Hill Ishmael Israel

PARK AND RECREATION COMMISSIONER (DISTRICT)

Liz Wielinski

David Luce Jon Olson Scott Vreeland Said Maye Anita Tabb Bobby Davis

3 4 6

Steffanie Musich

Josh Neiman Brad Bourn

BALLOT QUESTIONS Proposal to Amend the Minneapolis City Charter 1) “Shall the Minneapolis City Charter be amended in the form of a complete revision which (1) modernizes the Charter; (2) redrafts its provisions for brevity and in plain language; (3) reorganizes the Charter into nine articles, and groups related provisions together; (4) removes from the Charter certain provisions for possible enactment into ordinance; and (5) retains the current role and relationships of City boards and commissions?” Proposal to Amend the Minneapolis City Charter Liquor-Licensing Provisions 2) “Shall the Minneapolis City Charter provisions relating to the sale of liquor and wine be amended by reorganizing and rewriting in plain modern language?”

BOARD OF ESTIMATE AND TAXATION David Pascoe David B Wheeler Carol J. Becker Douglas Sembla

*Incumbent

SOURCE: VOTE.MINNEAPOLISMN.GOV/VOTERS/BALLOT

BY NATHANIEL RABUZZI nrabuzzi@mndaily.com

On the Nov. 5 ballot, there will be three columns for each city government position. Each column will include the

name of every candidate in that specific race. In the first column, voters should mark their first choice for that particular position. After that, voters should mark their second choice in the sec-

ond column and their third in the last. Marking the same candidate in every column will not give him or her more votes. If a voter has chosen the same candidate for all three

columns and that candidate is eliminated, all of the votes from that particular ballot will be disregarded. Once a ballot is cast, the second or third choices listed will only be counted if the

candidate marked as the first choice is eliminated, or if he or she had the lowest number of votes during the first count. The process continues until one candidate obtains the majority of votes.

MAYORAL CANDIDATES MARK ANDREW DFL

BY MEGHAN HOLDEN mholden@mndaily.com

What is the most important issue facing the city, and how would you address it? The achievement and opportunity gap … We’re sort of a tale of two cities right now and we need to become one city when it comes to opportunity and growth. What policies would you push to spur economic growth and job stability? First of all, I think we need to lead with transit … I’m a pioneer on light rail transit. I was the creator of the Midtown Greenway ... But in addition to that, sustainable development … And finally, education and public safety are the underpinnings of what will spur on economic growth and job stability.

What is the most pressing issue for the University, and how would you deal with it? I would say it’s, first of all, affordable housing and after that I would say [students’] access to transit. How do you feel about the new development in Dinkytown and other University neighborhoods? I supported the new Dinkytown development and will probably support other responsible development in Dinkytown. My primar y interest would be on housing because [rent prices] are simply not affordable right now for many students and a bigger supply of housing would drive rental costs down. But I’m not about tearing down buildings that have

value to the community. I really want to have our first priority to be developing on empty lots … in and around Dinkytown and other University areas that can support that. How do you feel about Minneapolis’ plan to implement streetcars to improve the city’s transit system? I’m in favor of it and I’m in favor of light rail, street cars, bikes and pedestrian transportation improvements in the city. What changes, if any, should be made to the city’s police department? I’m going to work closely with the police chief to make sure we have a police force that reflects the values of our entire community. This is going to require increased training and it’s

going to require closer community ties between the police and the neighborhoods. I also favor stronger sanctions against police officers who engage in any kind of misconduct. In terms of sustainability, what policies would you push? The very first thing we can do … is in the energy area, and I have already proposed solar panels [to install] on all city, school and park buildings in Minneapolis that can support them … In addition to that … energy efficiency will be the other energy initiative. And then thirdly, green development … It will save energy, it will spur transit and it will allow people to get along without so much auto traffic … After that, waste management.

What are your plans to reduce the achievement gap in the city’s education system? The issue is broken down between school teachers and reformers, and it shouldn’t [be]. What we need is a leader, and I have already appointed … a mayor’s council on education that I will for-

mally appoint my first day in office … That will give us, [for] the first time, a platform to actually begin negotiating reforms among all of the interested parties. I think that’s what a mayor needs to be doing, not picking sides, but bringing sides together.

What are your plans to reduce the achievement gap in the city’s education system? I will work directly with the unions, the school administration and the education reform community to get everybody on the same page to ensure that we are all united in reducing the

achievement gap … I’ll also ensure that we’ll have, at the city, policies that provide for affordable housing, job creation and safety in our community because if our kids aren’t safe in our neighborhoods … and their folks aren’t working, they’re not going to come to school prepared to learn.

JACKIE CHERRYHOMES DFL

BY ALEX CHHITH achhitch@mndaily.com

What is the most important issue facing the city, and how would you address it? I think the most important issue facing the city is the issue of disparity and equity … And clearly, we have disparities [in] health, housing, jobs, education and we need to address those if we’re going to be a whole city. What policies would you push to spur economic growth and job stability? I would institute a small business loan and grant program that’s more robust than what we currently have so small businesses and microbusinesses can have access to what they need … Secondly, I would focus

on bringing manufacturing back to the city … to ensure it will focus on all opportunities that may be out there to look at manufacturing jobs. Thirdly, ensure that we are a part of a broader regional network because jobs aren’t going to just get created here in Minneapolis. What is the most pressing issue for the University, and how would you deal with it? We are ver y lucky to have an institution like the University of Minnesota, a land grant institution in our city. We have to have really good coordination between the University and the city because I think that the University has a lot to offer… I think that the most pressing issue for University students is [rising] tuition and debt [costs] … I’m pain-

fully aware of that, but that’s not something that the city can address. How do you feel about the new development in Dinkytown and other University neighborhoods? I think that every project should be looked at closely and carefully and should have neighborhood support. How do you feel about Minneapolis’ plan to implement streetcars to improve the city’s transit system? I think streetcars are a part of a robust transit system … I have concerns that there isn’t a real finance plan for it. I also want to make sure that any transit system that’s operating is ran by the Metropolitan Council and it [is] part of their network of transit…

I don’t think that the city should run its own transit system, but I do think that streetcars are a part of a robust transit system. What changes, if any, should be made to the city’s police department? I believe that we should reinstitute a strong community policing program … I will work to reinstitute the civilian review authority, or some form of that. The current system in place, I don’t think is adequate to hold police officers accountable … In terms of sustainability, what policies would you push? I think that we need to take care of our tree canopy. I think we need to push a more green downtown. There’s an oppor tunity downtown, I think, to build two parks.

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

DAN COHEN Independent

BY NATHANIEL RABUZZI nrabuzzi@mndaily.com

What is the most important issue facing the city, and how would you address it? I think the most immediate problem we have right now is saving the [Minnesota] Orchestra … What we’ve got to do is organize the payment enough to keep them going on a temporary basis … [The orchestra] symbolizes what Minnesota stands for in the way of culture, in the way of arts, and we cannot let this situation slip through our fingers. We just can’t. What policies would you push to spur economic growth and job stability? I’ve made a jobs program

out of this downtown casino … We [should be] attracting talented people here to work … Whatever we do to promote this University promotes [the job] industry and the growth of our population. What is the most pressing issue for the University, and how would you deal with it? The most pressing issue for the University is making the University accessible for people who cannot afford it. This has to be done by management. We need to make tuition af fordable [and] whatever help can be given by government authorities, should be given. How do you feel about the new development in Dinkytown and other

University neighborhoods? I supported the controversial Dinkytown development when they told me they were going to save Al’s [Breakfast] … They saved Al’s Breakfast, which to me was the centerpiece of the University culture … I went along with the rest of it. Do I love it? No, I don’t love it. I don’t think it’s the greatest architectural or social advance that has ever been made in the city, but I think it will help furnish necessary housing. How do you feel about Minneapolis’ plan to implement streetcars to improve the city’s transit system? We can meet our transit needs with [smaller] buses

… We can r un them on much more frequent schedules, so no one has to wait more than five minutes to get a bus. The streetcar is an expensive toy. What changes, if any, should be made to the city’s police department? We’ve got to end racism in this police department. It’s intolerable … What [the city] needs is a crisis management system where people are assigned responsibilities and duties and the city speaks with one voice. In terms of sustainability, what policies would you push? I think that Mark [Andrew] has made some excellent suggestions along these lines ... He’s got a program for tree planting …

We have to be extremely sensitive to the environment and I’m not against taking ideas from other candidates. What are your plans to reduce the achievement gap in the city’s education system? It’s not a [racial] thing, it’s a rich-poor thing. Kids

that come from advantaged homes, regardless of race, do better at school than kids who don’t … Kids that are in disadvantaged homes typically do not do [well] in school … The real need is to find a way of enhancing family life for these kids.

provide basic services. I think [an] expanded bus ser vice is all [Minneapolis] really needs, or safer areas … If someone is dreaming that streetcars are going to become what cable cars are in San Francisco, they are dreaming. What changes, if any, should be made to the c i t y ’s p o l i c e d e p a r t ment? If I were to become mayor, I would sit down with the police chief and city attorney, and ever yone else who’s involved … I would like to see a re-focus about exactly how they work with community police and also the emphasis on crimes that actually harm people, instead of crimes that don’t harm people. In other words, is the focus in the right direction? That’s what I would see. The mayor ver y much has the power over the police chief and the running of the police department, and so I would be spending a lot of time on that issue. In terms of sustainabil-

ity, what policies would you push? I come from part of the government where we’re real big believers in sustainability. I mean we’re the green part of the city: the Park Board … I would hope that I would be able to continue on pushing sustainability. What are your plans to reduce the achievement gap in the city’s education system? If the mayor had power over this, I would know how to implement plans, but in fact, the mayor has to do convincing, like any-

one else. The mayor has no power… I think generally the teachers are pretty good, I think it starts higher than that. It’s the principals and administration. The other issue, of course, is going to be how do they get enough aid to do what they need to do? One of the major problems I see in the achievement gap is also what kinds of courses are being offered? Are they challenging the students? Are we spending enough time in math and science with our kids and emphasizing it?

create a dif ferent culture and a different relationship with the community. But I have a police accountability plan … to make sure that [we’re] moving forward. In terms of sustainability, what policies would you push? I’m proud to have the Sierra Club and the Clean Water Action endorsement and so one of the policies I put out there is my Zero Waste Minneapolis policy, which is about doing organics recycling, recycling, reducing waste and coming to zero waste. Included in that is my strong opposition to the HERC (Hennepin Energy Recovery Center) and increasing burning at the HERC. What are your plans to reduce the achievement gap in the city’s educa-

tion system? There’s a couple things I have put out there. One of them is directly having an impact as a city with my “Cradle-to-K” initiative. The opportunity gaps children face star t before they’re bor n and go into young adulthood, and “Cradle-toK” is about making sure that kids are born healthy

and get the early brain development and growth they need to succeed in the future. As mayor, I will also be convening a table of all stakeholders in the education issue to make sure we are coming together cooperatively to come up with a good plan to reduce the achievement gap.

BOB FINE DFL

BY ALMA PRONOVE apronove@mndaily.com

What is the most important issue facing the city, and how would you address it? I think the most important issue is the high taxes we have in the city because those affect ever ything. It af fects livability, it af fects where people can af ford homes and it af fects our competitiveness, both in business and residential. I can go through ever y city depar tment, which is what I intend to do, audit and tr y and streamline and make the government much more efficient. As a result, I think I can drop property taxes by five percent. I also want to improve the business climate, both for small and large businesses. What policies would you push to spur economic growth and job stability? We need to reduce property taxes. I think it’s going to spur economic growth.

The other big item is that Minneapolis is ver y big on regulation. In other words, we overregulate. We have to get rid of a lot of the restrictions … which pertain to licensing, businesses, inspections, you name it. It really affects whether people are going to locate here. What is the most pressing issue for the University, and how would you deal with it? For me, a major issue facing the University is going to the Legislature to get more money. I don’t call that an issue that the mayor has power over. I call that an issue that the mayor should be extremely supportive of. The only other issue I can think of with the University is, frankly, security. A lot of University students live outside of University property and the question is where can the city police provide a lot more security for them? How do you feel about the new development in Dinkytown and other

U n i v e r s i t y n e i g h b o rhoods? I love the old character of Dinkytown. I think we have to look carefully at how Dinkytown is sound … I hate to close the character… When I went to the University, to me, Dinkytown had so much character to it. It was an exceptional place and I think it’s lost a lot of that character already, but [I’d] hate to see it lose any more. Go to major universities around the country and you [will] see great business districts for the students. Dinkytown is much more crucial than Stadium Village. It’s closer to the activity and the residents. How do you feel about Minneapolis’s plan to implement streetcars to improve the city’s transit system? It sounds good, but it’s a luxur y we can’t af ford. I think it’s a big mistake. We’ve got a lot of things we need to do in the city [like] fix our streets, sewers and

BETSY HODGES DFL

BY ALEXI GUSSO agusso@mndaily.com

What is the most important issue facing the city, and how would you address it? It’s twofold: making sure we grow and build the city, but do it in the right way based on common grounds. But our biggest challenge is the wide chasm we have between white people and people of color — health, housing, employment, education, the whole nine yards — and right now is when we, as a community, decide to end it. What policies would you push to spur economic growth and job stability? The number one thing I’d do is transit, especially light rail and streetcars ... That’s what I’d do. In

general, it would be making wise public investments in the public good to build the city people choose to invest in … What is the most pressing issue for the University, and how would you deal with it? From a city perspective, I think its overall making sure the city and the University interact well. More specifically, I think issues around housing and transit and development are, and continue to be, significant issues. We need a partnership with the city, with students, with neighborhoods and with the University to make sure we’re moving forward with that. How do you feel about the new development in Dinkytown and other

U n i v e r s i t y n e i g h b o rhoods? I voted to suppor t the development in Dinkytown because I think that where we want to have development is in those transit and transportation corridors. How do you feel about Minneapolis’ plan to implement streetcars to improve the city’s transit system? I am 100 percent in favor of it and have been championing it in my time on City Council and as a candidate for mayor. What changes, if any, should be made to the c i t y ’s p o l i c e d e p a r tment? I think that issues of police accountability remain cr ucial issues. Chief [Janee] Har teau is structuring her department to help

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

DON SAMUELS DFL

BY ALMA PRONOVE apronove@mndaily.com

What is the most important issue facing the city, and how would you address it? The most important issue facing the city is … closing the achievement gap. I will partner with the superintendent to achieve the goals … [citizens] expect academic success for all children. I have studied this issue seriously and I have led concrete suggestions, or proposals. What policies would you push to spur economic growth and job stability? I have a proposal called the City of Lakes Investment Fund, which we will initiate at the city and it would also be co-founded by the state and by the private sector. That is a fund to augment the relocation costs, or star tup costs, of small and medium-sized businesses, which will move into Minneapolis and … increase the job growth in the city and inspire businesses to locate here. What is the most pressing issue for the University, and how would you

deal with it? Increase attendance by Minneapolis residents and young people by transforming the preparedness of our high school graduates for college, reducing the need for remedial courses, which deplete their grants and loan resources, and we’ll enhance the loyalty … How do you feel about the new development in Dinkytown and other U n i v e r s i t y n e i g h b o rhoods? I think that development in a growing, attractive University is inevitable. The conflict around development and historical preservation is a natural tension that grows out of that magnetism. I believe that we must always move towards growing with the University and, at the same time, have an eye towards balancing the need to preser ve what makes the area special. It has to be pragmatic and based on real, historical values, not on simple sentimental values of those who want to keep the community the way it was when they were little. When we look at things in that mea-

sured, pragmatic way, we will achieve the best solutions for the community. How do you feel about Minneapolis’ plan to implement streetcars to improve the city’s transit system? I know there are candidates, and people in the city, who are calling streetcars the next shiny thing, but … [the system is] going to work in Minneapolis to add development to our transit cor ridors where we can build several floors of dense housing and mixed-use. I’m ver y confident of this and I think it will be a great transit solution to our main corridors. What changes, if any, should be made to the c i t y ’s p o l i c e d e p a r t ment? Our police department needs to become more familiar with the residents by being on foot more of the time and connecting more with neighbors. We need to make sure there are more opportunities to connect with residents, especially across ethnic lines, to build trust and cultural competency and the softer skills of po-

licing. So that [way] we can build tr ust, reduce abuse and make policing again an acceptable option especially for minority young people. In terms of sustainability, what policies would you push? Sustainability must be first social and then technical. If we can’t preser ve our people, then we will have empty stores and neglected communities that will be a drain of resources. We will have a green climate that will be polluted by people who do not see themselves in that community. So, we first have to recreate our middle class. Once we do that and we have safe communities where people are cycling in and out. …Then on top of that, now, we can add a green economy where there are green jobs and people are trained to recycle and compost and use ear th-friendly materials. …Ever ybody will feel like it’s worth doing it because they’re a part of that community. Other wise, what we’re going to have is middle

class people r ecycling and poor people polluting because what’s in it for them? Then we’re going to get group transit that’s clean, like streetcars, and the rail … [and] people can eat healthy and exercise because that’s all about sustainability too — it doesn’t matter if you have a green environment and ever yone has diabetes. We need people working out, riding their bikes and jogging along trails and have a good value around personal health. What are your plans to reduce the achievement gap in the city’s education system?

My plan is to par tner with the superintendent. I already have brought in, as [a] councilmember, star ted an organization called the “Hope Collaborative”. We brought in the principals of ten of the top-per forming schools from across the countr y with low-income, minority, inner-city kids. These schools closed the achievement gap substantially in ever y case. I’m going to push for these changes in the public school system and I’m going to be a relentless advocate for these changes being applied. Some of them are already in the superintendent’s plans.

teract with citizens the way they can’t in cars … [I will] create a culture where there’s peer pressure for officers to act on integrity and call each other out when they’re not doing so. Additionally, I support putting cameras on officers, either mounted on their bullet-proof vests or on their glasses. In terms of sustainability, what policies would you push? I’m committed to sustainability … That said, there are no policies that I would enact to promote sustainability. I am a believer in using market forces to achieve our shared goals of sustainability … [Also,] the city can par tner with the private sector. What are your plans to reduce the achievement gap in the city’s education system?

I would [work] to cut [the] red tape so that people find it easier to start and grow businesses in the city. I say that because when parents have paychecks, they have the bandwidth and the peace of mind to read to their children at night and nurture their children. When they don’t have paychecks, they don’t. … Second thing, under the heading of poverty, is

calling on my fellow fathers to step up and do their part to create stable households. … We should use Teach for America and high-performing charter schools as much as possible … I vigorously oppose the “Last In, First Out” policy … [I] suppor t giving the mayor … a voice at the table in the form of appointees to the cur rently elected school board.

we would still have that burning. We need to work smarter and start educating our children about the environment. What are your plans to reduce the achievement gap in the city’s education system? Leverage our existing park buildings for early childhood centers, early childhood programs, and then I want to implement

my lear ning labs to get kids off the streets. Then sitting down and literally getting ever ybody in a room — the superintendent, the school board, the community leaders — ever ybody that’s involved. If we don’t increase test scores for our non-white students, then I would not take half of my salar y. I would put it back into this issue and put it back into my learning labs.

CAM WINTON Independent

BY MEGHAN HOLDEN mholden@mndaily.com

What is the most important issue facing the city, and how would you address it? [Job creation], education, balance of proper ty taxes and ser vices … We need fresh eyes in City Hall, and that’s what I’m offering. What policies would you push to spur economic growth and job stability? When I’m mayor, I will streamline [the city’s business licensing] process … and make Minneapolis a more attractive place for people to come and star t businesses and grow them here. What is the most pressing issue for the University, and how would you deal with it? We’ve seen the market

respond to [the housing] demand to a cer tain extent, but the city continues to make it difficult for people who want to build apar tments in Dinkytown and elsewhere near the U. As mayor, I’ll make it so that more developers want to build housing at all price levels around the U, not just the more expensive levels that we’ve been facing these days. How do you feel about the new development in Dinkytown and other University neighborhoods? I suppor t the Opus development in Dinkytown. I support the Kelly Doran development … The developments that those companies have proposed is exactly the kind of thing we need to see more of in Minneapolis … [In order] to keep rent af fordable

for U students … we need more apar tments around the U. How do you feel about Minneapolis’ plan to implement streetcars to improve the city’s transit system? I absolutely oppose it … Buses move people from point A to point B ver y ef fectively, and we can enhance our existing bus routes … We can’t afford [streetcars]. We don’t need them anyway, and it’s a great example of spending money we don’t have on something we don’t need. What changes, if any, should be made to the city’s police department? We need more officers, and we need of ficers to have a stronger culture of integrity … I’d like to see [of ficers] on bicycle because bike patrols are a great way for officers to in-

STEPHANIE WOODRUFF DFL

BY NATHANIEL RABUZZI nrabuzzi@mndaily.com

What is the most important issue facing the city, and how would you address it? I would say the achievement gap. That’s the most impor tant issue just because if we don’t star t to fix that, or make it go the other way around, we’re in big trouble. I’ve got various ideas in terms of implementing early childhood centers and leveraging existing park buildings as [capital projects] … Number two, I want to implement what I call my “learning labs” in existing park buildings. What policies would you push to spur economic growth and job stability? We need to develop the river front … It would spur development ... On the nor th side, where we need it most,

that’s where we need to create those jobs and those living-wage careers. What is the most pressing issue for the University, and how would you deal with it? I would think that the most pressing issue would be, how are we as a city working with the Uni versity to really promote Minneapolis? When those kids graduate, [do] they want to stay here? [Do students] truly feel that they can get a job here and they can afford to live here? Honestly, it’s expensive to live in the city, jobs are tight and we need to make sure that [Minneapolis is] top on the list of retaining these highly educated kids. How do you feel about the new development in Dinkytown and other University neighborhoods? I’m all for development.

I think that development is a positive thing. It has to involve the neighborhood, in terms of ensuring that it meets [its] needs … It needs to include transit and affordable housing … I don’t see anything wrong with going into a depressed area, or kind of a tired area, and developing something as long as the neighborhood is involved. How do you feel about Minneapolis’ plan to implement streetcars to improve the city’s transit system? I’m a huge proponent of public transit; however, that Nicollet streetcar deal is a bad deal. We should not be financing transit pr ojects by taking our own proper ty taxes and financing the deal. Transit should be regionally planned so that we have regional growth so that the cost is spread out …

Once we get the southwest light rail, [I support] adding a few streetcars to hook up to that. We need to plan transit around development so that it makes sense. What changes, if any, should be made to the c i t y ’s p o l i c e d e p a r t ment? I support [Police Chief] [Janeé] Harteau with what she’s tr ying do with greater transparency, integrity and accountability with the force … We’re in this together and, as the mayor, I will work with [the police department]. In terms of sustainability, what policies would you push? We need to strive for zero waste … Once again, a regional issue because most of the burning at [the Hennepin Energy Recover y Center] comes from the suburbs, so we could be a zero-waste city, but

WARD 3 KRISTINA GRONQUIST, JACOB FREY, Green party

DFL

What is the most important issue facing the ward, and how would you address it? I think the most important issue facing Ward 3 is how we move ahead positively with development and how we [want to] include everybody in that plan of development. We have downtown Minneapolis in Ward 3. We have a lot of development going on in Dinkytown as well, and I think that approaching the development very carefully and slowly — taking into account the neighborhood plans, the need for affordable housing and the need to always look at the environment, we can develop in a way that is going to keep our city green. What policies would you push to spur economic growth and job stability? I think the kind of development that we can promote should always look at job development and … providing living-wage jobs for people … I would try to promote [new models] of economic development, and that would be [with] cooperatives — organizations where citizens get together and invest in their communities … What is the most pressing issue for the University, and how would you deal with it? I think the most pressing issue for the University is how students can afford to stay educated and enrolled in the University and not be overly stressed and overly taxed. How they’re going to be able to afford their education and repay their student loans and whether or not there’s going to be job stability in their fields. The Green Party actually supports publicly funded tuition — free tuition all the way through college. That’s a national platform of the Green Party, and I realize it’d be difficult to implement on the City Council … I’m not always convinced there are scarce resources. I think that students are, in many cases, getting a raw deal in what they’re spending for education … I’ve been very disenchanted with the direction that the University has gone in becoming sort of a privileged and elite institution, and I want to turn that around and make education more affordable for way more people. How do you feel about the new development in Dinkytown and other University neighborhoods? I’m a little worried about the way the development has progressed. I would look to the Marcy-Holmes Neighborhood [Association] and other neighborhood groups that are active. Also, the small business community in Dinkytown and work with them to try to preserve the historic character of Dinkytown … We can’t stay frozen in time. Students need apartments, places to live, and we don’t want them living in unsafe old houses … so there’s definitely a balance. I’ve been concerned that the development has been moving too fast without enough citizen input. How do you feel about Minneapolis’ plan to implement streetcars to improve the city’s transit system? I support streetcars with some reservations. I believe that streetcars are an economic development tool and would like to have them viewed somewhat separately from transportation as economic development. I believe that cost-effective transportation is really going to be about improved bus service and that’s going to be more cost-effective. What changes, if any, should be made to the city’s police department? That’s been one of my top issues. … I would implement a new citizen [review] authority that would have teeth, subpoena power, and I would require police to carry their own individual liability insurance. I am also exploring the idea of cameras being installed on guns. … Racial profiling is [also] a big problem in our city, and it’s a problem everybody needs to be concerned about … In terms of sustainability, what policies would you push? I’d like to invest in green jobs that would maintain a sustainable infrastructure and make a transition from nonrenewable to renewable sources of energy. To become a zero-waste city would be really important to me. Promoting recycling, composting, reuse programs [and looking] at packaging issues and regulations. Just recycling plastic isn’t enough. We need to look at how to reduce the use of plastic in packaging. I support a strong local food economy by developing urban agriculture and promoting farming in the city … to address the issue of lack of access of some neighborhoods to healthy food. How will you work to reduce the achievement gap in education? The City Council and the mayor [do not] have jurisdiction over our school board — our school board is independent. That being said, I believe it’s a poverty gap that’s based on race or culture … Until we decide as a city, state and country to really address poverty, we’re always going to have an achievement gap. There’s a number of things the city can do to be a voice for education and work with youths outside of schools, but the reality with the achievement gap is it’s about institutional racism, structural racism …

What is the most important issue facing the ward, and how would you address it? I would say the most impor tant issue is having a City Council member who is responsive and ef fective. By responsive I mean calling [constituents] back for ever y single constituent concern, making sure the basics are taken care of and ensuring ever yone is able to par ticipate in the process. What policies would you push to spur economic growth and job stability? Two things: One is environmental sustainability. We can be doing things to create green jobs right here in our city and make sure Minneapolis is the greenest city, not only in our state, but in the entire countr y. That will, in and of itself, create jobs. The second piece is bringing additional residential population to our city, and specifically our downtown. As we grow our residential base, we’ll be able to trigger small and local businesses, trigger economic activity, which will ultimately fulfill jobs, specifically for students after they graduate. What is the most pressing issue for the University, and how would you deal with it? The student debt crisis. There are countless students graduating right now with a heap ton of debt and [without jobs], and they end up moving home and sleeping on their parents’ couch in the basement. That’s not good for the students. It’s not good for the city … If we can’t provide the link to students from their school days to their employment days, then we’re missing out on a major talent sector. How do you feel about the new development in Dinkytown and other University neighborhoods? I think we should have been attacking this issue from the ver y beginning. While I am an overall proponent of density, I think it’s necessar y for a City Council member [to] be an advocate and take an early stance, not just one that is politically expedient … I think we need to be working with the neighborhoods from the ver y beginning to ensure the best possible results that fit with the area plans. How do you feel about Minneapolis’ plan to implement streetcars to improve the city’s transit system? I think it’s a spectacular idea. Not only are [streetcars] good for transpor tation, but they also trigger a ver y large amount of private investment along the corridors in which they’re placed. I think they’d be extremely applicable both going down Nicollet and Hennepin [avenues], all the way down to Central Avenue, and I also think they’d be applicable on University [Avenue] and Fourth [Street]. What changes, if any, should be made to the city’s police department? I think we should have further interaction between the police department and the neighborhoods in which they’re patrolling. In terms of sustainability, what policies would you push? First off, as we bring additional population back in the city, we won’t have people spewing gasoline fumes into the atmosphere because they have a 45-minute commute to work. So bringing the additional population is the first big piece. The second piece is as some of these developments start coming up — and there’s a slew of inevitable economic development that’s coming — we want to make sure these buildings are environmentally sustainable. That they collect rain water, that they use solar [panels], that they use minimal oil or gas, if any, and that in some cases it’d be great to get some LEED-certified buildings as well. How will you work to reduce the achievement gap in education? I think we need to target the achievement gap and the opportunity gap at the ver y root. And that means working on funding early childhood education, which means working with pregnant mothers, before the baby is even born, to ensure that they have the tools and the books that are needed to help their child succeed. That also means going all the way back to sex education. We need to help those that are struggling the most at the ver y beginning.

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

BY ALEXI GUSSO agusso@mndaily.com

DIANE HOFSTEDE,

MICHAEL KATCH,

What is the most important issue facing the ward, and how would you address it? I believe the most impor tant issue facing the ward is public safety and the maintenance of it in light of the number of public safety personnel that are planning to retire. The strategy is being discussed in the [City Council] budget committee, which I sit in, and [there was] a recommendation from the police chief to add additional personnel. What policies would you push to spur economic growth and job stability? The policies that create economic growth and economic stability are public safety, No. 1, because you can’t have economic growth without that. And then, of course, the component of [creating] jobs … The result of [the new Vikings stadium’s] synergistic policy and program [would] energize the downtown corps. What is the most pressing issue for the University, and how would you deal with it? It depends on who you’re talking to. Certainly, the most pressing issue to students is the high cost of education. And the pressing issue from the standpoint of the University is [the risk of losing funding] from the state Legislature … My role as a City Council member is to suppor t the goals of the University. I want [it] to be a successful University, but at the same time, not on the backs of the students. How do you feel about the new development in Dinkytown and other University neighborhoods? There are advantages to the development from the standpoint that development has added additional living space — much more sustainable living space — to the University and Dinkytown neighborhood. On the other hand, they have also added additional costs as far as students are concerned. … So there are pros and cons to the development. How do you feel about Minneapolis’ plan to implement streetcars to improve the city’s transit system? Streetcars [are an] economic tool. They stimulate economic development. I did vote for the streetcars at the City Council level, and I suppor t the use of streetcars and other transit options within the city of Minneapolis, including bus, transit, bikes and walking. What changes, if any, should be made to the city’s police department? As I mentioned earlier, I think we need to add additional of ficers to meet the needs of our growing community and especially the successful neighborhoods [like] Marcy-Holmes, Dinkytown … In the entire third ward, which has experienced just a tremendous amount of growth … safety personnel is critical. At the same time, the police force needs to look more like the population of the city and needs to be sensitive to the changing demographics of our community and have the ability to interface professionally with our community members. In terms of sustainability, what policies would you push? I’ve supported all of our environmental sustainability policies. I am keenly aware that it’s really critical, as our environment is under increased stress, that we as a city need to suppor t ever y aspect of environmental change [to] relieve us from our reliance on fossil fuels and look for ways to add a variety of components to our strategy … In addition to that, I suppor t all of the [new] additional buildings as being greener and more sustainable. How will you work to reduce the achievement gap in education? I am keenly aware of the educational gap because I experienced [it] as a teacher over 20 years ago in the Minneapolis school district … One of the No. 1 reasons that I suppor ted the Vikings stadium [deal] is because, along with the robust development, we will also have [more opportunities for women and minorities] that will lead to additional training and education. I think that in order for children and families to be successful, they need to have a road to success, and a job is a way of being a part of that success …

What is the most important issue facing the ward, and how would you address it? Honestly, I think the most impor tant issue facing the ward is mostly for the sake of growth. I think the best way to address it is to do what council member [Diane] Hofstede is tr ying to do in Dinkytown: tr y to do a moratorium to make sure growth is organic and not forced. What policies would you push to spur economic growth and job stability? It’s not the role of the Council or government to grow jobs. It is the role of the government and the City Council to make sure that the infrastructure is kept up with and [to] provide ser vices like the fire department and police protection. It is the role of the business community to create growth and, to that end, I believe that we need to get out of the way of the business community. We need to allow them to do what they need to do without excess regulation. What is the most pressing issue for the University, and how would you deal with it? I think the biggest issue at the moment is that tuition is awfully high, and it’s going to continue to go higher, and a lot of people are graduating without being able to find employment and repay student loans. But again, that’s not an issue that the city can address. It’s more of a situation where you have to look to see where job creation is and hopefully students will find careers where they might be able to repay their debt and find a good future. How do you feel about the new development in Dinkytown and other University neighborhoods? I think you have to preser ve … If you lose your past, you’ve lost a whole lot of your character. You have to preser ve what’s good about the city, what our past [was] and what our heritage is, and that applies in the face of a lot of growth. I think that we can probably sprout a little more than we have … in other parts of the city rather than within the third ward. How do you feel about Minneapolis’ plan to implement streetcars to improve the city’s transit system? I don’t see where the city can af ford streetcars … What changes, if any, should be made to the city’s police department? There needs to be risk management for all depar tments in the city of Minneapolis, considering the number of lawsuits that we’re carr ying out for police brutality … Instead of self-insuring, we should probably find a way to comply with the League of [Minnesota] Cities and be able to buy insurance from the League of Cities in the state of Minnesota. In terms of sustainability, what policies would you push? I cer tainly am not going to push the LEED standard because it is not necessarily ecologically ef ficient. … I think it comes down to economics. Development, like ever ything else, has to be profitable, and profits tend to drive … If it comes down to the ecology, especially in development, you pretty much have to look into how much it’s going to cost to operate the unit. How will you work to reduce the achievement gap in education? That’s a question for the school board. The City of Minneapolis and the City Council is compar tmentalized. We don’t get to make [school board] decisions.

DFL

Libertarian

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

WARD 2

DIANA NEWBERRY,

CAM GORDON,

interested to see if we can form better par tnerships with the University District Alliance, which is an effective partnership … to promote and support businesses. Some of the things that I have been working on most recently … are some policies around urban agriculture, or food production and food processing. I think that there is still work that we can do as a city to open things up so that people are able to star t and run the small kinds of businesses that they need to … Rather than giving our tax incentives to the biggest, richest projects, like the stadium, and make sure that we are investing

Green Party

Socialist Workers Party

What is the most important issue facing the ward, and how would you address it? D e ve lo pm e nt in t h e ward that benefits ever ybody. I think that we are going to see a lot of housing and employment development. What policies would you push to spur economic growth and job stability? I think there [are] lots of small programs that we have already to spur economic development. We have an economic development team that works with businesses. I’m also ver y

Newber r y didn’t r espond to multiple requests for an interview. She previously told the Minnesota Daily that her party supports increasing state and federal minimum wage, improving working conditions and reforming city departments.

more to the entrepreneurs in the area. What is the most pressing issue for the University, and would you deal with it? I think that there is a probably a number of issues, but the things that touch the city the most are like the housing suppor t, transpor tation, and I want to make sure that we are suppor ting ef for ts to provide quality good housing for students. I also have concer ns that the way the market is developing. Housing is just getting more and more expensive. I would like to see more af fordable housing options for students so it doesn’t have to be such a big expense, if they do want to live near campus. I also want to make sure that we have ef fective transpor tation. One of the things that I think we should all be proud of is the number of bikers and people who use noncar transpor tation, like buses and the light rail, but I think that we can still make some more progress with bike connections. I think that a real pressing issue with the University is raising cost of tuition. There’s not that much that the city can do, but we make sure that when we look at our legislative agenda that our city lobbyists and elected officials want to work on it with the state … How do you feel about the new development in Dinkytown and other University neighborhoods? The core of Dinkytown is in the third ward, but I was actually ver y concerned about that project

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and was tr ying to slow it down. I was concerned mostly with the boardwalk, [the] commercial core of Dinkytown. I think that we should tr y to do more to preser ve it as a unique small commercial area, maybe where the rent for the business is more affordable. I’m afraid that we will be losing smaller entrepreneurs to the development in Dinkytown if we aren’t careful. How do you feel about Minneapolis’ plan to implement streetcars to improve the city’s transit system? Yeah, I’m excited about it. I am concerned about the cost, so I’m looking to see what kind of suppor t there can be from the federal government and the state … I think the streetcar works better if there is a clear network and if it is integrated really well with the bikes, buses and light rail. So, we have to make sure we do it right and carefully. I think it will be a success. What changes, if any, should be made to the c i t y ’s p o l i c e d e p a r t ment? I want to keep working to diversify the police depar tment and, just like all the city employees, I think it’s important that we have a workforce in general that reflects the makeup of the city. I also think that it’s impor tant that the of ficers get cultural sensitivity training and awareness. I think that we want to make sure that ever yone is treated fairly and that there isn’t bias or prejudice … I also want to improve the civilian oversight. We recently did away with our civilian review authority and merged it with internal affairs, which is the police’s investigative unit to look at misconduct within the

depar tment. I’m just concerned that we don’t have the right oversight. In terms of sustainability, what policies would you push? I think that this is one of the most important citywide goals. I think that we have to implement our Climate Action Plan … One of the things that I identified in there is a need for an off-street cycle track network for biking in the city. I think that we need to get more people biking. The use of cars is one of the biggest causes of climate change in the city, so I want to keep on pushing on that. We also need to look at our electricity and our heating. The burning of coal contributes enormously to climate change … I think that we have to push our utilities companies, and if they are not able to work with us better, we maybe should continue figuring out how we can create our own municipal utility company. There are some changes in state laws that need to happen to make that feasible, so I’ll be pushing for those next year … How will you work to reduce the achievement gap in education? We have the STEP-UP program, which is a summer employment program, and it has ser ved a lot of youth of color, and we also have the Power of YOU. I think that closing the achievement gap is a challenge from the city perspective, because we aren’t that involved in the schools … I also sit on the youth coordinating board, which is a multi-jurisdictional board … and we work together … We also have a youth violence prevention plan, which I helped write and we still need to implement … to try to use our resources so that we can look at kids when they are at risk for getting involved in violence, or falling off the track ...

SOURCE: NATIONAL CONFERENCE OF STATE LEGISLATURES

Polling locations around the University of Minnesota SO

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WARD TWO 1. Van Cleve Park 901 15th Ave. SE 2. Weisman Art Museum 333 River Parkway E. 3. Pratt Community School 66 Malcolm Ave. SE 4. St. Frances Cabrini Church 1500 Franklin Ave. SE 5. Augsburg College Christensen Center 720 22nd Ave. S. 6. Augsburg College Oren Gateway Bldg 610 22nd Ave. S. 7. Grace University Lutheran Church 324 Harvard St. SE

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WARD THREE 8. University Lutheran Church of Hope 601 13th Ave. SE 9. First Congregational Church of Minnesota 500 Eighth Ave. SE 10. Marcy Open School 415 Fourth Ave. SE

SOURCE: CITY OF MINNEAPOLIS