Minneapolis City Council Member Ward 1 Choose 3
As local legislators who sometimes have executive power, council members can propose ordinances, set administrative policy, and authorize the budget proposed by the mayor. They oversee all city activities, including city services, programs, licensing, and public safety. Mayoral appointments to city government typically require council approval. Learn more here: https://www.lwv.org/blog/voting-local-matters-why-vote-city-councilSee a complete list of Minneapolis City Council candidate forums at https://lwvmpls.org/2025-candidate-forumsIf your candidate didn’t fill in the guide below, visit the Secretary of State’s Candidate Filing site to find contact info. If you reach out, ask candidates to complete their Vote411 Voters Guide from the LWVMN!
Biographical Information
Why are you seeking a City Council seat and what are your qualifications?
The Socialist Workers Party campaign is the only campaign with a program for the vast majority – the working class. Capitalism is the source of the economic, social and moral crises faced by working people worldwide, including in Minneapolis, which includes the drive toward another world war. The SWP campaign opposes Jew-hatred and supports Israel’s right to exist. Only a movement of workers to take power out of the hands of the capitalist class can begin to solve these crises in the interest of our class.
If you are elected, what will be your top two priorities as a City Council member?
To fight for a union-led campaign for amnesty for immigrant workers to build the unity of the working class and to halt the arrests and deportations. The Socialist Workers Party candidates also call for a massive public works program to provide employment at union-scale wages building housing, schools, roads and other needed infrastructure, including building and staffing childcare centers to ease the burdens on working-class families, especially women.
How do you propose to increase the availability of and access to affordable housing for both renters and people seeking to buy their first home?
As long as housing under capitalism is based on profit making and not human needs, this is not possible. It will take a revolution made by working people to ensure that housing is available at a cost that can be affordable.
What steps would you take to improve climate resilience in your Ward, particularly in areas prone to flooding, heat islands or lacking green space?
Capitalism destroys the two sources of wealth – nature and the worker. The capitalist class’s only concern is profit, not safety for workers, the environment, or those living near their factories, mines and railroads. Unions fighting for control of safety on the job means controlling the effects that the drive for profit has on the community as a whole – from pollution by dangerous chemicals, fires and explosions, and poisoning of the atmosphere. Only workers power can solve questions of safety and the environment.
What role, if any, does the City Council have in supporting and monitoring the effectiveness of community groups who are working to improve public safety, prevent disturbances and the need for emergency services? Please explain.
We will need a movement of working people which is led by the labor unions like the Civil Rights Movement to ensure that the community can do these things. There are no effective organizations now that play this role.
Biographical Information
telephone
6124590685
Contact Phone
612.459.0685
Facebook (Full URL)
http://www.facebook.com/Elliottforward1/
Campaign Twitter Handle
@elliottforward1/
Campaign Email
hello@elliottpayne.org
Why are you seeking a City Council seat and what are your qualifications?
I currently serve as Council President for my second term where, under my leadership, we’ve doubled the legislative output of the previous term, including: expanding the Behavioral Crisis Response, strengthening renter protections, passing police reforms, passing minimum wage for rideshare drivers, securing ongoing funding for labor co-enforcement, funding free immigration legal services, and much more. I’m running for re-election because it’s vital that we hold the majority and follow through on the foundation we built. We have set in motion a people-first agenda that prioritizes climate action, transforming public safety, addressing the housing crisis, and worker protections that I want to see through during the four year term.
If you are elected, what will be your top two priorities as a City Council member?
My top priority has always been public safety. Residents deserve the right response from the right professional. I helped create the BCR to ensure 911 can dispatch mental health professionals, not just police, when appropriate. An emerging area of focus is fighting back against authoritarianism. We must stand firm in our commitment to protect the most marginalized, especially our immigrant and LGBTQIA+ communities. Under the second Trump administration we are seeing our neighbors get kidnapped and sent to foreign gulags and local judges are being targeted and arrested by the FBI for protecting our due process rights. I authored a resolution that gives our City Attorney the authority to proactively sue the Trump regime to uphold our values.
How do you propose to increase the availability of and access to affordable housing for both renters and people seeking to buy their first home?
Every single person who wants to make a home in Minneapolis should be able to do so and every policy solution that gets us toward that goal is on the table. I support an “all of the above” approach to housing policy and will highlight rent stabilization, the creation of a municipal bank, and building social housing as specific policies to pursue. Voters overwhelmingly supported the ballot amendment that allows city council to pass a rent stabilization policy. I support a policy that is crafted to meet the specific needs and context of our housing crisis, including policy elements such as a new construction exemption, just cause eviction, and rent banking. I support TOPA and downpayment assistance to expand homeownership to more people.
What steps would you take to improve climate resilience in your Ward, particularly in areas prone to flooding, heat islands or lacking green space?
The Climate Equity Plan and the franchise agreements with Xcel Energy and Centerpoint are critically important steps that we have taken since my time in office and are a reflection of the city’s commitment to climate action. The Climate Legacy Initiative is an annual commitment of $10M for climate action funded through our franchise agreement and we must put these plans and resources into action. That means creating a block-by-block strategy that begins with our environmental justice designated Green Zones—we must identify a target block that has a diverse mix of structures that we can retrofit for climate resiliency. This will allow us to scale the workforce and infrastructure necessary to meet the urgency of the climate crisis.
What role, if any, does the City Council have in supporting and monitoring the effectiveness of community groups who are working to improve public safety, prevent disturbances and the need for emergency services? Please explain.
We need a comprehensive public safety system that is accountable to the residents of Minneapolis. That means having an expansive set of services that complement the full spectrum of Preventitive, Responsive, and Restorative capacities as outlined in the Safe and Thriving Communities report. As the chair of the Audit Committee, I have worked to strengthen the capacity of the independent City Auditor so that we can build out a full system of accountability that includes the state and federal consent decrees for the police department with accountability mechanisms and oversight tools for all aspects of our public safety system, including community safety groups.
Biographical Information
Contact Phone
6128591640
Facebook (Full URL)
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61575881140401
Campaign Email
info@brianstrahan.net
Why are you seeking a City Council seat and what are your qualifications?
Ward 1 deserves a City Council member focused on making our community more affordable, safer, and more prosperous. After hearing from neighbors dissatisfied with the current Council’s gridlock and ideological bickering, I decided to run to offer a more constructive path forward. My background as a scientist taught me to problem-solve by examining evidence and challenging assumptions. As a builder and project manager, I’ve led diverse groups to achieve shared goals. I’m also a father and longtime resident who knows how special Ward 1 is and will work to ensure it remains a place where the next generation can thrive.
If you are elected, what will be your top two priorities as a City Council member?
My top priorities are housing and public safety. Ward 1 and Minneapolis need more homes at every price point. The City Council can do more to allow small-scale, incremental growth that fits our neighborhoods while giving residents a real say. Public safety is just as critical. People deserve to feel safe in their homes, on their blocks, and on our streets. That means tackling both crime and everyday dangers like speeding traffic. By expanding housing options, improving mobility, and keeping our streets safe, we can build a more resilient, welcoming, and prosperous community for everyone.
How do you propose to increase the availability of and access to affordable housing for both renters and people seeking to buy their first home?
We need mixed development to grow Minneapolis’ housing supply sustainably. That means making it easier for property owners to add auxiliary units, reforming zoning to allow duplexes, triplexes, and small apartment buildings, and ensuring new projects fit their neighborhoods. Affordability comes from steady, incremental growth not one off mega projects. But red tape and costly delays block the “missing middle” housing we need most. By cutting outdated barriers and opening the door for small scale builders and families, we can create real affordability: more neighbors, more choices, and better access
What steps would you take to improve climate resilience in your Ward, particularly in areas prone to flooding, heat islands or lacking green space?
My priorities include fixing local flooding hot spots by working with Public Works and the Watershed District on targeted stormwater upgrades and expanding green infrastructure like rain gardens and permeable alleys. I’d push for aggressive tree planting, ensure boulevard trees with every street redesign, and partner with the Park Board and neighborhoods to add pocket parks, finish the Grand Rounds, and expand green space. As a builder with a green design background, I’ll push to modernize codes to allow true passive houses and create incentives for upgrades like windows, doors, and attic insulation. These low cost steps cut emissions, lower bills, and strengthen our housing stock.
What role, if any, does the City Council have in supporting and monitoring the effectiveness of community groups who are working to improve public safety, prevent disturbances and the need for emergency services? Please explain.
The City Council plays a key role in supporting and holding accountable the community groups that do the hard work of keeping neighborhoods safe. These groups know the people, the problems, and how to build trust where traditional systems fall short. Yet in the past two years, Council support has been inconsistent where funding is piecemeal, oversight spotty, and partnerships treated as short term. We need stable funding, less bureaucracy, and clear outcomes so effective work can grow. True safety comes from stronger, more connected neighborhoods that prevent emergencies before they happen. The Council must be a partner, not a barrier.