Minneapolis City Council Member Ward 11 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
telephone
6124326005
Contact Phone
Mariam DeMello
Facebook (Full URL)
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61573850267959
Campaign Email
mariam.demello@outlook.com
Why are you seeking a City Council seat and what are your qualifications?
With a legal education and over a decade of public service—including roles with the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office, Minneapolis City Attorney’s Office, former Mayor R.T. Rybak, my current position with Saint Paul Mayor Melvin Carter, and service as a Minneapolis Charter Commissioner—I bring the knowledge and experience to take on our city’s toughest challenges.
As a lifelong resident, I share my neighbors’ concerns: property taxes keep rising while services decline, and too many of us no longer feel safe. I want to bring a moderate, solutions-focused voice to City Council to cut through dysfunction so that we can focus on the basics: making Minneapolis safter, delivering quality city services and affordable housing, and support businesses.
If you are elected, what will be your top two priorities as a City Council member?
Public safety is the most critical issue facing our city. It affects every part of daily life—business vitality, economic development, housing stability, and even the strength of our schools.
The second pressing issue is housing. The challenges of affordability, homelessness, and rising homeownership costs are deeply connected. I worry that Minneapolis is becoming a place where many simply cannot afford to live. We need permanent, long-term solutions to end homelessness, expand an affordable and diverse housing supply—including cooperative housing, single-family homes, and rentals—and ensure current residents are not priced out of the neighborhoods they call home.
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?
In additional to building affordable housing units, we need a diverse range of housing options so that both renters and homebuyers can find choices that fit their finances and their stage of life while still building equity. We need to incentivize and expand cooperative housing models such as Community Land Trusts, equity cooperatives where members build value through shared ownership, and limited-equity cooperatives that cap resale prices to preserve long-term affordability. We also need to streamline the approval process for housing developments without compromising labor protections or building standards and adopt inclusive zoning policies that encourage a healthy mix of housing types across our city.
What steps would you take to improve climate resilience in your Ward, particularly in areas prone to flooding, heat islands or lacking green space?
We can strengthen climate resilience by investing in home electrification—better insulation, heat pumps, hybrid water heaters, induction stoves, and electrical upgrades—paired with incentives, rebates, and grants to make these retrofits affordable. Education is key: small changes like lighter roofs, efficient lighting, and improved insulation can make a big difference. I also support proposals like the franchise fee if costs aren’t unfairly passed on to residents. Just as importantly, we must preserve and strengthen our green infrastructure parks, lakes, and open spaces working with the community to ensure places like Hiawatha Golf Course remain resilient and accessible.
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.
While our definition of public safety and policing may be evolving, the need for strong oversight and accountability remains unchanged. Any new initiatives whether they involve mental health services or deeper community involvement must be carefully evaluated by the City Council to ensure they are effective and efficient. This is not the time for trial-and-error approaches. There are proven models of intervention and prevention that reduce crime and strengthen public safety. By incorporating experts with real experience and knowledge, we can adapt those successful programs to Minneapolis and ensure they deliver meaningful results for our residents especially at risk youth.
Biographical Information
telephone
6513439095
Contact Phone
6513439095
Facebook (Full URL)
http://www.facebook.com/sketchesofspam
Campaign Twitter Handle
@wallowinmeyer
Campaign Email
electjimmeyer@gmail.com
Why are you seeking a City Council seat and what are your qualifications?
I’m a 50-year resident of Ward 11 (Washburn ’80!) running as an independent to halt the city’s tax and spending growth and revenue base decline that hits homeowners and renters hard. Many elected leaders seem anti-business / pro tax increases as we face macroeconomic stagflation risks and other funding threats. I retrained as a nurse in my 40s. We need targeted workforce redevelopment for job and wage growth. I served on the city’s advisories on Aging, and Racial Equity. As an independent, I seek to engage discouraged (non) voters and all others. I'm not beholden to any party line or big backers, just sound governance. I’ve been a targeted whistleblower at my state-run job. I’ll strive to bring that same fearless honesty to city hall.
If you are elected, what will be your top two priorities as a City Council member?
My three-word identifier on the ballot is Budgetary Economic Stability. It’s going to take all hands working in unison to create jobs and generate revenue. My second or equal priority is assessing the depths of our annual budgetary shortfalls. The levy always rises to meet the current service level, but is the CSL optimal? There are essential core services to city operations, and others that are clearly less so. It may be time to honestly examine. I’ve heard the unofficial idea that a new elite upper tax bracket could possibly raise $40 million. I’m open to any ideas toward budget balance, but it would be nice if that cleverly focused tax increase was matched by fiscal restraint to sell the idea and rebuild trust, not just kick the can.
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?
It’s a contrary view but is affordable housing truly #1 priority? Rents are fairly stable. Home maintenance is not cheap either. But if it is this so urgent, let's prioritize budget accordingly, and clarify the specifics. Renting should be more stress-free for sure legall, but it’s becoming the wiser option. The problem is that wages are not advancing (due to many big reasons near and far). Minneapolis is a mature, largely desirable city. Are there great living options just outside our borders? Should Minneapolis devote itself to this continuously. How? I admit, some of the (not so) ‘tall’ new builds have fit in more nicely than I expected (if neighbors concur). Within sane, fair limits and in smart locations, let builders build!
What steps would you take to improve climate resilience in your Ward, particularly in areas prone to flooding, heat islands or lacking green space?
I’d build a time machine to un-lose 2024. Catastrophic. China is even trying harder than we are. I attended an open house where the family made commendable outlays to clean energy. The return on investment might be longer than many Ward 11 elders can see, but technical navigators such as the Center for Energy and Environment (www.mncee.org) can help with big or small steps. Applying a utility franchise fee increase constructively is always in talks. Sadly, unit costs and supportive policies are threatened. Mitigation is enticing, but tricky to forecast and scale. Let's ensure drains are capable, streets tapered. Ward 11 has a lot of tree shade and green. The more the better citywide. I'm not a topic expert, but willing to learn together.
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.
‘If any’? Isn’t that the primary function of government? Smart initiation, continual evaluation? ``Prevent disturbances.’’ Is that code for violence interrupters? That narrow label can apply to very different groups. The public has some skepticism. We may need more PR clarity and evaluation on these good intentions. I also detect some jealousy about the funding winners, and valid concerns around political patronage. Emergencies and/or service seem like a core function, not for outsourcing, but we must monitor nonetheless. We should also monitor groups with terrible ideas that obstruct or diminish ``public safety,’’ a term many folks define so differently. Let’s keep these difficult talks open, honest. Bottom line, are we reducing crime?
Biographical Information
Facebook (Full URL)
http://www.facebook.com/jamison.whiting
Campaign Twitter Handle
@Jamisonwhiting
Campaign Email
jamisonwhitingformpls@gmail.com
Why are you seeking a City Council seat and what are your qualifications?
I am running for City Council because I believe in the promise of Minneapolis.
My story is the culmination of countless acts of kindness and mentorship from teachers, coaches, and neighbors who refused to let me fall. That support was possible because Minneapolis is a city where municipal basics are handled first, allowing us to focus on our families, our businesses, and our futures. These basics are the foundation for my campaign.
As a city attorney for Minneapolis, I have the pleasure of working alongside the 4500 city employees who do the unseen labor of keeping our city running. They, along with my neighbors, deserve city leadership that works as hard as they do, and I’m excited to show up for them every day at City Hall.
If you are elected, what will be your top two priorities as a City Council member?
First, public safety. As a police reform attorney for the City of Minneapolis, I work directly on the two agreements established in response to the murder of George Floyd—the MDHR Settlement Agreement and the DOJ Consent Decree. We have a transformational opportunity to improve our public safety ecosystem, we’re making progress, and we should support the reforms as written in both agreements.
Second, housing affordability. Expanding housing options, both for homeowners and renters across the affordability continuum, is critical to meet the demands of a growing city and address the housing crisis. Housing is a human right, and we need strong, consistent housing policy to dramatically increase the housing stock in Minneapolis.
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?
Build. More. Housing. We need to build significantly more housing across the entire housing affordability spectrum in Minneapolis, including market-rate, missing middle, affordable, and deeply affordable housing (under 30% area median income), which will require partnerships and investments from city, private, and nonprofit stakeholders.
I have had conversations with private developers, affordable housing providers, and community development organizations, and the most common feedback I hear is a desire to see consistent housing policy in Minneapolis. Signaling that consistency is key to encouraging new projects and a continued investment in Minneapolis, and I’ll strive to do that on council.
What steps would you take to improve climate resilience in your Ward, particularly in areas prone to flooding, heat islands or lacking green space?
Building energy consumption is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions, and the energy burden from utility bills is a significant financial weight for too many families. This is why improving energy efficiency and decarbonizing buildings is important for climate mitigation and environmental justice.
As a council member, I will advocate for serious investment in clean and renewable energy projects, including block-by-block energy retrofits, electrification of homes, delivering air-source and ground-source heat pumps, advancing distributed solar, and pilot block-by-block geothermal networks.
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.
I have had the privilege of working alongside MPD, our Office of Community Safety, and the Neighborhood Safety Department, and I fully support their efforts to improve our public safety ecosystem. While we are making significant progress, I do believe more oversight is needed to ensure third-party community groups are vetted and complete a competitive bidding process with expert-informed proposal evaluations.
As someone who works with our MPD officers and community safety groups as part of my day job, I know this work isn’t easy. Council should play an active role—not just in funding these groups, but in making sure they are effective, transparent, and responsive.