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!
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Minneapolis is at a critical point in its history and needs leaders who can restore confidence in local governance. As residents, we see the great opportunities and needs of our city and want a serious council that will invest its time and energy in a productive, meaningful manner. As the current Minneapolis Park Commissioner for District 4, I am proud to have represented Ward 7 residents the past four years. I have become a proven, trusted leader with a track record of listening to constituents, engaging in thoughtful debate, and helping turn the best ideas into policy. I am excited to bring this same leadership to the council and reset the tone of how we do politics in Minneapolis.
Public Safety and Economic Vitality: Public safety isn’t optional, it's fundamental. Improving both actual safety and the perception of safety will be essential to revitalizing our economic core. A safe city is a healthy city. Economic vitality also begins with a city council that cultivates meaningful relationships with the business community and works collaboratively to develop policies that will drive greater investment. Specific ideas include: reviewing sales tax policy and its impact on business competitiveness, encouraging zoning and tax incentives for new development, increasing the presence of police and safety ambassadors on the street, promoting events, and encouraging in-office policies for downtown workers.
The best way to increase availability and access is to increase supply. Over the past several years, Minneapolis has seen historically strong production, particularly of multi-family housing, but that is now trending downwards. The reasons for this are the uncertainty around rent control in our city and the national trends of higher interest rates and costs of building. We need to encourage zoning and tax incentives for new development, including commercial to residential conversions. We must communicate to investors we do not support rent control to avoid being equated with St. Paul. Public safety is also key – I’ve spoken to a number of developers who are reluctant to pursue new projects in Minneapolis because of safety concerns.
Minneapolis leads the nation in green spaces and parks and we need to leverage and protect these natural assets with greater support and coordination across our various units of government. I currently serve on a joint committee of city, park board and watershed leaders working together to improve water quality and shoreline habitat in the Minnehaha Creek Watershed. We need to bring this approach to other crucial areas of overlap, like stormwater management. I support environmental justice efforts related to Green Zones. I support aging our urban tree canopy through assessing boulevard trees earlier in infrastructure redesign. We saved 70 trees in the Hennepin Avenue redesign by encouraging staff to assess the carbon value of each tree.
The foundation of public safety is our city's first responders, yet does include coordinated work within the broader community. This includes private groups that are trying to advance the same goals; violence interrupters, educational and empowerment groups and various neighborhood safety walking groups. Since the murder of George Floyd, Minneapolis has substantially expanded its toolkit of public safety initiatives. Some reforms are working well, including the Behavioral Crisis Response units. Others, not so well, such as poorly-vetted violence interrupter contracts. The city should play an active role in supporting qualified private groups that meet a targeted need, but also diligently hold these groups accountable for results.
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