Vision.
“For the last nine years I have advocated for progressive change at City Hall. My continued advocacy for the 13th Ward will center on advancing government accountability, combatting economic inequity and continued transformation of our public safety system.”
Transforming Public Safety.
Every person living in Minneapolis should feel safe and served by the people and programs intended to promote public safety. And right now, that’s not the case. That’s why I’m working to transform public safety in Minneapolis.
I did not sign a pledge to dismantle or defund the police. People have different ideas about what “defunding” the police looks like, and I want to be transparent in my convictions. I don’t equivocate when it comes to my belief that we need to appropriately fund a police department. While I have worked to create positive changes from top to bottom, and implement oversight and strengthen accountability of police officers, these measures did not do enough to protect George Floyd and other people of color and Indigenous people in our city who have suffered at the hands of police. We can and must do better.
Also, we must broaden our view of how to respond to emergency calls – especially non-violent ones. When you call for help, you should have a say in what kind of help you receive. That’s why I supported a study to analyze 911 calls in Minneapolis. The study reveals that a good portion of calls – 10 percent or more – can be addressed by staff other than sworn police officers.
I’m already working to ensure the city provides trained staff to appropriately and compassionately respond to certain types of crises. I strongly supported development of the city’s mental health co-responder program, and I’m pushing for housing co-responders who can provide resources to people experiencing homelessness.
Economic security and the physical and mental well-being of Minneapolis residents are fundamental to community safety. We need to address the root causes of challenges we face – not just the symptoms. I believe we should look at public safety through a public health lens, and this means that Minneapolis needs long-term investments in violence prevention such as the CURE Violence initiative, and why it is critical to reduce economic disparities, especially in stable and affordable housing for residents.
We will not be successful in reforming public safety without engaging the community, hearing your ideas, and being clear about how your ideas will shape our city’s new approach to public safety. That’s why I co-authored a resolution that initiates a year-long community engagement process around public safety. The resolution passed with unanimous support from my colleagues.
City staff are working on plans for comprehensive, city-wide engagement right now, but I didn’t wait to jump in. During the summer of 2020, I hosted 7 forums on public safety to hear directly from constituents. It’s important we start engaging in hard conversations now. That’s how we’ll make progress, together.
What I’ve accomplished:
Through constant monitoring and establishing the function of internal police audits, I have gotten body worn camera policy compliance by officers from roughly 55% in 2017 to 92-96% in their last quarterly audit report.
I harnessed the Minneapolis Audit Department to advance police accountability, expanding the department’s role in investigating MPD operations and policies – from data practice requests, hiring practices, off-duty work, to the use of ketamine.
I changed the Police Conduct Oversight Commission ordinance to ensure more rigorous investigation of misconduct within the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD). Twice.
I created a workgroup that’s digging into the impact of off-duty work on the city and MPD officers, and the effects of privatizing public safety.
I supported adding more sexual assault investigators so that victim-survivors can see faster results. I took on how sexual assault kits are stored and processed locally, and successfully advocated for an improved, state-wide tracking system.
Next steps:
Use our ability to conduct body worn camera audits for coaching purposes and stop problematic behavior patterns before they cause harm.
Further performance training around mindfulness practices to help responders serve every shift with empathy, compassion and respect. The neurobiology of trauma is something that city leadership can no longer ignore.
The public wants more information from our police department, and I will continue to push to improve MPD communications in the interest of improving public trust.
I’m proposing a new division within the city’s Audit Department to do more proactive investigations into police department policies and data.
I’m advocating for state-level changes that get in the way of local progress on public safety. We must change state policies on arbitration to ensure police officers can be appropriately disciplined for misconduct.
We must ensure that those providing public safety services reflect the make-up of our city and the values we hold. That’s why I’m calling for changes that ensure more women and more individuals from BIPOC communities are represented in the police department, at every level.
We need improved licensure and qualifications standards for peace officers and arbitration reform, and realize it will take state partners to achieve this reality.
Work with advocates across the state to further the 28 recommendations and 33 action steps of the Working Group convened by MN Attorney General Keith Ellison and MN DPS Commissioner John Harrington, on Police-Involved Deadly Force Encounters. I see this as a critical roadmap for positive change. I’ve shared this in many settings and you can find it here .
Advancing Government Accountability.
Government must be trustworthy, transparent, and accessible to everyone. We all contribute to government with our voices, our votes, and our taxes: it should be accountable to us.
In my time at City Hall I have pushed hard to improve Minneapolis’ accountability to its residents as Chair of the Audit, Enterprise and Budget Committees. Audits are a way to fight for results. When an audit reveals an issue, it becomes part of the public record and officials must make a plan of action to seek solutions until the issue is resolved.
I also prioritize making myself available to you, my constituents. Your voices are a key part of making a city that works better for everyone. As Chair of the Budget Committee, I’ve created more opportunities to get involved in the budget process to make your voices heard. Our budget should reflect the values of Minneapolis residents.
What I’ve accomplished:
I initiated internal audits whose findings led to a new body camera policy for MPD officers. To this day, I keep a close eye on the implementation of this policy.
I combined our budget process with our performance metrics tracking as a city. Minneapolis provides data on how city departments are performing and shows us how effective our taxpayer dollars are at achieving our goals. I use this data to hold departments accountable and push for improvements.
I’ve tackled many other items related to government accountability including improving financial policies by implementing insurance policy changes, initiating a communications audit that will impact how the city can better engage residents and launching a study to reveal the long-term impacts of raising the minimum wage on both workers and businesses in Minneapolis.
Combatting Economic Disparities.
Everyone who wants to live and work in Minneapolis should have access to economic opportunities, fair pay, and the right to live with dignity.
That’s why, when people have approached me with concerns about wage theft, paid sick time, wages, and workplace protections, I’ve taken action, passing or advocating for ordinances that address each of these issues. I’ve also authored and co-authored ordinances to protect workers who are often marginalized including freelance and minimum wage workers and workers in the adult entertainment industry.
Economic disparities intertwine with racial injustice. I will continue fighting to ensure everyone in our city – no matter their zip code or skin color – can make ends meet.
What I’ve accomplished:
After hearing stories from people working in the construction, restaurant, and custodial services industries, I introduced and successfully passed a wage theft prevention ordinance. This ordinance gives Minneapolis the tools it needs to ensure everyone working in Minneapolis gets paid what they have earned. I also introduced and passed an ordinance that ensures gig workers, contractors, and freelancers get paid what they have earned.
I think it’s important that the people hired to work for the city reflect our community. That’s why I directed an audit of the Minneapolis’ hiring practices to identify inequities. I also directed the our Human Resources Department to review the city’s retention of women and employees of color.
Next steps:
I will continue to partner with groups and organizations that protect the rights of working people.
As Minneapolis rebuilds following civil unrest in our community, I am advocating to ensure new development benefits working people and families in neighborhoods most impacted by the unrest. I’m also engaging residents in the budget process so that they can advocate for their needs.
Addressing Housing Inequalities.
Our city, including Southwest Minneapolis, needs more affordable housing. All Minneapolis families should be able to live near their workplace, and people at all income levels should have access to the beautiful natural spaces, thriving local businesses, and close-knit neighborhoods of Southwest Minneapolis.
I’ve helped create nearly 150 units of affordable housing in Ward 13 since I was first elected in 2013, and I’m fighting for investments to preserve and build additional units across the city. Affordable homes are crucial to creating a vibrant city and workforce, addressing homelessness, and ensuring families can make ends meet and save for the future.
Some people argue that Minneapolis 2040, our city’s comprehensive plan, helps address Minneapolis’ need for affordable housing. I disagree. That’s why I voted against the plan.
I agree wholeheartedly with the stated goals of Minneapolis 2040. From fostering sustainability and advancing racial equity, to increasing access to public transit and creating economic resilience in our city, it’s important that we plan ahead as Minneapolis grows.
However, the process that informed Minneapolis 2040 was flawed. It lacked deep, effective community engagement. When the community did provide feedback, it was ignored, or vilified. In addition, the steps outlined to implement the plan are vague. I feel that the plan, as it was passed, will actually make it harder to achieve the plan’s stated goals. One of them being housing affordability.
For example, while the plan claims that allowing the construction of triplexes in residential areas across Minneapolis will address our city’s need for affordable housing, the plan does not ensure additional units will be affordable, or protect affordable single-family homes from being flipped. I take issue with the idea that speculatory investors will simply add affordable units because we created a new market for them.
Despite the flaws of the 2040 plan, I am committed to working on tangible, clear, and specific initiatives to help ensure access to affordable homes in Ward 13 and beyond.
What I’ve accomplished:
I supported an inclusionary zoning ordinance that requires developers build or fund affordable housing units when they construct new buildings.
Even before inclusionary zoning, however, I made it a habit of working with developers to ensure they included affordable housing in any new development in Ward 13. I’ve helped create nearly 150 units of affordable housing in Southwest Minneapolis.
I continue to advocate for record investments into the Minneapolis’ Affordable Housing Trust Fund. I also advocate to ensure affordable housing is built in every area of the city, including Ward 13.
I supported new renter protections in Minneapolis. These protections cap security deposits at a single month’s rent, make tenant screening processes more fair, require that landlords give tenants 60 days notice if an affordable rental property is sold, and more.
Next steps:
I’m committed to advocating for policies that support affordable housing, aging in place, affordable home ownership, and renter protections.
I’m working to create the city’s first housing co-responder program to assist those facing homelessness.
I’m currently working with city and county partners to bring a new affordable multifamily project to the recently renamed West Maka Ska neighborhood.
I am working with our Community Planning and Economic Development department to identify city owned land in Southwest Minneapolis that can be used to build new affordable housing.I push for government that’s trustworthy, transparent, and accessible to everyone. Because we all contribute to government with our voices, our votes, and our taxes, it should be accountable to us.
Seeking Sustainable Solutions.
Climate change is one of the greatest long-term threats facing our city. Our changing climate is poised to introduce economic, political and social challenges. We are lucky to live in a city as vibrant as ours, where we can enjoy healthy lakes, beaches and parks. We are making good progress toward some of our ambitious city goals, but we must redouble our efforts.
What I’ve accomplished:
Set goals, engaged residents and approved a 10-year Transportation Action Plan, that will guide planning and implementation of transportation projects in a framework that emphasizes low or no-carbon transportation options. It is guided by six key goals: climate, equity, safety, prosperity, mobility and active partnerships.
Led the Rebuild Resilient city budget efforts for Minneapolis Forward, a coalition to rebuild businesses impacted by civil unrest in 2020 in a greener way, and realize $1.5M annually in energy savings and solar production for approximately 200 BIPOC and immigrant-owned businesses.
Approved intersection improvements in key corridors across the city and championed and co-authored the Vision Zero initiative to create better instructure for non-motorized transit.
Became an active intergovernmental policy partner of watershed district initiatives and flood mitigation planning.
Continued to green our city fleet of vehicles and enthusiastically support the Green-to-Go ordinance, which requires that restaurants package food in food-safe containers that are compostable or recyclable, diverting large amounts of plastic from our waste stream.
I authored sixteen zoning-code amendments, changing construction codes to create a greener city and one that will last longer.
I advocated for the initial rollout of the 4D Affordable Housing Incentive Program that includes energy efficiency grants. Now we need to expand it.
Next steps:
I’m committed to advocating for policies that mitigate climate change, including promoting sustainable development in our city. I’m advocating for measures that preserve aging infrastructure, encourage the use of recycled products in construction, and that reduce waste in city projects and public works initiatives.
Renewed focus on waste stream diversion, as plastics inundate and overwhelm our global environment.
Support and fund the Vision Zero Action Plan.
Advance efforts on carbon sequestration, mitigate heat islands and stormwater management initiatives including increased tree planting in our public right-of-way and with our park board partners.
The expansion of the Southwest Lightrail will take a lot of effort. I will continue to be an advocate for the future, blue line extension that would serve the communities of North Minneapolis and beyond. I’ll continue to advocate for investments that increase access to cleaner and cost effective forms of transportation, including bus rapid transit.
I will continue to support policies that make Minneapolis a bird and pollinator-friendly city.
Minneapolis Cannot go it Alone.
Intergovernmental partners are key to a functioning government for all Americans. I strive to be connected on every level and relate my own local, grassroots perspective and Minneapolis’ big city vision into decision-making at every level. We cannot move forward as a city without strong partners at the state, and receiving a fair share of aid from local government. But it takes working relationships throughout different levels of government to make our world work better, together. Whether it is federal, state or local partners, I advocate for the needs, values, and voices of Minneapolis residents. These other elected officials who serve you at different levels of government are my trusted partners.
It is easy to forget the importance of our local partners. My efforts with the Metropolitan Council include our mass transit needs and planning, including the construction and operation of the Southwest Light Rail, where I serve on the Southwest Community Works Steering Committee on behalf of the city’s interests.
Hennepin County is the provider of not only many needs related to social services for our city, but also the criminal justice system. Proper coordination with the county on the many county roads of Minneapolis is key to a functioning transit system. My regular check-ins with the county are critical to aligning services with local resident needs.
The Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) is another key partner in both our economic vitality and in the quality of life residents of our city have due to its proximity. I regularly address issues related to airplane noise on various local and national committees. I ask aviation experts and airport leaders to consider the quality of nearby residents in their planning and daily operations. I am the secretary of the National Organization to Insure a Sound-Controlled Environment (NOISE). This organization is a national advocacy group committed to reducing the impact of aviation noise on local communities. As part of this group, I help build an agenda to lobby federal legislators on reducing airplane noise. I am also our city’s representative to the MSP Noise Oversight Committee, and I am on the Municipal Airport Commission’s long-range planning committee where I advocate for the interests of Minneapolis residents with regards to the future of the Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport.
Finally, it takes an investment of time and energy to connect philanthropic, private industry, and individual partners in order to advance our city’s goals. I am pleased to be a key connection point into City Hall. It is vital to work alongside leaders in these spaces to advance our vision of a better future for Minneapolis. We are all in this effort together.