1. The financial crisis has been hard on everybody, and that’s unfortunately led to a dramatic rise in homelessness in Minneapolis. As Mayor, I’d look into raising private capital to improve our public housing facilities that are in dire need of repair. I’d look for ways to improve security in high-rises so public housing residents don’t have to fear crime. And I’d want to expand Minneapolis Public Housing Agency’s Move-to-Work programs, which have demonstrated an ability to get public housing residents back on their feet.
2. As Mayor, I’d focus on making sure we get back to the basics in our own city government before campaigning for big expansions of state and federal programs. In addition, some of these changes would be problematic – how would a single payer health care option impact the Affordable Care Act, which is not yet fully implemented? I don’t think the state could afford a guaranteed annual income, and something like that at the federal level might end up replacing successful programs like the Earned Income Tax Credit. I believe that if the city government handles the basics of government properly, all Minneapolis residents will have the chance to thrive.
3. I think there are things the mayor can do to reduce homelessness. But I couldn’t support using eminent domain in the way suggested here. Such a move would probably embroil the city in costly litigation and set a bad precedent for private property rights in Minneapolis. I’d focus on reducing new foreclosures in Minneapolis by creating new jobs, and target homelessness by supporting the MPHA in the ways outlined above.
4. I’ve been a consistent opponent of the stadium deal, which I believe will cost the city hundreds of millions of dollars in capital investment and maintenance that we can’t afford. I’d support putting the stadium deal up for a vote, because I think Minneapolis voters know we need to get back to the basics.
5. Yes. I welcome an endorsement from any group that wants to make life in Minneapolis better.
6. My understanding is that evictions resulting from foreclosure are typically enforced by the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office, which is run by independently elected Sheriff Stanek. However, the city has a mutual aid agreement with the HCSO and if laws were being violated during evictions or HCSO deputies required backup, I’m sure the MPD would provide assistance.
7. I share the goal of decreasing the carbon output of our power generation and ensuring reliable service at a reasonable cost. Municipalization is worth studying further as one potential way to achieve that goal. That said, even if we wanted to, it would not be possible to switch over to a municipal utility for electricity or natural gas before the current franchise agreements expire at the end of 2014. Therefore, I support extending those existing franchise agreements but only for approx. 5 years each—to avoid locking into any one approach for too long.
8. Bad actors in the police department should be singled out, fired, and punished. But I reject a broad attack on all MPD officers as racists, and I don’t see a need for a Federal investigation at this time. 99% of Minneapolis police are hardworking people with a very difficult job to do.
9. Unfortunately, recent events in Boston demonstrate that major cities can still face serious threats from terrorism at any time, despite the best efforts of the Federal government. I believe the people best suited to determine what kind of weapons and equipment the police department needs are police leadership. I would hate to see a Boston-style situation develop here and see our police department underequipped to deal with it because city leadership made a political football out of how the police are equipped.
10. My understanding is that police officers possess currently qualified personal immunity from civil suits in most situations, but that this immunity goes away when officers clearly violate established statutory or constitutional rights. The CPB proposal would essentially eliminate that, shifting the costs of lawsuits back onto individual officers in the form of insurance premiums. I think this proposal is unfair to individual officers, many of whom have done nothing wrong. I also believe it would drive up policing costs for the city as a whole, because officers would demand higher pay to compensate for the insurance costs.
11. That would have to depend entirely upon the park in question and the potential private development. I wouldn’t want to sell off a park to a developer if it was well used and in good condition. But it might not make sense for the city to keep operating an unused, unmaintained property if a private developer can do something with it that is better in line with the public interest.
12. (a. use of vacant lots and other land use) If urban farming is to become a reality in Minneapolis, access to water is crucial. As Mayor, I would happily explore options similar to the hydrant program that currently exists for community gardens.
(b. use of city water and provision of hydrant) If urban farming is to become a reality in Minneapolis, access to water is crucial. As Mayor, I would happily explore options similar to the hydrant program that currently exists for community gardens
(c. allowing urban farms to raise chickens) As mayor, I’d support an urban agriculture program that would begin by allowing chickens for agricultural purposes in a couple of pilot locations. I’d want to ensure that the city can adequately regulate all urban farms with live animals before completely jumping in. Based on the results of that experiment, I’d then pursue changes in the existing ordinance based on the results of that experiment.
(d. easing rules for marketing produce of urban farms and gardens) Yes. The current permitting process creates barriers to entry for urban farmers that don’t need to exist. I would support making the permit process available online, and change the ordinance so one permit is issued to one farm on a seasonal basis. This would prevent the problems that currently exist with respect to limited sale days and multiple sale sites.
13. My primary strategy for reducing homelessness would depend upon pushing for several initiatives to continue and expand the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority. I’d ask an expanded MPD to keep an eye on public housing high rises, which have recently become so unsafe some residents have formed their own patrols. In addition, I’d I’d use the office of mayor to reduce the social stigma associated with receiving a Section 8 housing voucher, which MPHA has said is thwarting poverty de-concentration efforts. Generally speaking, city ordinances restricting certain kinds of housing have been created to protect the health and safety of occupants and communities. I’d focus on working with MPHA’s existing programs to reduces homelessness as much as possible before pushing for a big overhaul of these laws.
14. Minneapolis needs to get back to the basics of government. Police staffing levels in Minneapolis are far below where they should be when we consider what similarly sized cities have. This makes life hard for Minneapolis citizens in many different ways – for example, if cyclists worry about bike theft, that cuts into our city’s sustainability efforts. When the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority can’t lease units in North Minneapolis because potential residents fear crime, that hurts city efforts to reduce homelessness. As Mayor, I’d ensure that the police department was well trained and properly staffed. The city also needs to step up maintenance of basic infrastructure. We should be repaving 60 miles of roads in this city every year – but we’re barely doing half of that. That leads to potholes and crumbling streets that frustrate citizens and hurt our future economic growth. As mayor, I’d get the city back to the basics and ensure our critical infrastructure is properly maintained. I’m also the only candidate pushing for serious educational reform in Minneapolis – as Mayor, I would seek the ability to appoint four school board members. I’d use this and the Mayor’s bully pulpit to push for serious school reform. All Minneapolis students deserve an education that will help them succeed in the 21st century.
15. I envision a Minneapolis in which every citizen, regardless of their ethnic background or neighborhood, shares the same opportunities. When there are jobs available to all who need them, and when the mayor is advocating for school policies that put kids first, all of our citizens will have a chance at prosperous, healthy lives.
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