1. We must treat the core issues of homelessness, too many people on our streets are suffering from addiction or mental illness. For both those suffering from mental illness or addiction to drugs or alcohol we must provide a continuum of services that included mental and chemical health care, employment training and placement. I support the Heading Home Hennepin initiative to end homelessness. I also support the work being done by the Downtown Council and downtown congregations to end homelessness.
2. a. Yes I would support increasing the amount of the MFIP. b. While I support this legislation, I believe we should prioritize more immediate issues. c. I would be supportive of a single payer system but at this time it is my belief that we must focus on the implementation of the Affordable Care Act. While ACA is not a perfect system it is law and we must work to see it implemented in the most effective manner possible.
3. I live in the heart of the community hit hardest by the foreclosure crisis. I have lost good neighbors to foreclosure and have lived with vacant homes all around me. First we must prevent foreclosures whenever possible. We must support the work of Habitat for Humanity, the Minneapolis Urban League and other community-based institutions to provide counseling and support for homeowners that are in trouble. Second we must reinvest in our community. I live in North Minneapolis not far from where the tornado touched down and I see first had the vacant homes left behind because of a lack of funds and the lack of a strategic plan to reinvest in our housing stock. I support getting unused homes back into the housing supply. To do this we must leverage programs like the Homeownership Works program (HOW) a federally funded program that allows the City of Minneapolis to contract with approved non-profit developers who buy and renovate/construct single family housing units and sell to households with incomes at, or below 80% of the area median income. The home ownership initiatives of PPL and Urban Homeworks are good examples of models we can use to provide home ownership opportunities. I also support the initiatives of Build Wealth Minnesota to increase home ownership. These programs will help us create the housing we need.
4. No.
5. I have not been endorsed by the Minneapolis Federation of Police in previous elections. If they offered their endorsement for Mayor, I would accept it.
6. I do not support the use of police resources to aid big banks. But, unfortunately, banks have the legal right to foreclose and force eviction.
7. I don’t support the City take over of energy utilities. I do believe we should look at various options for controlling the energy future of Minneapolis.
8. I believe that the vast majority of our police officers treat our citizens with respect and dignity. While in office, I supported and helped create the Civilian Review Board. The current system, put in place by the existing City Council is neither transparent nor effective in addressing issues of police misconduct.
9. Unfortunately I can envision many scenarios that would warrant the use of this equipment. The recent bombing in Boston is just the most recent. I am very concerned with how are streets are patrolled. My husband, a successful attorney, has been pulled over for no reason other than being African American. I know that while some people see the police and fell safe. Many others see the police and feel threatened. We must change the culture of the Police Department. I am a believer in Community Oriented Policing but I know for this system to work, we must embrace it not just from the top down but also the bottom up. This means training and rewarding our officers for being involved and visible in the community the serve.
10. I do not support the reintroduction of this resolution.
11. I can envision circumstances when city property could be made available for development. The Park Board has a policy that they do not sell property for development; I respect the Park Board’s ability to make decisions relating to their property.
12. I support urban farming and urban food gardening. I support the use of vacant lots for this purpose. In fact, when on the City Council, I instituted practices that promoted some of the first community gardens on vacant lots. I support finding a means of providing water for urban farms/gardens. This could include city water and hydrant use. I support allowing urban farms to raise chickens. My father was a pioneer and leader in Minneapolis’s urban farming movement. I feel strongly that we should encourage the production of food at home. I would also consider the planting of fruit trees by the City and allow harvesting and distribution by local residents. Also in some cities local residents coordinate the crops being grown so that a variety of fruits and vegetables are available on a regular basis. My complete views on issues facing urban farms and urban food gardens are posted on e-democracy as part of a questionnaire issued by the urban farming community
13. I have spent most of my life working on issues of affordable housing. We need to insure that the residents of our city are housed. To achieve that goal, I support a variety of housing options including co-housing, intentional communities, housing cooperatives and SRO units. We need to develop an intentional, strategic plan to provide a variety of housing options for all residents of Minneapolis.
14. I believe we must grow our middle class. Minneapolis has always been a great middle class city and we must work to keep it this way. The best way to grow our middle class is to create good paying jobs. We also must develop a robust multi-modal transit system that connects us to each other and to jobs throughout the region. While cities like Portland, Oregon; Salt Lake City, Utah and others are investing in transportation infrastructure ours continues to age. By accelerating the construction of light rail and other infrastructure upgrades we can create jobs and more livable communities.
15. It is time for action. We don’t lack for ideas we lack the initiative to make them happen. As a City Councilmember for 12 years, and as Council President for 8, I led Minneapolis through a dramatic housing and economic boom. I am running for Mayor because I believe that together we can build a city that works for everyone. A city where everyone is welcome, everyone is valued and everyone has opportunity. But the best Minneapolis is yet to come. We will not fulfill our promise until we care for our elderly, clean our streets, ensure our safety. We will not fulfill our promise until we create good jobs, give our children access to equal educational opportunities, and give our fellow citizens confidence that their government is working for them. I know that if we work together, we can accomplish wonders for the city.
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