My Vision for Minneapolis

  • Ward 8 neighbors–both renters and homeowners—agree that Minneapolis is better when there is room for everyone. In addition to building more housing, I support making a wider range of housing options plentiful. My vision is of a city that allows seniors to downsize in their neighborhoods, middle and working-class families to add on to their homes or move as the family grows, young families to buy their first home, renters to put down deep roots in their neighborhood, and the poor and disenfranchised allowed safety and dignity in a home of their own.

    Everyone wants affordable housing. I have the know-how and professional experience to make significant reforms to the unworkable status quo.

    The status quo of housing in Minneapolis not only doesn’t allow this, but our neighbors and neighborhoods are under stress from ever-rising property taxes, rents, and home prices. We are segregated by race and class, exacerbating disparities and divisions in our society. I am committed to passing an array of people-centered policies to counteract the housing crisis and keep our communities and families together, that would include:

    • Building social housing that is beautiful and environmentally responsible

    • Conducting a study of how the City can commission the building of publicly owned housing that goes beyond the traditional limitations of federal public housing

    • A loan program to helps Minneapolis developers and homeowners build more housing outside of the whims of national investors, including:

      • Lending on accessory dwelling units and add-ons

      • Emerging developers building missing middle and eco-housing options

      • Social housing

      • Housing cooperatives

      • Undocumented builders

    • The creation of a development board to explore strategies to increase housing production: 

      • Minneapolis should be able to have turnaround times for permits and approvals of one week

      • Regulatory and zoning changes to make the process more straightforward. Allowing working people, immigrants, and building professionals to build homes that meet their needs

      • Loan loss reserve to incentivize banks to invest in Minneapolis

      • Staff to help guide local developers through the City process and make recommendations for reforms

    • Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act

      • If you are renting and the owner wants to sell the building, you are the first one to get a chance to buy it

      • The City should partner with Minnesota Housing (the state housing finance agency) to provide real financial pathways for renters to be able to buy their buildings

      • The City would create and maintain a registry of outside organizations that are qualified to help the residents with the expertise to buy and maintain their property

    • Tax assistance to cost-burdened homeowners 

      • Helping seniors and low-income homeowners know their options for dealing with increasing property taxes and how to lower or mitigate that bill

      • Explore options for helping “house-rich, cash-poor” folks from being displaced

    • Make Neighborhood Scale Density Happen

      • Current zoning allows for up to triplexes on any lot, but there are a myriad of rules that make ADUs, duplexes, and triplexes infeasible on most lots. Those rules need adjusting so that our neighborhoods can grow to fit our needs

      • Explore zoning rules that align with expanding options for neighbors while respecting neighborhood aesthetics like form-based zoning

      • Reduce the minimum lot size requirements so that more starter homes can be built and sold affordably

    • Vacancy Tax

      • Strengthen and maintain the new vacancy tax rules to get vacant homes repaired and filled quickly

    • Public Housing Levy

      • Minneapolis Public Housing is a vital resource for our community. We need the full levy to ensure that we can repair and expand the our publicly owned homes

    • Downtown, Nicollet, and Lake Street Land Value Tax Districts

      • This is a policy that taxes the land rather than buildings. This means that speculators can no longer sit on vacant land at no cost. They must develop it and are incentivized to put as many homes on it as possible. 

      • This means more housing, commercial space, and community spaces that we need

      • A great example is the Kmart site: it would not have sat derelict for so long if this system had been in place

  • For the last decade, Minneapolis has faced a crisis of homelessness and encampments. As a homeless outreach worker, I saw the inner workings of this crisis every day. This is not inevitable, and it's unacceptable. As a city, it violates our conscience and affects our quality of life to have people sleeping outside.

    All of us–both in and out of homes–deserve a dignified home we can afford and count on in the future.

    For the last decade, the City has had an uneven “no tolerance” policy on encampments: Absolutely no encampments may exist downtown, in parks, or on MNDOT land. Technically, no encampments can exist in neighborhoods either, but that has been a lower priority than the others. Because of this, it is no surprise that encampments have repeatedly sprung up in our neighborhoods. Instead of uneven enforcement of a “no tolerance” policy, we must provide places for people to go that are safe for everyone. From temporary shelter to Housing First, there is so much more we can do to make our city more livable for everyone.I’m committed to bringing my firsthand experience with homeless people and the crisis on our streets to discussions and policy at City Hall.

    • Housing First for Homeless Neighbors

      • We must end our cruel and ineffective policy of sweeping encampments without providing another place to go and the services that individuals experiencing homelessness need to get housed

    • Amend Inclusionary Zoning

      • Instead of requiring developers to make certain units “affordable,” require developers to reserve a small portion of the units for people leaving homelessness

    • Just Cause Evictions

      • Evictions are extremely disruptive for individuals and families; often, they are a direct cause of homelessness. The process of eviction or non-renewal of leases should only be used in specific instances of lease violations or when absolutely necessary. Our laws don’t require this, and it is hurting our communities.

    • Safe Outdoor Spaces

      • Our focus is to move people inside, but while there are people sleeping outside, we must provide a place for them to be that is compatible with a high quality of life for everyone

    • Drug/Alcohol Treatment

      • Work with the county to expand the options and accessibility of treatment

    • Rent Stabilization

      • In 2021, Ward 8 voters instructed the City to create a rent stabilization policy for them to review. I support fulfilling that mandate with a policy that provides renters stability in their homes

      • This policy must center the experience of renters and the ability of local developers to build more homes

    • Dedicated Shelter Beds for Trans and Gender Nonconforming People

      • There are currently zero shelter beds dedicated for trans and nonbinary people in Minneapolis

      • LGBTQ people consistently face violence and dangerous harassment in the shelter system, particularly trans women

  • We are in a climate emergency, and it is costing families and taxpayers millions in energy bills and retrofits. The City is also responsible for decades of ongoing practices of environmental racism that are causing public health emergencies in parts of the city.

    For our health, our planet, and our wallets, it is paramount that we address the climate crisis in Minneapolis at the scale of the problem.

    We must also address the history of environmental racism that primarily impacts our Black and Indigenous neighbors in East Phillips and North Minneapolis. As a City, we can lead on climate action and racial justice, and there is no time to waste. I support:

    • The framework of the People’s Climate and Equity Plan

      • We must urgently transition our buildings, transportation, and electricity to zero-carbon sources

    • A fee on carbon pollution that reinvests the money towards environmental justice

    • The East Phillips Urban Farm

    • Implementing the City’s zero waste plan so that we can shut down the Hennepin County Energy Recovery Center (HERC)

    • A just transition to good-paying union green jobs for fossil fuel and carbon-intensive workers

    • Including network geothermal in the 2050 comprehensive plan to reduce waste and energy bills

    • A quicker adaptation of rain gardens and shoreline restoration to clean our lakes, rivers, and streams

    • Stormwater guards to keep trash out of our lakes and the Mississippi

    • (Also see Transportation)

  • Everyone knows that a comprehensive public safety system that is effective and works for everyone is one of the most fundamental responsibilities of the City. Everyone should feel safe to walk their dog at night.

    Every time you call 911, the right person, with the right training, needs to respond at the right time.

    We need to build a public safety infrastructure that adds more options for keeping us safe and centers racial justice.  Here are programs and projects that I am committed to building or renewing investment for:

    • Protecting, expanding, and refining the Behavioral Crisis Response unit 

    • Fully funding violence prevention programs and pursuing professionalization and financial accountability of new workers and contracts

    • Working with state and regional partners to make sure that there is a real presence on trains and in transit stations

    • Heavily investing in youth programs, particularly at-risk youth

      • Investing in the Public Health Department and coordinating with Hennepin County services to better serve young children at risk of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), which have lifelong consequences

      • Investing in programs for children and young people who have had many ACEs

    • Piloting a domestic violence response team that is specifically trained in de-escalation and protecting victims

    • Additional training and support for 911 dispatchers to understand how to utilize the new programs

    • Giving firefighters access to the same higher benefits as police

      • Stop understaffing firefighters (which leads to injuries and less safe outcomes)

    • Authorizing and supporting an Overdose Prevention Center, which would:

      • Greatly reduce overdose deaths

      • Provide access to recovery services

      • Reduce open-air drug use

      • Prevent the spread of HIV and Hepatitis

      • Reduce needles left throughout the city

      • Help bridge people out of homelessness

    • Partnering with Hennepin County on expanding drug and mental health treatment options

  • Every neighbor in Ward 8 agrees that George Floyd Square must meet the daily needs of neighbors AND serve as a site of memory that honors George Floyd and the global uprising that followed his murder by MPD. Five years later, the status quo of George Floyd Square–and progress in the movement for police accountability–leave much to be desired. While political actors attempt to divide us on what kind of street reconstruction project should go forward, the Black-owned businesses remain neglected, and the community hub and international landmark that is the Square remains in limbo.

    I will champion immediate investments in George Floyd Square so that it can be the vibrant neighborhood node and living memorial that it can and should be.

    To make sure that the Square is meeting these needs, I will:

    • Push for immediate improvements to lighting, crosswalks, and signage

    • Move forward with the chosen plan for the People’s Way property as quickly as possible

    • Offer facade grants to help local businesses improve their appearance and create a more attractive, welcoming environment

    • Provide forgivable loans for primarily BIPOC Minneapolis businesses to move into the Square

    • Push the City to take an active role in filling vacant buildings, including buying underutilized parcels

    • Make the memorials at GFS permanent and honoring to the space and the neighborhoods

    • Include the planning for the whole 38th corridor Black business district in discussions about the future of GFS

    • Work closely with the County to ensure that the reconstruction of Portland and Park takes into consideration the street work happening at the Square

    • Hold listening sessions for neighbors and businesses in and around George Floyd Square to tell City leaders directly what harm came from George Floyd’s murder and the subsequent City response/lack of response

    • Seek funding and work towards trauma care resources for the immediate neighbors of George Floyd Square

    • Seek ongoing funding, partner with community organizations and the Park Board, to support youth programs based in the Square for at-risk Southside youth

    • Meet the 24 demands that the City has control over, add the state responsibilities to the legislative agenda, and pass resolutions demanding the rest be met

    • Provide support for local businesses in the area during any construction

    • Improve the quality of life and livability for the area surrounding the Square that faces a history of disinvestment and the aftermath of the uprising with improvements to aging road, sidewalk, and drainage infrastructure 

    • Champion homeownership opportunities for residents (and their descendants) who have been priced out of the surrounding neighborhoods or removed by the construction of I-35

  • It’s no secret to neighbors in Ward 8 that the Minneapolis Police Department fails to treat everyone in the city with dignity and respect. From our lived experience to the consent decrees, it has been proven that MPD discriminates against our Black and Native American neighbors, and we know that is wrong. 


    It is the City's responsibility to ensure that everyone is treated with fairness by the Minneapolis Police, and status quo leadership has failed to ensure that.

    In recent years, Minneapolis taxpayers have had to pay tens of millions of dollars to police misconduct lawsuits. That money SHOULD be going to our communities. When elected to the City Council, I will champion efforts that remove officers like Derek Chauvin before they hurt or kill people. To do that, I will:

    • Stand up to the Police Federation and demand a police contract that takes officer accountability seriously

    • Consistently audit the implementation of the Federal Consent Decree and the State Settlement Agreement to ensure their goals are met

    • Require police officers to carry their own professional liability insurance (the City pays the base rate, and the officer pays for any additional costs based on their behavior)

    • Push for an all-citizen community board that oversees the police department and is empowered to make independent investigations, hand down discipline, and hire/fire officers

    • Prioritize officer mental health and wellness

    • Use the City’s legislative agenda to push for more state-level accountability, like the creation of an independent body to investigate and prosecute illegal use of force by police

    • Use the City’s legislative agenda to push for an end to qualified immunity

  • This campaign is an affirmation of our shared values that everyone belongs in Minneapolis and that our diversity is our strength. Ward 8 has a proud history of leading on LGBTQ issues that I will continue.

    Ward 8 believes that no matter what religion you are, you should be able to fully participate in our democracy.

    It is on our City leadership to accommodate our Muslim neighbors’ sacred days just like we do for other religious groups. LGBTQ, disabled, and BIPOC people are disproportionately impacted by housing insecurity, racism, and domestic violence. I am deeply committed to working towards a city that has meaningful antiracist programs that address those issues. That includes transformational change in comprehensive public safety, police accountability, and housing.

    Some of my priorities will be:
    -Make sure the Office of Racial Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging is funded
    -Free menstrual products in City buildings
    -Hold monthly meetings with the trans-equity council
    -LGBTQ inclusive healthcare directory that is kept up to date
    -Pilot a basic income program that is BIPOC and trans-specific

  • One of the other fundamental responsibilities of the City is to provide streets that are safe for everyone and won’t damage your car or bike.

    The severity of potholes in Ward 8 is unacceptable, particularly on our East-West streets like 35th, 36th, 38th, and 42nd.

    Potholes will only get worse with climate change. As a city, we need to make smart investments in rebuilding and repairing our streets in ways that make them safer for everyone, more cost-effective to maintain, and resilient to our changing climate. If elected, I will work towards:

    • Adequately funding the public works department

    • Exploring the use of permeable pavement as a way of preparing our streets and sidewalks for the effects of climate change

    • Push to make the City’s plans around aging pipes and the resulting sinkholes accessible for community members to read and understand

    • Continue upgrading the City’s lighting with an eye towards safety and preventing light pollution

    • (Also see Transportation)

  • One of my central priorities as a DFLer and a democratic socialist is to support working people at every turn. When the government has working people’s backs, the whole community thrives. Unions and the Labor movement are crucial to thriving communities, racial equity, and building prosperity. 

    I support all workers seeking to form or join a union, worker centers that advocate for essential worker protections, and the labor movement generally in Minneapolis. 

    It is time for working people to be the center of our policy making, and as your city councilmember, I will do everything in my power to make sure that workers are respected and well paid. I will:

    • Work to streamline the bargaining process between the City and unions

    • Support public sector workers who are employed by the City by refusing any contract that is opposed by unions (except for the Police Federation), and will seek out more ways to support workers who are employed by the city in between contract cycles as well. 

    • Join workers on the picket line

    • Use my voice and power on the council to advocate for workers' needs and rights

    • Fund co-enforcement for wage theft (find and prosecute companies stealing wages)

    • Pass a labor standards board

    • Meet regularly with workers in Ward 8, union leaders, and labor movement organizers in order to listen directly to those with experience about the issues most impacting working people

    • Explore more ways to use licensing and collaborate with other city departments in order to hold companies accountable for labor violations and find new ways to support and protect workers

    • Not approve city funding for development projects in Ward 8 that would be carried out by non-union construction

    • Create a debarment policy, which means developers who break labor laws in Minneapolis are prohibited from building in the City for 5 years

  • High-quality public schools are the foundation of a successful community and a decent society. I am committed to supporting our students and teachers at every turn. I believe that the City Council’s primary role in supporting our schools is to create the conditions in the city where people want to start and raise families here. This includes:
    -Affordable family-sized homes
    -Safe streets
    -Financial support for our public schools
    -I pledge not to spend City money on new charter schools

  • Everyone agrees that getting around Minneapolis safely, quickly, and enjoyably is not as easy as it should be. We must plan and implement transformational changes to our transportation system to meet our present and future accessibility needs.

    I believe that our transportation system can improve our quality of life, include safer streets for everyone- especially kids, be successful for small businesses, increase the tax base, address the climate crisis, and be affordable for Minneapolis families. 

    As a City Councilmember, I will work towards developing a 21st-century transportation system that includes:

    • Sidewalks that are clear and walkable year-round

    • Transit that is safe, reliable, fast, clean, and convenient. To achieve that, we need:

      • Signal priority for trains and buses

      • Dedicated transit lanes on major thoroughfares

      • Smart signal lights to reduce wait times at red lights for all users

      • More green space between sidewalks and driving lanes to hold snow and protect people walking

    • Building out Minneapolis’ Streetcar plan starting with Nicollet and moving to Chicago and 38th street next

    • Partnering with Hennepin County, commission a study for a modern temperature-controlled metro system

    • Street designs that prioritize safety as the top priority

    • Traffic calming at high-use intersections and streets

    • A comprehensive study of signal light timing in light of travel changes since the pandemic

    • Public EV charging stations at key destinations and expanding the Evie Program

    • Exploring new plowing practices to improve the clearing of our streets, sidewalks, and alleyways

    • High-quality protected bike infrastructure that keeps people cycling and people driving separated and safe

  • The most important role of a City Council member is to represent the values of the Ward. I know that I can only do that by engaging with constituents respectfully, consistently, and transparently.

    I pledge to frequently be at community events, respond to constituent calls and emails quickly and respectfully, and be truthful and open about how I am voting and why. 

    Here are my plans for constituent services and community engagement:

    • When constituents reach out to my office, they will get a respectful response

    • I will hold office hours where people can come and meet with me in the Ward

    • I will send a periodic newsletter about news at City Hall and in the Ward

    • I will maintain active social media pages with updates and news from my office, city hall, and the Ward

    • I will hold regular meetings with community organizations, unions, and leaders in the community

    • If possible, I hope to maintain a robust field program to continue doing direct outreach in the Ward