SOLUTIONS

  • Every resident of Ward 7 deserves to feel safe in their neighborhood — this will be my top priority in office. I was deeply frustrated when Katie Cashman told residents at a public meeting in the 5th Precinct that crime is going down — this is not borne out by the facts (see also here) or by residents’ lived experiences (see page 3).

    I will take a hands-on approach to policing and public safety, recognizing that safety is about both statistics and feelings.

    • Community Policing: In 2022, I created the East Isles Safety Walking Club, a community safety initiative working with the neighborhood association and the police. I will build on this experience by fostering strong relationships between residents and law enforcement.

    • Police Support: I will vote to ensure that our police department has the resources it needs to do its job effectively. I will have monthly meetings with all precinct inspectors who serve areas of Ward 7.

    • Holistic Approach: Public safety requires more than just policing. I support a holistic approach that includes investments in mental health services, crisis stabilization centers for youth and adults, and expanding free, walk-in counseling centers throughout the city.

    • Enhanced Livability: I will work to improve our street environment by developing rapid-response graffiti and litter removal teams and organizing more neighborhood clean-up events.

    We need a fully funded police department that is also committed to meaningful reform. The Minneapolis Police Department is under a consent decree and settlement agreement, and it is important to honor those commitments to build a more just and equitable city.

    I believe we must hold multiple truths at once: Minneapolis needs more officers, and we need real police reform. As many residents have told me, “We will support MPD, but they’ve got to be fair.” Both the Minnesota Department of Human Rights and the U.S. Department of Justice have found patterns of discriminatory policing within MPD. This moment is an opportunity to right these wrongs while ensuring we have a police force that is well-trained, accountable, and equipped to serve all residents fairly.

    • Collaborative Approach: I believe that true progress on police reform comes from working in partnership with law enforcement, not with reflexive hostility. I support diverting appropriate 911 calls to mental-health crisis teams, expanding the use of violence interrupters, and ensuring officers have the training and oversight necessary to rebuild trust with the community.

    • Hands-On Engagement: As your City Council member, I will take a hands-on approach to police reform, interacting with officers more, not less, to build relationships and ensure accountability. I will work closely with independent monitors and community oversight boards to ensure that reform efforts are effective and measurable.

    • Building Trust: Public input is critical in ensuring that police reform efforts work. I will host regular meetings between Ward 7 residents and police officers from all three precincts that serve our ward to foster positive relationships and rebuild trust. Additionally, I encourage residents to engage with the Community Commission on Police Oversight, which provides an opportunity for public comment and direct input on police accountability measures.

    By fully staffing MPD, supporting evidence-based crime prevention strategies, and ensuring transparent and effective reforms, we can create a Minneapolis that is both safe and just for all residents.

  • Downtown and Uptown should be vibrant, inviting destinations for both residents and visitors. I live in the Uptown section of Ward 7 and have seen the decline of the Hennepin Avenue corridor firsthand. We need to use every policy tool at our disposal to create the conditions for regrowth and work to protect existing businesses in addition to filling current vacancies.

    • Economic Hubs: Both neighborhoods should be bustling economic hubs that attract visitors and contribute to Minneapolis's financial stability.

    • Safety First: Making these core neighborhoods places where residents can thrive and where people come to visit means starting with safety.

    • Uptown Business Improvement District: I fully support a Business Improvement District for Uptown and will proactively work with the businesses to implement it.

    • Collaboration: As your City Council member, I will collaborate with local entrepreneurs, arts organizations, and public safety officials to fix our neighborhoods.

    • Action, Not Nostalgia: I was deeply frustrated to see our present council member talking about Uptown as a place for "nostalgia" and committing to having "more conversations". The time for conversations was yesterday — we need action now.

  • Minneapolis has made progress in producing new housing and providing affordable housing in recent years, but we must do more, particularly when it comes to creating deeply affordable housing (housing at rates of 30% of area median income).

    • Low-Barrier Solutions: With interest rates and the cost of lumber stubbornly high, we need to be thinking about affordable solutions requiring minimal construction. I’m very excited about PadSplit, a company offering deeply affordable housing solutions. It’s in 24 states and D.C., but not yet in Minnesota. If elected, I will bring PadSplit to Minneapolis. In addition, homeowners who convert their residence to a duplex, triplex, or single-room occupancy dwelling should receive a tax credit for helping expand the housing supply.

    • Increased Production: I will support policies that encourage the development of more affordable housing units throughout the city. We should also be thinking about ways to make home ownership in the city more affordable so that first-time home buyers aren't immediately priced out of the neighborhood.

    • Regional Cooperation: I will work with surrounding communities to ensure that every jurisdiction in the metro area has its fair share of affordable housing.

    • Code Reform: I will work with partners at the state to loosen code requirements that have prevented the conversion of duplexes to triplexes, helping to increase our housing supply at a lower cost while ensuring safety.

  • A city council member is the most local form of government. As such, I promise to be accessible for you:

    • I or my staff will respond to every email and call.

    • I or my staff will come to every neighborhood association meeting.

    • My office will sponsor neighborhood get-togethers and promote engagement and service throughout the ward and the city. We will have fun and do good things together!

    It frustrates me to no end when I see things not working as they should, or when residents are denied basic rights such as a clean, warm environment to live in. I can’t look away when folks tell me they haven’t had water for over 24 hours in their building due to road construction, or or upon finding out that a home in the ward has been vacant for 12 years, currently with broken windows — just some of the issues that neighbors have escalated to me as a Block Captain. If you are struggling and I can help, I will take on your issues as my own so that together, we can solve your problems with the urgency they deserve.

  • I am a firm believer in a woman's fundamental right to make her own healthcare decisions, including the right to choose. With reproductive rights under attack across the country, it's more important than ever that we have strong advocates at all levels of government who will stand up for reproductive freedom.

    • Making Minneapolis a Sanctuary City: I support our state’s status as a sanctuary for abortion, meaning that we will not cooperate with any attempts by other states to prosecute individuals who come to Minneapolis to seek or provide abortion care. We will protect patients and providers from legal attacks by anti-choice extremists.

    • Unyielding Support for Abortion Access: I unequivocally support a woman's right to access safe and legal abortion. I will oppose any efforts to restrict or undermine this right in Minneapolis.

    • Defending Clinic Access: I will work to ensure that clinics providing reproductive healthcare services in Minneapolis are protected from harassment and intimidation, and that patients can access care without fear or obstruction.

    • Expanding Access to Care: I believe that everyone should have access to the full range of reproductive healthcare services, including contraception, prenatal care, and abortion care. I will support initiatives that expand access to these services, particularly for low-income individuals and communities of color.

    This issue is deeply personal to me. I believe that reproductive freedom is essential for women's equality and autonomy, and I will always be a strong advocate for these rights.

  • Ward 7 residents have been hit with some of the highest property tax increases in the city. We need to cut or stabilize city spending and do so transparently so that residents aren't unfairly burdened.

    • Fiscal Prudence: With every city contract, we should be asking if the job can be done for less. Options like hiring freezes must also be on the table. I support changes to the city council structure and pay that lower costs to residents.

    • Economic Growth: The best remedy for our city's budget woes is economic growth. I will work with our local business community to attract investment back to Downtown, Uptown, and throughout Ward 7.

    • Protecting Residents: I struggle to see how a city income tax would help Ward 7 residents, many of whom are already struggling with high property taxes. Attracting a larger commercial tax base will help ease the tax burden on homeowners.

  • Fighting climate change is an issue that's near and dear to my heart. I initially pursued environmental studies during college and strive to live sustainably by growing much of my own food and cycling and walking as much as possible.

    • Practical Solutions: I am frustrated that there has been no actionable change from Councilmember Cashman’s first year in office as the chair of the Climate and Infrastructure Committee – only non-binding resolutions. I believe there are many meaningful, easily accessible measures that we can pursue in tandem with broad, overarching climate goals. We can act quickly to pass measures to reduce waste in Minneapolis, such as cutting back on single-use plastics and other non-biodegradable garbage. We also need take immediate action to establish composting in all residential dwellings as well as in commercial spaces.

    • Supporting Sustainable Infrastructure: Minneapolis must lower its emissions and nudge its citizens toward greener options of transportation, but not by ignoring the practical needs of residents, businesses, and commuters. I’m committed to data-driven solutions that actually reduce pollution and keep our city moving. That means supporting bus and bike options where they make sense, while also ensuring critical vehicle access and parking for small businesses and drivers who depend on it. I’m committed to solutions rooted in data and driven by community input, ensuring that transit riders, cyclists, drivers, and pedestrians all benefit from safer and cleaner streets. In Minneapolis, nobody should feel left behind as we build a more sustainable future.

    • Promoting Commercial Composting: I will advocate for policies that support and expand commercial composting programs to reduce organic waste going to landfills.

    • Encouraging Victory Gardens: I support providing small grants to help residents establish gardens to grow their own food, reduce their carbon footprint, and build community.

  • Small businesses are the backbone of our community. They create jobs, build wealth, and make our neighborhoods vibrant and walkable.

    • Reducing Barriers: I aim to lower the fees and streamline the process for starting a new business in Minneapolis.

    • Construction Impacts: The city should provide clear guidance for how construction projects will impact businesses and work to minimize those impacts. We must listen to businesses when they say their profits are being harmed and proactively assist them.

    • Promoting a Business-Friendly Environment: I will work to create conditions where small businesses can thrive. We must remember that people have a choice about whether to do business in Minneapolis or in the nearby suburbs.

  • Working with people with eating disorders, I see the effects of food insecurity firsthand. No one in Minneapolis should go hungry, yet grocery prices have ballooned these years. Food insecurity affects everything from children's health to our sense of community.

    • Community Solutions: I support expanding community gardens and fridges, increasing support for food shelves, and partnering with local nonprofits to ensure everyone has access to nutritious meals.

    • Ward 7 Food Drive: I plan to lead an annual Ward 7 food drive to keep our shelves stocked and our neighbors fed.

  • Let’s be clear: Rent control is not a good tool for keeping housing affordable, and I would not support such an ordinance. I believe the majority of landlords in Minneapolis treat their tenants fairly. Unfortunately, there are some cases in which tenants are denied basic rights of safety, cleanliness, and warmth. I want to make sure everyone in our city can live in comfort and dignity, and would support measures protecting tenants’ rights.

  • I am pro-labor and support workers’ rights. In the debate about the Labor Standards Board, I was struck by how seldom data was discussed. I want to know what kinds of issues workers in Minneapolis face and in what sectors. I am particularly concerned with the rights and conditions of undocumented and immigrant workers as well as workers in less regulated fields, such as domestic workers. Workers deserve to be treated fairly and I support measures allowing them to be.

  • Each neighborhood in Ward 7 has unique needs. Whether you live in Bryn Mawr, Downtown, Loring Park, or by the lakes, I want to hear your concerns so we can tailor solutions together.

    • Open Dialogue: If there's a pressing issue in your neighborhood - whether it's related to transportation, safety, park improvements, or anything else - I'm here to listen, learn, and work with you to make life better in Ward 7. Let’s do this, together!