Beers with Blois

Longtime Longfellow resident Tom Anderson has built a career in education, and his run for the Ward 2 City Council seat emphasizes the importance of schools in Minneapolis’ future. But in challenging Minneapolis’ only non-DFL affiliated City Council member, Anderson discusses how his stances on issues of public safety, housing, and more set him apart.

“The world is watching Minneapolis right now,” says candidate for Ward 2 Robin Wonsley Worlobah, whose fight for social justice is informed by an upbringing in a predominantly Black, working-class Southside Chicago neighborhood and work for state teachers’ union Education MN. On this episode, hear the Democratic-Socialist candidate discuss her run against an incumbent also outside of the two major parties, the future of public safety, and responding to the city’s historic moment.

Candidate for Ward 7’s City Council seat Nick Kor found a passion for organizing when helping LGBTQ+ classmates at the University of Thomas find their place, and after travelling the country as a Bush Fellow, his attention turned to city politics. In this episode, hear Kor discuss a vision for “housing as a human right,” reimagining public safety, and more. Plus, listen for the candidate’s favorite spot to grab a drink in the city!

Mickey Moore registered to run as a third party candidate for Congress on the day after the killing of George Floyd, and relative electoral success in his own Ward 9 inspired him to continue campaigning in its City Council race. Public safety, economic vitality, and preserving the ward’s business corridor success are crucial issues for Moore – hear him elaborate in this episode.

Park Board Commissioner LaTrisha Vetaw is no stranger to running for office, nor is she unfamiliar with the Northside. As she runs against an incumbent in the Ward 4 City Council race, she speaks to changes and misconceptions about the Northside, how her neighbors feel about ward-specific potent topics like public safety, affordable housing, economic development, and much more.

David Wheeler, candidate for Ward 10’s open City Council seat, has experience serving in city government; he spent years serving the city of Duluth in many roles and even ran for mayor. After ending up on Minneapolis’ Board of Estimate & Taxation, he cites a continued call to bring his knowledge to city issues - like public safety and housing – as reason for running for City Council in a crucial year. Hear it all on this episode.

Community organizer and union activist Aisha Chughtai says she moved to Whittier because it “was the only place I could afford to live,” but found her passion for serving the community. On this episode, hear the Ward 10 candidate discuss community-rooted initiatives relating to public safety from Little Earth to the Community Safety Specialist program, the fight for rent stabilization, and her family’s path from Pakistan to Minneapolis.

As a firefighter for 20 years, Chris Parsons says, “I know a disaster when I see it” – it’s why he decided to run for Ward 10’s open seat to help the city he’s loved since childhood. Hear the candidate talk about the need to hire more officers to confront a “pandemic-fueled rise in crime,” impacts of changes in housing policy, and an issue that could set him apart from the competitive field: his strong stance on Minneapolis acting in the fight to decriminalize marijuana by rethinking how it addresses low-level drug offenses.

Engineer Katie Jones has sustainability on her mind – she asserts that cities can play a huge role in the fight against climate change, from transit to building codes, and she intends to act on these issues should she win the competitive Ward 10 race. In this episode, though, Jones discusses much more than a city’s climate resilience – hear the community builder talk about the city charter and role of staff, the intersection of housing and public safety, and more.

Sheila Nezhad is a longtime community organizer, holds a city budget role with Reclaim the Block, and is looking to be Minneapolis’ next mayor - a candidate whose views on most of the city’s biggest issues are diametrically opposed to those of Mayor Frey. On this episode, hear Nezhad discuss her path to the decision to run for mayor, the meaning and messaging of a police-free future, potential ballot initiatives including a rent stabilization amendment, and, of course, her favorite beer stop in Minneapolis.