Better Minneapolis Podcast

How to Cook Fish

A question we often pose during political conversations is this:

If you met someone who was an excellent cook and they gave you their favorite fish recipe—but they held different political views from your own—would you still cook the fish?

We like this question because it highlights the deep distrust many of us feel toward those in a different political camp. The recipe is the recipe. Whether the person sharing it is a Republican, Green, DFL, Independent, or a member of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) shouldn’t matter—but it often does. Once we learn that someone belongs to another camp, everything they do becomes suspect.

If you’ve been reading this newsletter for a while, you know that we often express a point of view. We hope that even if you disagree with us, you keep reading. It’s easy to dismiss someone simply because they hold opinions we oppose. We ignore similarities and shared values, choosing instead to focus on our differences. But this tendency does not serve us well. At the city level, it leads to dysfunction.

To achieve good governance, leaders must be willing to listen to each other—especially when they disagree. George Floyd Square is a prime example of what happens when leaders stop listening. The city now faces multiple lawsuits, including one seeking $30 million in damages from eight businesses over the city’s handling of the intersection. After five years, the fate of the square remains uncertain.

For this newsletter, we’ll interview both people and groups we support and those we don’t. Our goal is to be respectful, to listen, and to learn—regardless of their positions. We recognize that others may have different experiences from our own. And we hope readers will call us out if we stop being curious and become too comfortable in the warm embrace of our own opinions.

If we refuse to try the fish simply because the person sharing the recipe favors a different candidate or viewpoint, then this newsletter—and our lives—will be less rich.

Interview Summary:

Soren Stevenson is running for office because of personal and professional experiences that shaped his commitment to public service. In 2020, he was shot by a Minneapolis police officer during a protest, resulting in the loss of his left eye and most of his sense of smell. This event motivated him to advocate for police accountability and social justice. His professional background includes working in housing policy and street outreach for homeless individuals.

His campaign prioritizes three key issues:

* Housing and Homelessness – He believes the current system is failing and advocates for increased housing availability and better support for those experiencing homelessness. He supports reducing regulatory barriers to housing development and improving rental protections. According to Stevenson, the root causes of homelessness are affordable housing and trauma in our communities for which there are inadequate services.

* Public Safety – He envisions a comprehensive public safety system that includes policing, behavioral crisis response, housing, safety ambassadors and social services. He believes safety should be community-centered, ensuring all residents feel secure. The right person with the right training needs to be sent to the situation.

* Climate and Livability/Quality of Life – He sees climate action as integral to improving residents' quality of life, advocating for greener policies, public transportation, and energy-efficient housing. Climate change is an impending threat to us all. The cars we drive are adding to the problem. He wants to improve the walkability of the city. Here is a link to the city’s Climate Action Plan.

Stevenson supports recent city council efforts like the Uber and Lyft wage bill but criticizes Mayor Jacob Frey’s leadership, citing failures in public safety, police accountability, and tax policy. He expresses optimism about alternative mayoral candidates. He also highlights the need for improved coordination between the city and agencies like Metro Transit and the Park Board. He wants to see the city increase its tax base to slow the rate of change in the taxes residents are experiencing. He believes unions are important and that the Labor Standards Board was going to be toothless and was a little baffled by the resistance to it.

There are ways he could work with Frey, including working with him to make a robust downtown to increase the tax base, but does not think Frey deserves a third term. He feels like more dialogue between the council and mayor would have prevented many of the vetoes that occurred.

On a personal note, he enjoys outdoor activities like backpacking, canoeing in the boundary waters, camping and having his phone off.

He is excited to get to work. Endorsements include Hennepin County Commissioners Angela Conley (District 4) and Irene Fernando (District 2).

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.betterminneapolis.com/subscribe

Withstanding the Bitter Winds of Washington, D. C.

During election cycles, residents can sometimes feel overwhelmed by the many candidates and organizations competing for their attention. In many ways, this is understandable. Issues such as reducing crime, addressing encampments, and fostering a thriving business environment are complex, leading to multiple perspectives on how best to approach them.

One new group working to increase civic engagement is We Love Minneapolis. For this newsletter, we spoke with its founder, Andrea Corbin, about why she started this grassroots organization. We Love Minneapolis focuses on increasing voter participation in caucuses and conventions. Corbin emphasizes that while most people focus on elections in November, the real decision-making happens much earlier—caucuses and conventions determine 95% of election outcomes.

We chose to feature this organization to highlight the importance of community involvement. The chaos, fear, and arrogance we see at the national level are forces we must resist in Minneapolis. Our city is what we make of it, and through civic engagement, we can shape a Minneapolis that withstands the bitter winds blowing from Washington, D.C.

Key Interview Themes:

* Lack of Awareness & Civic Engagement

* Many residents don’t understand the role of the City Council or how the caucus system works.

* Corbin herself was unaware of these processes until she saw the impact of crime and infrastructure projects on her community.

* We Love Minneapolis seeks to educate and mobilize voters, ensuring broader participation in the political process.

* Public Safety & Business Challenges

* Corbin became politically active after witnessing increased crime near her flower shop and what she saw as unfair road construction policies.

* She discusses the influence of advocacy groups like Our Streets and how they are shaping city infrastructure decisions.

* She argues that the city’s policies negatively affect businesses and public safety, leading to rising insurance rates and economic decline.

* Minneapolis Caucus Process & Political Influence

* The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) have leveraged the caucus system to gain influence without officially being a political party.

* Caucuses are determined by a small fraction of the electorate (about 1.2% of residents), allowing well-organized groups to dominate the process.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.betterminneapolis.com/subscribe

Andrea Jenkins announced in her March 3 newsletter that she will be stepping down from her Ward 8 City Council seat after this year. Her departure ensures that at least three new council members will take office next year. Ward 5 Council member Jeremiah Ellison is stepping down, and Ward 11 Council member Emily Koski is running for mayor. As of now, the only candidate running for her seat is Jamison Whiting.

Below is a summary of the interview with Josh Bassais. On Sunday, March 16, we will have an interview with one of his opponents, Soren Stevenson. Anthony Scott is also reportedly running but has yet to create a website. We plan to host more candidates interviews leading up to the April 8 DFL caucuses. Let us know if there is a candidate you’d like to hear from.

We’d like to thank our readers who have become paid subscribers and encourage those who value our work to consider supporting us as well.

Better Minneapolis is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

A Note on Andrea Jenkins

Jenkins and Ellison are two of the longest-serving members of the City Council. Andrea was interviewed by this newsletter in August 2024; that interview can be heard here. Andrea began her career in city government in 2001 when Robert Lilligren appointed her as a Policy Aide. She later worked for Elizabeth Glidden. In 2017, she was elected to the City Council with more than 70% of the vote, becoming the first Black openly transgender woman elected to public office in the United States.

Her next role remains uncertain, but she plans to continue supporting the community and making her voice heard. As she stated:

“But make no mistake, we are serious about reimagining public safety and police reform. We still have far too much work to do to make sure everyone has a safe place to sleep at night, and we need to make sure Minneapolis continues to be a place where artists can thrive.

We will be working on these things and more in 2025 and beyond.”

When the time is right, Andrea will join us to reflect on her tenure and share her insights on the community and city government.

Interview Summary

Josh Bassais, a lifelong Minneapolis resident, is running for City Council in Ward 8. He grew up in the city, attended Lyndale School, and his children attend Minneapolis Public Schools. His background includes a career in both organized labor and business, giving him experience in negotiations, project management, and budgeting—skills he believes are needed at City Hall.

Key Issues and Priorities:

* Public Safety – Bassais believes Minneapolis' police force is understaffed, leading to slow response times and concerns about community safety. He supports hiring a diverse police force and implementing community policing, such as getting officers out of squad cars to engage with residents.

* Housing & Affordability – He sees a need for more housing, including affordable options, and suggests that the city could invest in housing development to ensure affordability. He also emphasizes pathways to homeownership as a means to build generational wealth.

* Economic Development – Bassais advocates for supporting small businesses, reducing regulatory red tape, and creating job opportunities within communities. He sees small businesses as crucial to neighborhood vitality and opposes policies that might unintentionally harm them.

View on City Government & Challenges:

* Bassais believes the city is “stuck” in ideological debates that prevent real progress. He cites George Floyd Square as an example, where despite community support for a flexible street plan, the City Council overrode it.

Campaign Approach:

* Bassais emphasizes listening to community voices, consensus-building, and practical governance over ideological battles.

* He plans to door-knock extensively to connect directly with residents.

* He is seeking the DFL endorsement and will participate in the upcoming caucuses and convention.

Personal Background & Motivation:

Outside of politics, Bassais is deeply involved in his community. He has served as president of his neighborhood association and values grassroots engagement. He also coaches youth baseball and spends much of his time supporting his children’s activities.

Bassais frames his campaign as a way to give back to the city that shaped him. His approach is pragmatic, focusing on effective governance and tangible results over political ideology.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.betterminneapolis.com/subscribe

For today’s newsletter, I sat down with Judy Longbottom at the Walker Library. A longtime business owner in Uptown, Judy remains optimistic about staying put and rebuilding. And she’s not alone—many others have invested more than money in this neighborhood. Uptown has shaped them just as they have shaped it.

Topics discussed include:

* The impact of Hennepin construction

* The Promise Act and how it could help businesses on Lyndale

* The merits of the Special Service District

* Loan guarantees and vacancies

* The responsiveness of city government

* The rebranding and relocation of the Uptown Art Fair

The Crime Factor

The reason we chose to interview Judy was to get a street-level perspective on what it’s like to run a business in Uptown. We’ve written extensively about its decline in this newsletter and thought Judy could help keep us honest. Is it really as bad as people make it out to be?

What we heard was a mix of hopefulness, anxiety, and determination. Customers, politicians, property owners, and business owners must come together with a shared vision to prevent the neighborhood—and the city—from lingering in stagnation.

Of course, any discussion of Uptown would be incomplete without addressing crime. While Judy didn’t dwell on it, she acknowledged its impact on businesses like La La Ice Cream, which suffered thousands of dollars in damages after thieves stole copper wire needed for their freezer. There were surely other reasons that caused them to close, but this incident was likely one of them.

What often gets overlooked in debates about new ordinances—such as the Labor Standards Board—is the cumulative burden on businesses: vandalism, petty crime, homelessness, rising taxes, wages, and Sick and Safe Time regulations all add up. Most business owners want to do right by their employees and customers. Yet many find themselves staring at a spreadsheet late at night after a long day, wondering: How am I going to make this work? Can I stay open?

Thankfully, experienced entrepreneurs like Judy find ways to adapt—but many others don’t. Before businesses can cover their operating costs, they must survive—something that is never assured.

Crime plays an outsized role in local business success because, like in La La Ice Cream’s case, businesses directly bear the costs—which often far exceed the crime itself. Replacing a smashed window, a broken door, or other acts of vandalism may seem minor to outsiders. But for business owners, it means calling in contractors, paying the bill, and sweeping up the glass—again and again.

Large businesses can afford private security. In fact, it’s a booming industry. An estimated $125 billion is spent annually on private security in the U.S., equating to .46% of GDP.

If you’ve ever tried to enter UnitedHealth Group or Target corporate offices, it can feel like stepping into a federal courthouse, with badges, scanners, and video cameras monitoring your every move. That .46% of additional security costs functions as an extra tax on all the goods and services we purchase from these companies.

Most small businesses cannot afford private security. They rely on the police, whom they already pay taxes to support. It can breed resentment when, on top of those taxes, business owners must also hire off-duty officers or private security contractors to operate safely. When there aren’t enough police officers to keep squatters out of stairwells or serve as a visible deterrent, businesses and residents are left vulnerable. The cost burden falls directly on them. Unlike a fortified office building, anyone can walk into a small business, and the owner and employees must respond to whatever situation unfolds.

The residents and business owners advocating for more police aren’t doing so because they want a racist army bashing heads. They want officers to follow protocol, treat people with respect, and do their jobs effectively. They also support substance abuse services and after-school programs.

The reason they continue to show up at hearings and write letters is because they—not politicians or police administrators—are the ones dealing with vandalism, stolen cars, bikes, and tools. On their own, these incidents are inconvenient, but when combined with rising property taxes, sales taxes, and fees, residents start to wonder: Is it worth it? Especially if their favorite restaurant has closed or they need to track down a cashier to unlock diapers and deodorant at the store.

Losing 30% or more of your income because of construction projects was the last in a series of stressors from many businesses.

The Shoelace Conclusion

We encourage you to listen in on our conversation with Judy. Our goal is to provide a platform for both elected and non-elected residents so we can work toward a pragmatic future for Minneapolis.

In the coming months, candidates will be promoting their plans for the city, but it’s crucial to put these ideas in the context of daily life for residents and business owners. Somewhere right now, someone is staring blankly at their home or business budget, numb with worry, wondering how they’ll make ends meet this month.

Maybe their home and car insurance have skyrocketed due to high crime rates. Or maybe, as a small business owner, they’re now paying higher unemployment insurance as the state tries to refill its depleted coffers. How can they save for an emergency or ever hope to start a business of their own?

There’s a cumulative effect to these quality-of-life issues. Businesses and residents can only absorb so many regulatory fees, tax hikes, and rising insurance costs before their budgets no longer work—forcing them to close their doors or leave. This is how, bit by bit, the city loses its vitality and struggles to remain competitive in the national talent market.

It doesn’t take one dramatic event to tip the scales. More often, it’s the slow build-up of everyday struggles—the background noise of stress—while you’re figuring out what to eat after a long day.

We’ll end with a paraphrase of one of our favorite quotes of unknown origin:

"It’s not the tragedies that finish us; it’s the messes. Not the major disasters, but the broken shoelace on Tuesday morning."

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.betterminneapolis.com/subscribe

Winner Takes All, and We All Lose

Whether we vote by ward, at-large, or use ranked-choice voting, one of the primary obstacles to electing governing bodies that truly represent their constituents is the winner-take-all nature of our current election system.

In today’s podcast, I interview Lee Drutman, a senior fellow at New America—a Washington think tank—and author of the book Breaking the Two-Party Doom Loop: The Case for Multiparty Democracy in America. On January 14, he co-authored an opinion piece in The New York Times with Jesse Wegman titled, “How to Fix America’s Two-Party Problem.”

Based on their research, Drutman and Wegman argue that America has outgrown its two-party electoral system and would benefit from adopting proportional representation. Under such a system, city councils and state legislatures would reflect a broader range of voices.

To illustrate, imagine Minneapolis had five political parties: DFL, DSA, New Liberal, People’s Power, and Republicans. With proportional representation, each party would hold council seats in proportion to the votes their candidates received. For example, if 10% of Minneapolis voters identified with the People’s Power party, they would receive 10% of the council seats.

In our current winner-take-all system, however, a party like People’s Power would almost certainly remain unrepresented because other parties would consistently garner more than 10% of the vote. For People’s Power supporters, this leads to persistent frustration—year after year, they feel as though no one in government represents their priorities. That frustration can ultimately boil over in a variety of negative ways.

We encourage you to listen to the podcast or read the interview transcript. For added context, you might find it helpful to read the New York Times opinion piece first.

The divisiveness and anger we see in today’s political landscape can partially be attributed to the winner-take-all system we’ve become accustomed to. This system discourages collaboration between differing philosophies and groups, instead rewarding partisanship and fueling dysfunction.

A recent example of the pitfalls of partisanship is the Minnesota House fiasco. It took an edict from the state Supreme Court to resolve the impasse between Republicans and the DFL. Hopefully, the DFL will be able to return to the Capitol, and a power-sharing agreement can be implemented.

This imbroglio highlights the potential benefits of adopting a modern electoral system with proportional representation. Such a system would encourage cooperation and better reflect the diverse voices across the country, state, and city.

The Shake Up Feedback

Our January 19 newsletter, “Shaking Up City Council Structure,” generated significant reader feedback. The most prominent criticism targeted the idea of at-large council members, similar to those on the Minneapolis Park Board and School Board. The primary concern was that people of color and immigrants might lose representation on the council.

This argument assumes that dividing the city into 13 wards ensures the elected representative authentically reflects the race or country of origin of their constituents. However, the opposite perspective also applies: Do you feel unrepresented if you are a straight, white male over 65 and your council member is a Hispanic lesbian under 35? This logic can quickly become impractical if we focus solely on matching representatives’ identity to those of their constituents.

Dividing people into smaller and smaller groups emphasizes our differences. Instead, we could aim to elect council members who celebrate our shared humanity—our common needs for family, friends, and a sense of community. Regardless of skin color or economic standing, we all desire safe streets and a vibrant city that fosters opportunity and provides support to those in need.

It’s only a tiny fraction of residents who want to “burn the city down” and start over. These individuals prioritize chaos over constructive dialogue and unity.

The argument is that an at-large council member would primarily serve as another representative for white residents. Some assume that white people vote in greater numbers than people of color and, because they constitute a majority, groups such as Black, Latino, Asian, Hmong, East African, Indigenous, and immigrant communities would lose representation on the council. The concern is that the city would be governed by the majority race, potentially perpetuating injustice and discrimination.

However, there are many other ways to categorize residents beyond race. These include disability status, age, religion, marital status, education level, financial status, language, country of origin, sexual orientation, and gender identity. For instance, 10% of Minneapolis residents are over 65, and it could be argued that their priorities are underrepresented on a council that trends younger.

Proportional representation may be our best opportunity to create a system of governance where everyone feels heard and represented.

You can learn more about Lee Drutman and his work:

Author: Breaking the Two-Party Doom Loop | The Business of America is LobbyingCo-founder: Fix Our House (A new campaign for proportional representation in the United States)

Co-host: Politics in Question Podcast

Newsletter: Undercurrent Events

Website: leedrutman.org

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.betterminneapolis.com/subscribe

How to Play Principal Clarinet

As a college freshman, my goals were, at best, unspecific. They boiled down to becoming a writer someday. When my uncle asked how I planned to make a living, I boldly told him that I would dig ditches if that’s what it took. Five years later, I fulfilled that prophecy, working for a friend’s landscaping business in Santa Fe. Graduating with a B.A in English Literature and a minor in Ceramics, I quickly learned that my chosen fields weren’t going to be a fast track to career success. For me, goal setting was an afterthought.

It took a significant life event before I decided that I’d smoked enough pot, tended enough bar, and met enough people who had changed their names to Moon Beam, Sage, or Bodhi. It was time to set some real goals and move forward with my life.

Contrast this with Jacob, the guy who lived across the hall from me freshman year. Jacob had clear, definitive goals. He was determined to play principal clarinet and go to law school. Every day, he practiced the clarinet for at least two hours and studied even more. While others stumbled drunkenly through the dorm hallways late at night, Jacob was either in bed or at his desk, studying.

Jacob wasn’t the smartest person I knew—he was smart, but not brilliant. What set him apart was his focus. I’d bet there was a journal in his room with his goals meticulously written out, alongside deadlines for achieving them. We couldn’t have been more different. After moving sophomore year, we lost touch.

To this day, I’d be shocked if Jacob didn’t achieve everything he set out to do. If you told me he never made principal clarinet or didn’t become a successful lawyer, my first question would be: Was he in a terrible accident? To me, Jacob seemed to have a magical ability—the power to focus, define what he wanted, and pursue it relentlessly.

Jacob was partly on my mind when I invited Kurt Nelson for this year-end discussion. I hoped he could help demystify the process of goal setting—a challenge not just for me but for many others. Santa Fe had no shortage of rudderless people—wanderers who found themselves snagged there, halfway between somewhere and something else.

Introduction

For our last newsletter of 2024, we spoke with Kurt Nelson, founder of the Lantern Group. His business is based in the Whittier neighborhood of Minneapolis, where he has been a resident for approximately 30 years. Kurt holds a PhD in Industrial-Organizational Psychology, a field that examines how people and organizations work together. The Lantern Group collaborates with organizations on goal-setting, motivation, and engagement. They have also published two volumes of The Brain/Shift Journal to help individuals achieve their goals and enhance productivity. It felt fitting to close out the year by discussing how to accomplish our goals for 2025 with an expert in the field.

In addition to running his business, Kurt co-founded the Behavioral Grooves podcast with Tim Houlihan, which now boasts over 450 episodes, and they publish a monthly newsletter called Groove Snacks.

This conversation encouraged us to reflect on our aspirations for the year ahead. Intentional reflection on what we hope to achieve is a crucial starting point. After all, even the best goal-setting strategies are meaningless without knowing what we want.

Below is a brief overview of our conversation:

The Meat of It

* Kurt delves into the science of effective goal setting, emphasizing the importance of creating clear, specific, and measurable objectives.

* He highlights the need to balance ambitious, stretch-goals with achievable milestones to maintain motivation.

* A key focus is on the alignment between personal values, intrinsic motivations, and the goals themselves. Kurt explains that when goals resonate with individual or organizational priorities, they are more likely to succeed.

Challenges in Goal Implementation

* Kurt identifies common pitfalls in goal setting, such as setting overly ambitious targets without adequate planning or support.

* He underscores the risks of focusing solely on outcomes without considering the processes and habits needed to achieve them.

* Procrastination, lack of accountability, and failure to adapt to changing circumstances are also highlighted as barriers to success.

* Kurt offers strategies to address these issues, such as regular progress reviews, incremental adjustments, and cultivating a supportive environment.

Practical Applications

* The discussion includes actionable advice for individuals and organizations looking to set goals for 2025.

* Kurt recommends starting with a self-assessment to identify areas of improvement and potential growth.

* He encourages breaking down larger goals into manageable steps, employing behavioral science techniques like habit stacking and positive reinforcement.

* For organizations, he suggests fostering a culture that values goal alignment and providing tools and resources to support employees’ progress.

Closing Thoughts

* Kurt concludes by emphasizing that goal setting is a dynamic and iterative process. Goals should evolve in response to new insights and circumstances.

* He advocates for celebrating small victories along the way to maintain morale and build momentum.

* Kurt’s final advice is to view 2025 as an opportunity to experiment with new approaches, learn from challenges, and focus on meaningful progress rather than perfection.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.betterminneapolis.com/subscribe

In this episode, we speak with Ward 13 Council Member Linea Palmisano on the contentious budget process that saw the mayor’s veto overridden and over 70 amendments proposed. From the community-driven capital project planning to the complex interplay of taxation and downtown property values, this discussion sheds light on the fiscal challenges facing Minneapolis. Linea critiques last-minute budget amendments for their potential long-term impact on city services and highlights the difficult transition away from federal relief funds. With important lessons for the future, this episode is a must-listen for those invested in Minneapolis’s governance and financial health.

If you experience any difficulties accessing the podcast, please let us know. If you prefer to read a transcript, simply click the button located above the photo.

The podcast discussion covered four main points:

* Budget Process and Participatory Governance: Linea Palmisano discussed the year-round budget process, emphasizing the involvement of community members through the Capital Long-Range Improvement Committee (CLIC). This body — comprised of 26 council and 7 mayoral appointees — reviews and prioritizes capital projects before recommendations are made to the mayor.

* City Finances and Taxation: The conversation explored the complexities of Minneapolis’s financial management, including the role of property taxes and the implications of budgetary shortfalls. Particular attention was given to the impact of downtown commercial property valuations on the tax burden for other areas.

* Controversial Budget Amendments: There was significant debate over last-minute budget amendments, their impact on city services, and the reallocation of funds for new projects. Palmisano expressed concerns about long-term structural balance and the political motivations behind some council decisions.

* Future Challenges and Strategic Adjustments: The transition from federal relief funds (ARPA) was highlighted as a major challenge, with implications for maintaining services and addressing fiscal responsibility. The need for smarter budgeting and priority adjustments was emphasized.

Keeping up with all the changes can be challenging. Since this interview, we’ve learned that the mayor has vetoed the City Council’s decision to deny cost-of-living adjustments for 163 appointed city employees. This marks his third veto of the month, ensuring that 2025 will begin much like 2024 ended — with controversy surrounding the budget.

According to Mayor Frey, “By withholding cost of living adjustments, prospective employees will be less inclined to work for the city.”

We encourage you to visit Minneapolistimes.com to read our story, “Budget Mania: Wrapping Up the Year with Speed Budgeting.”

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.betterminneapolis.com/subscribe

Today we are taking a break from City Hall to focus on other local issues. Lara Bergman is a candidate for the District 6 Minneapolis School Board seat. Her opponent is Greta Callahan, president of the Minneapolis Federation of Teachers (MFT). We reached out to Greta for an interview and are waiting to hear back.

Lara’s Background

Lara comes to this moment as an early childhood educator, Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) parent, and proud MPS alum. With over 15 years of teaching experience in Montessori early childhood classrooms, Lara has dedicated her life to providing supportive learning environments where all children thrive. She holds a Master’s Degree in Education from St. Catherine University, an Early Childhood Montessori teaching credential from the American Montessori Society and is working towards certificates in Early Childhood Policy from the Humphrey School of Public Affairs and School Board Finance from Georgetown University. Lara also has extensive experience in education advocacy and policy. She served as a CARE Fellow, working with a cohort of child care advocates to impact change at the state level.

Most recently, Lara was a BUILD Initiative Fellow at the Minnesota Department of Human Services, where she focused on building equitable early childhood systems and addressing compensation for early childhood educators. As a trained racial equity facilitator, she has led community conversations while serving on her neighborhood board, school PTA and as chair of a nonprofit preschool. In her role as Board Chair of the preschool, she led strategic planning, a leadership transition and challenging financial decisions at the beginning of the COVID pandemic. She recently completed an Embracing Equity Leadership Residency as part of a cohort of leaders in Minnesota working to build equity into organizational climate, culture, systems and structures.

Interview Topics

In this interview with Lara Bergman, she discusses her deep connection to the Minneapolis public schools as both a former student and a parent. Bergman emphasizes her extensive background in early childhood education, having worked in Head Start programs and Montessori schools. Her candidacy is driven by her concern for transparency and strong leadership within the school system, which she feels is currently lacking. She advocates for improvements in early childhood education, literacy, and financial sustainability for the district.

Bergman highlights key issues such as the district’s projected $85 million budget deficit and declining enrollment, pointing out the need to address empty school buildings and class size disparities. She is passionate about improving literacy, noting that less than half of the district's students are reading at grade level. She also underscores the importance of good governance and accountability in ensuring the school board’s strategic decisions are aligned with community needs. Bergman believes in a collaborative approach to solving these challenges, working with other board members, educators, and parents to create a more effective and equitable school system for all Minneapolis students.

In addition, we briefly discussed phones in schools and the proposed technology levy. The technology levy will replace the existing 2.249% levy and set aside a fund specifically for technology in schools. The new levy will be 4.728% and would be authorized for ten years. It is projected to raise $381,422,020 over that period.

Depending on where you live, your ballot may include State Representatives, District and/or At-Large School Board Members, Justices and Judges, and a Constitutional Amendment to extend the transfer of state lottery proceeds to protect drinking water, water quality, air quality, wildlife, and natural areas, as well as to expand access to parks and trails.

You can prepare yourself for election day by reviewing your ballot at:

https://myballotmn.sos.mn.gov/

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.betterminneapolis.com/subscribe

Interview Background

Better Minneapolis has seen Commissioner Barnette speak multiple times. We’ve watched him get heckled at community safety meetings, provide updates to a sometimes-hostile city council, and read various interviews. However, sitting down with him to discuss a range of topics gave us deeper insight into his role and the tasks he’s been assigned. Before the interview, we had to look up when he started—October 2023. It was somewhat surprising because it feels like he’s been in the role longer. With less than a year on the job, he’s trying to rebuild a depleted police force and provide structure to the sprawling Neighborhood Safety Department.

To understand the blueprint driving Commissioner Barnette’s work, we need to examine the 143-page Minneapolis Safe and Thriving Communities Report. The creation of this report began in 2022, before Barnette’s appointment, and was led by Dr. Antonio M. Oftelie, Executive Director of Leadership for a Networked World and Fellow at the Technology and Entrepreneurship Center at Harvard University. The report was funded by The Pohlad Family Foundation, The Joyce Foundation, McKnight Foundation, and The Minneapolis Foundation. It required interviews across multiple city and county organizations and provides a detailed outline for the Community Safety ecosystem. The report contains numerous recommendations and is intended to help the city comply with the agreement it made with the Minnesota Department of Human Rights, as well as the additional consent decree expected from the Department of Justice.

To guide the implementation of the report's recommendations, the city signed a $1 million contract with the NYU School of Law’s Reimagining Public Safety Policing Project in November 2023. This contract extends through November 2025, with the first report expected in October. Notably, the contract was awarded without an RFP or competitive bid due to “urgent circumstances during 2020.” This contract continues the work of Dr. Oftelie, co-author of the Minneapolis Safe and Thriving Communities Report.

One of Commissioner Barnette’s primary tasks, along with the Office of Community Safety, is to improve collaboration among five departments: Police, Fire, 911, Emergency Management, and Neighborhood Safety. Weekly meetings bring together all department leaders to discuss ways to enhance their operations. There are 1,316 people across these departments, 11 of whom are in the Office of Community Safety. We expect Commissioner Barnette and his team to be methodical as they strive to bring sustainability, transparency, compliance, and accountability to the organization. It’s a challenging assignment.

Report Implementation

Implementing the report’s recommendations is part of a long-term vision for the future. The key question for residents is whether they have the patience for this transformation. With no statistics yet to support the effectiveness of non-police alternatives, we’ll all be waiting to see if the millions of dollars being funneled into nonprofit violence interrupters and community safety centers result in the improved public safety we’re anxious to see.

Interview Topics

Below are the main topics we discussed. Toward the end, we touched on the recent lawsuit settlement Commissioner Barnette signed, which will change policies and introduce much-needed accountability into the Neighborhood Safety Department. Expect a future article to delve into this settlement in greater detail.

* Overview of the Office of Community Safety

* Focus on establishing the Neighborhood Safety Department

* Compliance with the Minnesota settlement agreement and completing negotiations with the Department of Justice

* Update on recruitment and staffing of the MPD and 911

* Clarification that there is one police chief, O’Hara

* Behavioral Crisis Response

* Lake Street Community Safety Center Pilot and the future Southside Community Safety Center

* Expanding the Downtown Improvement District model to the entire city

An automated transcript of the interview has been generated. We ask that a written request be submitted before reprinting any portion of the interview.

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Better Minneapolis doesn’t have an accounting degree and has never created a $1.9 billion city budget. However, we have managed multi-million-dollar budgets, and we’ve learned that you can’t afford everything you want. You may want to give excellent employees a 10% raise, but if the budget isn’t there, you settle for 5%. You may defer hiring or lower a job's pay grade to fit it into your budget. Worthwhile new projects may have to be rescheduled. There are no blank checks. When revenue falls, you cut costs to be stronger in the following years.

The 2025 Minneapolis City Budget proposed by Mayor Frey would raise spending by 2.86% over 2024. That’s the wrong direction. To fund increases, the city has proposed an 8.1% property tax hike in 2025, with an additional 9.8% in 2026.

We love Minneapolis and are grateful for its parks, schools, restaurants, amenities, and what, until recently, felt like stability. We plan to stay, but the city isn’t making it easy. In addition to rising costs for home insurance, car insurance, health care, senior care, education, groceries and energy, we’re now being asked to pay an additional 18% in property taxes in the next two years. And those are the obvious taxes, they do not include fees like road paving or ADA corner upgrades.

This newsletter will break down the proposed 2025 budget over multiple editions—it’s too much for a single issue. It’s important to understand that property tax increases affect everyone, including renters, who will face higher rents as a result.

Today, we’re examining a few items from the current budget that warrant closer scrutiny—ones we hope the city council and mayor will review multiple times. One problem with the current system is that the city administration has little motivation to cut spending. Each budget line item funds a different priority, and the people behind those priorities will turn out to vote for them in the next election. But with falling commercial tax revenue, it’s time the city made the tough decisions required to decrease spending. We recommend a 3% reduction across all departments. Such cuts would provide political cover, as every department could tell its constituents the reduction was mandated.

The City Pays Well

These screens shots are from the 2024 budget additions status update. To be clear, the money allocated can cover more than salaries, but the amounts raise questions that weren’t fully addressed in the August 12 Budget Committee meeting.

These figures make us wonder if pursuing English and Art degrees in college were wise choices. Becoming a Data Scientist would certainly have been more lucrative.

Roof Depot

Whether it is traffic calming, bike lanes, Vibrant Downtown Storefronts and Cultural Districts or police technology, strong city leadership is needed to stand up to vocal advocates. The Roof Depot is one example. Currently, the city is paying $264,000 per month to keep this facility empty. The East Phillips Neighborhood Institute (EPNI) has received multiple extensions to buy the building for an indoor urban farm. While that may sound enticing, it doesn’t make financial sense. Additionally, the city’s funding maneuvers to keep this facility available are likely illegal. A city resident requested the State Auditor examine the project.  The issue involves the use of the city’s Water Fund to purchase the property in 2016. Regulations require the property to be used for waterworks projects, but instead, the city has spent approximately $24 million in carrying costs with no discernible benefit to residents. Senior citizens and those on limited incomes are being taxed to placate advocacy groups capable of flooding the city with emails of discontent.

In Conclusion

It’s unwise for the city to raise property taxes by 27% without first containing spending. When the city agrees to spend $17 million to build and staff the Southside Community Safety Center, it raises concerns. How did the cost get so high? Are other projects similarly inflated?

One of the primary responsibilities of our 13-member city council and the mayor is to practice good financial stewardship. This current budget proposal fails to indicate that is on the horizon. City finances are not a slush fund for gaining supporters. Priorities must be set because to fund everything is burdening residents unnecessarily. Unfortunately, we don’t have a citizen’s audit committee to go through the budget line by line to assess needs versus wants, so we must rely on our elected officials to do this painstaking work. Ballooning budgets dependent on property taxes will weaken the city in the long run. They hurt seniors and those with limited incomes the most. Those with the means to move may leave the city. We urge our representatives to be resourceful and recognize the days of being all things to all people must end.

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