John is joined by Josh Martin (aka "the new new Larry Jacobs") for an introduction to another Minneapolis City Council election year. Why should you get off your butt and pay attention? Will we rehash the crime-themed election of 2021 or find a new theme? What are the big issues? Which wards are especially key or likely to be competitive? Please share this episode with your friends so they can get pumped about Minneapolis Election 2023!

Content warning: Any lip smacking you hear in this episode was caused by Josh pounding can after can of lime LaCroix.

John is joined by biostats grad student Jonathan Kim for a conversation about rent control. Jonathan's claim to fame is that he spent 2022 serving on two very high profile volunteer work groups for the City of Minneapolis: one to come up with a recommendation on rent stabilization policy and the other on citywide redistricting. We talk about what swayed him towards the more aggressive version of rent control policy, some of his potential concerns, and his assessment of how effectively the work group operated. On redistricting, Jonathan explains why the Cedar-Isles-Dean neighborhood is probably out to get him. He also describes his work group volunteerism as a hobby, a relaxing break from statistics. John argues that's a "sick, sad" way to spend your free time. 

For a more thorough discussion of the basic policy considerations of rent control, listen to our December episode with Jennifer Arnold.

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This episode features endless frustration about fake environmentalism weaponized against something that's unquestionably an environmental good, with guests Adam Wysopal and Alex Schieferdecker. Adam provides an update on the 2040 Plan lawsuit, initiated in 2018 by a group of rich southwest Minneapolis residents unhappy that their neighborhoods would no longer be reserved exclusively for single-family homes. Last last month, an appeals court upheld one part of the district court's decision (regarding the assumed full build out of the plan) while also telling the lower court judge that his decision lacked "findings on the necessity and scope" of the relief provided to the plaintiffs. Alex says it's a mistake to assume a full build out of the housing portion of the 2040 plan, because that's just not how it works. He also wonders if the judges will also assume full implementation of the aggressive transportation and climate policies in the plan. The three of us agree that the courts are poorly suited to resolving these complicated city planning issues. John argues these are political questions, and Minneapolis did a good job answering them with a robust, years-long political process involving policy experts, elected officials, and city residents. John asks Adam if he can sue to stop the city of Lakeville over their comprehensive plan, considering the traffic and environmental impact of the average new Lakeville resident are significantly greater than for Minneapolis. We are more than four years into this lawsuit to stop a ten year plan. No telling how many more years of transparently bad-faith legal arguments the courts will have to hear before it's resolved.

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John is joined by Wedge LIVE lifestyle producer Paula Chesley for a miniseries featuring the stories of real people, not just surviving, but thriving through a Minneapolis winter. For this episode recorded January 1, 2023, we're at Lake Harriet narrating people jumping into a hole in the ice as if it's the Rose Parade. We speak with first timers, longtime ice dippers, and skeptical observers who live in the neighborhood. Then we head over to Embrace North, a sauna and ice bath facility in Linden Hills which helped organize this event. Paula ventures into the sauna for more conversation and gets the story from the founder of Embrace North, the self-styled Sauna Papi. From Guatemala, to California, to Minnesota -- Luis Leonardo talks about how he turned his dread of winter into a business and a community.

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It's the Holiday Special! John, Elissa, and PeggySue talk about what this time of year in Minneapolis means. We name the persons and/or concepts that Scrooged us the hardest in 2022. And offer thanks to the people who "Saved Christmas" - which is a necessary trope of any holiday special. Elissa has tips for how you can do end of year self reflection and 2023 goal-setting in a positive way, without being hard on yourself. Lots of recommendations in this episode if you're looking for a book or video game for yourself or a loved one. Special thanks to our surprise musical guest (please don't fast forward to the surprise musical guest). 

Year Compass goal setting: https://yearcompass.com/

Elissa's book recommendations (buy from your local bookstore, so obligatory links to Moon Palace Books):

The City We Became https://moonpalacebooks.com/item/2-gUryvjjJ8m-aeb3SffJw

PeggySue's book recommendations:

Cloud Cuckoo Land https://moonpalacebooks.com/item/rPCoGQ_-yAXyV_mg5DPfQA

Video games mentioned on this episode: Bear and Breakfast, Spiritfarer, Stray, Tunic, Immortals: Fenyx Rising, Hades, Prey, Citizen Sleeper.

John's TV and movie recommendations: Severance (Apple TV) and Plan B (movie).

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In 2021, Minneapolis voters approved a ballot question giving the go-ahead for a rent control ordinance. In 2022, the City Council and Mayor Frey formed a Rent Stabilization Work Group to make policy recommendations. Those meetings began in September and wrapped up last week. A majority of the work group (14 of 25) voted for a policy recommendation that, if placed on the ballot and approved by voters in 2023, would be the most strict in the country.

We start the episode with a ten-minute check-in with Jimmy Harris about his experience as a renter and tenant organizer -- and the precarious housing situation facing many Minneapolis renters. Then, a conversation about rent control policy, and the city's Rent Stabilization Work Group, with Jennifer Arnold, co-director of the tenant advocacy non-profit Inquilinxs Unidxs por Justicia (IX). The headline is the proposed 3% cap on annual rent increases, but there's a lot more to it. In addition to giving us the perspective of rent control advocates, Jennifer explains key concepts like rent banking, inflation adjustment, exemptions for affordable housing or new construction, and how rent control would be enforced. We explore the issue of "vacancy control" -- and how "decontrol" would interact with the city's current lack of just cause eviction protections.

Watch: https://youtube.com/wedgelive

It's our not-quite monthly appointment with Dr. Melody Hoffmann, PhD. Melody starts us off with the farmers market report. We talk about the massive fire that destroyed a 25-unit, 100 year old apartment building at 24th and Lyndale in the Wedge -- and whether city hall failed to properly intervene to stop a public safety threat that neighbors had been predicting for months. We talk about a failed effort to put $200,000 in the city's 2023 budget for a municipal sidewalk snow clearing pilot. John makes the case that the dream of a dense pedestrianized, climate-friendly city, where people drive less, falls apart if it's not safe for people to use the sidewalks all year long. John expresses skepticism about the crime-fighting impacts of MPD's Operation Endeavor, the results of which are being celebrated on the TV news. During the underwhelming gift guide portion of the episode, we find out if Melody's use of the phrase "neighbor-friend" is actually a euphemism for something a bit more intimate.

You can find Melody on Twitter at @MelodySWV and https://southwestvoices.news

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John is joined by Abigail Cerra for a conversation about a proposal for a  new police oversight commission in Minneapolis. Cerra is the former  chair of the Police Conduct Oversight Commission, a body that hasn't met  for most of 2022 due to the failure of the mayor and city council to  appoint new members. We talk about the draft creating the new commission  and its several glaring flaws; Cerra's experience; why she resigned  from the PCOC; and how the old commission was ignored by city leaders  and denied direct access to city data. Cerra says this is an opportunity  to fix those problems -- so that the city's next police oversight  commission has the political independence, resources and authority to  engage in meaningful oversight.

The proposal will be voted on (approved, amended, delayed or rejected) by the city council this Thursday, December 8.

Watch: https://youtube.com/wedgelive

John is joined by Logan Carroll (a recent third place finisher for a prestigious journalism award) for a conversation about what our otherwise vibrant local news scene is lacking. He says we're missing stories that take the long view, that offer depth and accountability. He wants journalism that creates a greater understanding of what's happening at city hall. We look at Logan's 6 month analysis of local news stories. Who is producing the most coverage? What gets talked about? Who gets quoted and who doesn't? Are local outlets following the money in the city budget? We talk about the value of deeply reported, labor intensive, expensive local news stories -- and how the market isn't producing them. We end the show with Logan's pitch for a deep-pocketed non-profit to fund an entity that fills the gap.

You can contact Logan at [email protected].

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John is joined by an excessively large panel of pundits to analyze Tuesday's election results, the Democratic wave across Minnesota, Mary Moriarty's historic and crushing victory in the race to become Hennepin County's top prosecutor - and what it might mean for Minneapolis in 2023 and beyond. On the panel: Jason Garcia, Taylor Dahlin, Dianna E. Anderson, and Josh Martin at the results desk. You won't want to miss Taylor's live reports from the election night parties of all the losing candidates. Dianna talks about the significance of last night's results to the LGBTQ community. Mike Norton makes an appearance from Amsterdam, where he challenges the incoming DFL Senate majority to make good on the party's pledge to legalize cannabis. In addition to his role as Minneapolis DFL vice chair, Mike owns Baja Ontario, the company whose THC edibles fueled this episode.

Watch: https://youtube.com/wedgelive