Wedge LIVE!

Wise man of Minneapolis (aka Local Politics Daddy) David Brauer is here to tell us how he's feeling just two weeks before election day. Stay tuned to the end for David's City Council endorsements.

A conversation with Council Member Elliott Payne recorded while on his bike commute home after a day representing Ward 1 at Minneapolis City Hall. With early voting already underway to elect council members in all 13 wards -- and election day just weeks away -- we talk biking, streets, public safety, and more.

Watch: https://youtube.com/wedgelive

This episode was recorded on location with Henry LaBounta, collecting trash and clearing storm drains in the Wedge and East Isles neighborhoods. Henry is passionate about trash and keeping it out of Lake of the Isles. We talk about why this matters, how you can get involved, and some innovative projects happening in Minneapolis that could keep our lakes cleaner.

If you're in the Wedge or East Isles neighborhoods, you are eligible for one of many fabulous gift card prizes. Just email [email protected] with the name and location of your drain/s after adopting one at: https://mn.adopt-a-drain.org/

Friends of Lake of the Isles group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/796514388254895

East Isles Neighborhood Association: https://www.eastisles.org/

Lowry Hill East Neighborhood Association: https://www.thewedge.org/

Watch: https://youtube.com/wedgelive

A conversation with Zak Yudhishthu about the surprisingly boring end to single-family zoning in St. Paul, Minnesota. Five years after a bitter struggle to pass the 2040 Plan that ended single-family zoning in Minneapolis -- which is still tied up in court by pretend environmentalists -- a similar effort across the river looks sure to pass without much of a fight. The St. Paul City Council is expected to pass the zoning changes at their meeting on Wednesday, Oct 12). We talk about what sets the St. Paul policy apart from Minneapolis and why the politics, even in an election year, are different this time. Zak is the editor in chief of Macalaster College's The Mac Weekly, and a contributing writer at streets.mn and SouthwestVoices.news.

A spontaneous unscheduled episode recorded with John's dear old friend Anton Schieffer at Open Streets on Lyndale Avenue.

A conversation about Minneapolis bike infrastructure and transportation politics with Elissa Schufman. Recorded on a bike ride from City Hall, through downtown, and along the Mississippi River.

A special episode of the Wedge LIVE podcast recorded on bikes in Northeast Minneapolis, with guest Amity Foster.

John is joined by Melody Hoffman to ponder the Minneapolis City Council race in Ward 13 (all 13 council seats in the city are up for election). Incumbent Linea Palmisano is presenting herself as the steady hand with a familiar track record. Challenger Kate Mortenson calls this a battle of the moderates, and characterizes herself as the solutions-oriented leader with Palmisano as a "manager" of a failed status quo. John pushes back against Melody's contention that we're ethically obligated to talk about perennial candidate Bob "Again" Carney. We talk about the stakes of the 2023 election; why it's important to watch or listen to a debate so you can hear the candidates respond to questions at more length than a slogan on a mail piece; what Mortenson's Bryant Ave positions say about her transportation platform; why Palmisano's careful and politically tangled rhetoric can make it hard to pin down her positions; and how Melody's favorite thing to do lately is force a "hello" on neighbors passing by her home.

A conversation with José A. Zayas Cabán, the executive director of bicycle and pedestrian advocacy organization Our Streets Minneapolis, about the future of Open Streets. The City of Minneapolis confirmed on Monday they're ending the partnership with Our Streets that makes the popular annual series of street festivals possible. We talk about the 12 year history of the event, the work that goes into putting them on, the importance of partnership with the city, why continuing to put the events on for free was unsustainable for Our Streets, and what people can do to keep Open Streets alive into the future. We also talk about whether this is about politics. Just last week, Mayor Frey announced $600,000 in his 2024 recommended budget for the Downtown Council (a group allied with the mayor) to continue putting on a series of underwhelming, sparsely attended block parties called Warehouse District Live.

With the City Council candidate filing deadline elapsing while we recorded this episode (5 pm on August 15), John is joined by google docs maven Josh Martin (@JoshMartinMpls) for a rundown of Minneapolis Election Battlegrounds. Please get in your car and drive to the nearest interstate on-ramp, because this episode is performed in the style of Drive Time Radio. We're paying special attention to the races that will decide control of the City Council, specifically candidates in wards 5, 6, 7, 8, and 12. Other topics include: the launch of a progressive PAC trying to influence this year's election, and their new poll showing Mayor Frey to be almost as unpopular as our nationally derided police department; the proposed rideshare ordinance giving Uber and Lyft drivers the equivalent of the Minneapolis minimum wage; and we ponder the question, is legislating via ballot measure a good idea?