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The Business Housing and Zoning Committee held a public hearing on the rideshare minimum compensation ordinance authored by Council Members Osman, Chavez, and myself.
Dozens of community members came to speak. Drivers testified about how Uber and Lyft pay them subminimum wages, showing receipts where riders were charged high rates but drivers received a small portion as their payment. Riders spoke about how they want drivers to be protected by the city’s existing minimum wage laws, and urging Council not to fall for the fear mongering tactics of Uber and Lyft. State Senator Omar Fateh, who is authoring the rideshare ordinance at the state capitol, testified in support of our city policy, sharing how our efforts at the city support his work to increase pay and workers rights for drivers statewide.
Key votes: Business Housing and Zoning Committee votes 5-1 to recommend Council approve the minimum compensation ordinance. Council Members Osman, Chavez, Ellison, Cashman, and Chowdhury voted in support. Council Member Rainville was the only vote of opposition. Council will vote on the ordinance on March 7th at 9:30am.
I authored a legislative directive to see what recent steps the executive administration has or has not taken to ensure that the city is living up to our goal of being a workplace that is equitable and productive for all workers, and what steps the city can take going forward.
The legislative directive stems from work my office has been doing for the past two years. This work originally stemmed from concerns related to the unchecked racist culture within MPD, as well as concerns that dozens of city staff shared publicly during the public hearing before the appointment of former COO Heather Johnston in 2022. In both cases, it was clear that a lack of effective internal policies inflamed a toxic work culture. My office had initial conversations with city staff about various policy changes that could help improve the city’s workforce culture. These conversations ended several times because many of the staff who had been interested in supporting this work ultimately left the city themselves.
Prior to the Committee meeting where my legislative directive was considered, Mayor Frey emailed the committee ascribing ill motives to my intentions. The Mayor characterized the legislative directive as “geared toward sowing discord.” This is an unfortunate response of defensiveness and deflection about perfectly normal, straightforward questions that are part of Council’s standard oversight responsibility. It is a disturbing pattern, especially given that just a few weeks ago when I asked one of the top executive officers to clarify some contradictory statements, he essentially pleaded the fifth and said he would not answer until he was legally required to.
Despite the administration’s resistance to engaging in conversations about administration oversight in good faith, I will remain steadfast in the oversight work that is the jurisdiction of the Administration and Enterprise Oversight (AEO) Committee.
One of the tools that the AEO Committee has to increase oversight and accountability is public comment. I included a public comment period in the consideration of my legislative directive so that the public has the opportunity to speak for themselves about this issue. Leaders from key local institutions such as the Twin Cities Urban League, Black Civic Network, and the University of Minnesota attended and spoke about the grave concerns they had about the Frey administration's HR practices, especially in regards to city employees of color. I want to note that many city employees have spoken out about experiencing racism, misogyny, and toxic work environments at departments throughout the city. There are also employees who have left or been forced out and who have not spoken publicly for fear of retaliation. One way we can start to create a healthier and safer work environment is by encouraging public conversation about the realities at the city rather than suppressing it.
Since my legislative directive passed the AEO committee, several Council Members have reached out affirming that these concerns are shared. In light of the significant interest amongst many council members, I am bringing an amended version to the Committee of the Whole (COW) next week to capture some of the feedback that was shared. I am committed to using this committee to improve the workplace culture at the city, and I look forward to working with my colleagues, city staff, city employees, employee resource groups, labor, and residents to do so.
Key votes: AEO Committee approves my legislative directive about improving workforce culture at the city. Staff will present to AEO on or before April 29th.
Residents have reached out to my office with concerns about the recent firing of the Director of the Civil Rights Department as well as another Civil Rights Department leader. I understand and share many of these concerns. While I cannot speak directly to the circumstances of the termination, I believe that the city fell short of the respectful, professional conduct that we should strive to have with all employee separations.
I will continue to advocate for increased transparency and accountability around racial equity in all matters related to Human Resources, employee retention, and executive leadership.
Key votes: No votes taken.
The Administration and Enterprise Oversight (AEO) Committee received a presentation about how 311 works and how it relates to our work in policymaking, oversight, and budget.
311 is the customer service of the city. Residents can reach out to report immediate service needs such as trash or needle pickup, potholes, and illegally parked cars. Residents can also report more complex or long term issues in their neighborhoods such as unsafe intersections or problem properties. 311 agents are trained to triage calls and get them to the appropriate department for resolution.
I am excited to work with 311 to continue expanding the ways that the city analyzes 311 data to strengthen oversight of city operations, spark policy change, and inform how we allocate resources in the budget. This data has huge potential to give the city direct input on the challenges that working class residents are facing and improve the city’s service delivery to address those challenges.
I encourage all residents to read about the ways to contact 311 and to use this tool to request the services that you and your neighbors need.
Key votes: No votes taken.
I authored a legislative directive relating to police staffing levels. In 2022, the city conducted a study of all the calls for service that come to the police and broke them down by Problem Nature Code, or PNC. The study analyzed the data on each PNC and how well MPD was doing at responding to that type of call. The study made a number of suggestions about how to divert certain PNCs to unarmed or civilian responders in order to address those calls more efficiently and effectively and shift the response burden off of MPD. The study also made recommendations around staffing levels for MPD patrol officers.
My legislative directive asks the Mayor to explain which of those recommendations have been implemented, what barriers are preventing implementation, and how Council can support full implementation of these recommendations.
Key votes: Public Health and Safety (PHS) Committee votes approves my legislative directive about MPD staffing levels. There will be a presentation in PHS by May 15th.
The Public Health and Safety (PHS) Committee received a presentation by a local expert on homelessness response offering examples of how other cities utilize a housing first service model integrating comprehensive stakeholder engagement, navigation centers, and Safe Outdoor Spaces to mitigate livability concerns related to encampments and to connect residents to services, treatment, and housing.
The fantastic presentation emphasized the roots of the homelessness crisis that disproportionately impacts Native and Black residents. It grounded the discussion in the fact that homelessness is a problem that can be solved with proper investment into the solution: low-barrier supportive housing. That takes a lot of resources, but it is worth it. As we’ve seen recently, the costs of NOT investing in housing are incredibly high, both in terms of dollars and in terms of the social impacts of treating some of the most marginalized members of our communities with extreme cruelty.
Key votes: No votes taken.
The Public Health and Safety (PHS) Committee received a presentation on the Letting Everyone Advance with Dignity (LEAD) program. Focused on the East Lake Street corridor, LEAD provides harm reduction-based, intensive case management to individuals who commit law violations due to unmet behavioral health needs, homelessness, and/or extreme poverty. It is rooted in a recognition that the criminal legal system as usual— booking, prosecuting, and jailing individuals committing offenses related to behavioral health needs—has had limited effectiveness in improving public safety.
I am excited to continue to invest in programs like LEAD that are using a public health framework to improve public safety in a holistic and humane way.
Key votes: No votes taken.
Chair Chavez and I presented the Public Health and Safety Committee Work Plan for the 2024/2025 term. As Chair and Vice Chair, we decided to create this Work Plan in order to help focus Committee time and efforts on democratically agreed-upon goals and priorities. The Work Plan was written with input from all Council Members, not just those who serve on the PHS Committee. We believe it will also help Increase public engagement, transparency, and accountability.
I am optimistic about the ability for the PHS Work Plan to help guide the Committee’s discussions and actions towards a more healthy, safe, and thriving Minneapolis for all.
Key votes: PHS Committee approves Work Plan. Council will vote on March 7th at 9:30am.
I am authoring an ordinance to change the City Charter to give Minneapolis residents the power of ballot initiative and referendum. Ballot initiative and referendum means residents can collect signatures to put certain types of policies on the ballot for voters to decide on. Over 70 cities in Minnesota allow their citizens to exercise this democratic tool including St Paul and Duluth.
Ballot initiatives would give residents a powerful tool to bring their concerns and priorities forward. Encouraging those conversations, even when there’s difference of opinion, fosters democracy and strengthens the bonds of community.
There will be a public hearing on this ordinance at the Committee of the Whole meeting on March 4th at 1:30pm. All residents are welcome to submit a written comment by emailing CouncilComment@minneapolismn.gov.
Key votes: Committee of the Whole will discuss the language for the Ballot Initiative and Referendum Ordinance on March 4th at 1:30pm and vote on forwarding the ordinance to the Charter Commission on March 7th.
The Intergovernmental Relations (IGR) Committee approved a series of amendments to our state legislative priorities. These priorities direct the work of the city’s lobbyists at the State Capitol.
I authored the following amendments to the legislative agenda, all of which were successful:
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Increasing funding to raise wages of workers who provide services to youth navigating the criminal justice system. This was a need that was identified at the Criminal Justice Coordinating Committee, which I serve on.
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Removing barriers in licensing for providers and workers who provide services to both youth and adults who are clients of the Department of Human Services and Department of Corrections. This was a need that was identified at the Criminal Justice Coordinating Committee, which I serve on.
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Removing barriers for vendors participating in Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement. Boycotts are a peaceful way to protest that are effective, and our state should not put barriers in place for Minnesotans to participate in boycotts.
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Allowing cities to mandate that peace officers carry personal liability insurance. Residents collected thousands of signatures to put this on the ballot in Minneapolis in 2017, but it was blocked because of current state laws. Mandating officers carry personal liability insurance can act as a powerful incentive for lawful conduct by officers, and shift the financial burden for misconduct off of the public.
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Funding a pavement art pilot program. Asphalt art has been proven to improve pedestrian safety and reduce crashes at a time when pedestrian deaths are at an all time high. It also beautifies streetscapes and creates opportunities for local artists and community storytelling. Residents in my ward have been reaching out to my office about how the city can incorporate art into its traffic calming program.
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Requiring cumulative impact analysis on transportation projects. In 2023, the legislature passed a cumulative impacts law to protect marginalized communities from disproportionate exposure to pollutants from businesses, this bill would require that any new transportation projects would also need to be reviewed for their cumulative impacts.
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Supporting the Community Preferred Alternative Act to help ensure that transportation projects benefit communities. This act would add new protections for major highway projects by requiring MnDOT to study a project option if a local government in the impacted area passes a resolution asking them to do so and require a favorable vote by members of a project’s policy advisory committee on the selected project option before construction can begin.
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Supporting aid to cities and counties seeking highway-to-boulevard conversions. This bill would increase the city’s role in how the Rethinking I-94 project will advance. This stems from my role on the Rethinking 94 Policy Advisory Committee, where elected officials who represent the city, county, and legislature, have collectively shared our concerns about the process.
My colleagues advanced a number of other amendments, all of which I supported:
- Supporting bond funds to purchase the Smith Foundry.
- Policy changes related to bodily autonomy and gender-affirming care.
- Policy changes related to renter protections.
- Policy changes related to local government loss of revenue from any determination of "just compensation" from the municipality's purchase of a public utility.
- Support for statewide removal of parking minimums.
Key votes: All proposed amendments were approved by the Intergovernmental Relations Committee. Council will vote on the full policy priorities as amended on March 7th at 9:30am.
The Administration and Enterprise Oversight Committee included over $1.5 million in workers’ compensation settlements with MPD officers. I did not support these items. As I have shared consistently, there continue to be cases where Council is asked to grant workers’ compensation to officers who have documented histories of lying about their conduct. This makes it impossible to trust that these workers compensation claims are legitimate. As a fiduciary of the city, I can’t rubber stamp paying out millions in workers compensation claims until I am confident that every single settlement that appears before Council is legitimate.
Key votes: The Administration and Enterprise Committee votes to forward without recommendation 11 MPD workers’ compensation settlements totalling over $1.5 million. Council will vote on the settlements on March 7th at 9:30am.
Thanks to everyone who made this week’s Prospect Park Community Meeting a success! The meeting was co-hosted by my office, the Prospect Park Association, and BF50 and featured PPA leadership, MPD Inspector Torborg and Crime Prevention Specialist Teila who cover Prospect Park, Park Board Commissioner Billy Menz, and myself. There was lively conversation on a large variety of local issues and priorities. A recording of the meeting is available here.
I met with the UMN Chapter of Moms Demand Gun Sense. It was great to connect with these parents and have a conversation about how to keep students and youth safe at a time when a lack of safe gun regulation on the federal level puts all of us at risk. I appreciate the ongoing commitment to collaboration at the local level to do what we can, and organize to impact national change.
I met with residents of the Riverview Towers in Cedar Riverside to hear about concerns and challenges, share about my work at City Hall, and build community. It was a delightful opportunity to connect with residents, many of whom have lived in the building for decades.
I had the opportunity to speak with the Superintendent of the National Parks Service to discuss our shared commitment to preserving the Mississippi River, which runs through the heart of Ward 2. The Mississippi River is a National River and Recreation area that is stewarded by the National Parks Service. Many Minneapolis residents may not realize there is a national park in their midst!
National parks are for everyone, and we want everyone to learn about and enjoy the river.
These two links will take you to events offered by the park and our park partner, Mississippi Park Connection: Calendar - Mississippi National River & Recreation Area (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov) and Events — Mississippi Park Connection. As we get farther into the summer, there will be more activities listed.
The City of Minneapolis has received approximately $18 million in settlement funds to address the opioid epidemic in our city. Opioids include pain relievers, heroin and fentanyl. We’d like your feedback on how to best support our community.
Please take our quick 15-minute survey to share your thoughts on:
- Unmet needs.
- Barriers to getting services.
- Your priorities for using the money.
Take the survey
This International Womens’ Day, I will be speaking on a panel entitled Palestine is a Feminist Issue alongside University of Minnesota Professor Sima Shakhsari. I look forward to this conversation and invite all Ward 2 residents to attend.
Palestine is a Feminist Issue
March 8th, 6pm
Moon Palace Books: 3032 Minnehaha Ave
Contact Ward 2
Visit: minneapolismn.gov/ward2
Email: ward2@minneapolismn.gov
Phone: 612-673-2202
We've moved while work is being done in City Hall. Our office is in:
Room 100, Public Service Center
250 South 4th St.
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For reasonable accommodations or alternative format please contact 311. People who are deaf or hard of hearing can use a relay service to call 311 at 612-673-3000. TTY users call 612-263-6850. Para asistencia, llame al 311. Rau kev pab 311. Hadii aad Caawimaad u baahantahay 311. |
