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Dear Neighbors:
As we march towards a quarter of this 21st century, I want to take a moment to reflect on this past year and express my deep and humbled gratitude for the privilege of serving as your 8th Ward City Councilmember. I still get goosebumps as I write those words.
2024 was a year of the highest of highs and some of the lowest of lows. This Council took on global issues, i.e., the Israel/Palestine conflict. We tackled national labor issues, i.e., policies to better protect and increase wages for Uber/Lyft drivers. These actions along with several others kept our communities on their toes and deeply engaged. I am positive that my office received thousands of messages on those two issues alone.
We also had hundreds of contacts from constituents concerned about everything from requesting traffic signage to addressing encampments. And we did our best to respond and assist constituents to the best of our abilities. I want to take a moment to thank my small but mighty team that serves all of you. Senior Policy Aide Deebaa Sirdar has been serving the Ward 8 Council Office for the past 9 and a half years. Policy Aide Kristina Mitchell joined the team last January and is typically the first point of contact when you reach out to the office. We were also joined by Summer Intern, Ryan Pritchard. Ryan is a second-year graduate student at the Humphrey School of Public Policy at the University of Minnesota. Without their commitment, professionalism, and dedication to public service, none of my success in this role would be possible.
Below we’ll go into more detail about many of the highlights of 2024. This is by no means a comprehensive list of all that we were able to achieve but it represents the work we do on your behalf every day. I hope it indicates the commitment we must have to make Minneapolis and Ward 8 a better place to live for everyone.
Given the political changes at the federal and state levels, we are facing some challenging days ahead. While I recognize these realities, I continue to remain optimistic and believe in the power of the people. Lastly, I want to offer condolences to the families of the 39th United States President, Jimmy Carter, and Former Minnesota Senate Majority Leader Kari Dziedzic. These were two political giants who served honorably and humbly throughout their respective years of public service.
Wishing you all Happy Holidays and a Prosperous New Year!
Love,
Andrea
This council session was full and busy. Throughout the year, we passed:
- 449 Resolutions
- 47 Ordinances
- 953 Actions
I was proud to author and or/ co-author 17 honorary resolutions this year to honor our community members, progress issues around the globe, and bring awareness to a multitude of important issues, struggles, businesses and celebrations. Here is what I authored this year:
Addressing Housing and Homelessness: We invested $18.5 million in the Affordable Housing Trust Fund, including direct investment and 10-year federal tax credits for 11 multi-family, affordable rental projects.
The City will fund handwashing stations, portable bathrooms, warming shelters, and storage units for people experiencing unsheltered homelessness, plus $1.4M for emergency housing vouchers, administered through the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority and Hennepin County.
We approved $1.6M to help stabilize the Avivo Village project which provides harm reduction centered housing for people experiencing opioid use disorders.
We will continue to invest $2.2M annually for Stable Homes Stable Schools plus some funding to expand the program into early childhood and middle school homelessness prevention.
We approved funding for a Safe Outdoor Spaces pilot program, with the ordinance yet to be developed, likely modeled after the one in Duluth, MN. Resources could include access to showers, bathrooms, wi-fi, help with housing applications, and breakfast.
Community Safety: We continue to focus on consent decree implementation based on findings from the Minnesota Department of Human Rights (MNDHR) and the investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). Our budget invests $17 million in the new Southside Community Safety Center; continues $5.9 million to support the Behavioral Crisis Response team for 24/7 culturally responsive services across the city; allocates $1.2 million for a new traffic camera initiative to combat reckless driving and better utilize police resources; and creates an additional Crime Prevention Specialist position among other initiatives.
Climate and Public Health: We’re investing $10M in the Climate Legacy Initiative to aggressively reduce our carbon footprint and increase renewable energy use, and it also includes electric vehicle charging infrastructure, workforce training, tree canopy expansion, a first-in-the-nation biochar facility, advancing our Net Zero Waste plan, and more.
Our budget reflects our commitment to addressing opioid addiction with the use of opioid settlement dollars to fund resources and local organizations that provide supportive services to people with opioid use disorders.
Economic Inclusion and Recovery: The budget adds $2M to re-establish the Ownership and Opportunity Fund in 2026 to help business owners not just own their businesses, but the underlying real estate as well.
We’re expanding the Vibrant Downtown Storefronts and Cultural Districts program, helping to fill vacant storefront spaces with color, beauty, and creativity from local artists.
These are just a few of the critical investments for our 2025-2026 City Budget. You can find more details soon, once the adopted budget is published, by visiting www.minneapolismn.gov/government/budget.
 CM Jenkins at the grand opening of Bichota at GFS
After years of community dialogue and intensive engagement sessions, known as 38th and Chicago Re-envisioned, City staff developed plans for reconstruction at GFS based on that feedback. The plans included the opening of the intersection to motor vehicle traffic, which exists today, including restoring bus transit, while leaving designated space for a future permanent memorial and enhancing the public right of way with much needed upgrades. While my personal preference is a return of bus transit only, I respect the process and the plans developed by staff based on the many months of community engagement. During our budget process, my colleagues voted to pause the street reconstruction efforts based on calls from some community members opposed to the plan presented by staff. While I’m disappointed, I’m ready to focus on art preservation efforts as plans for the future use of the street and the People’s Way remain in flux.
Read more about 38th and Chicago Re-envisioned here.
 CM Jenkins touring The Aliveness Project with Executive Director, Matt Toburen
New Nicollet
The City will re-open Nicollet Avenue between Lake Street and Cecil Newman Lane. This street will provide access to the New Nicollet Redevelopment on the former Kmart site and connect Lake Street and Nicollet Avenue. Upgrades will include new sidewalks, ADA pedestrian ramps, bicycle accommodations, new pavement, new curb and gutter, utility improvements, and more.
In May, the City Council approved the New Nicollet concept layout found here. Some key desired outcomes identified by community members for redevelopment of the former K-mart site include housing affordability, business and wealth building opportunities, and culturally relevant community spaces.
Additionally, this area will be home to one of the 11 Affordable Housing Trust Fund (AHTF) investments approved by the Council and Mayor known as Zaria Apartments, at 3030 Nicollet Avenue. The City is investing $1.25M for the new construction of 89 units with a significant number of deeply affordable housing units and a significant number of family sized units.
The Aliveness Project
The Aliveness Project opened its new Thrive Pharmacy on December 1st, World AIDS Day. This is an historic achievement as it will be the first of its kind to have a dedicated HIV/AIDS clinic and pharmacy, making it much easier for people to access care. For many people living with HIV/AIDS, accessing a traditional pharmacy can be a significant challenge. Many folks struggle to make it to big chain pharmacies due to financial hardship, those experiencing homelessness, and folks who face stigma and discrimination when seeking HIV-related services.
The Thrive Pharmacy, integrated into a trusted space, gives clients the privacy and dignity they deserve while ensuring that people can receive full-service care in one location—case management, free meals, groceries, phones, clinic support, and now a pharmacy—making it easier than ever to get the medication they need.
This in-house pharmacy will be a game changer for our community.
Pillsbury Creative Commons
Pillsbury House + Theatre has sown the seeds of a connected and thriving community for over 30 years. On November 26th, Pillsbury Creative Commons broke ground for their exciting expansion, which is addressing the deep disparities in employment and resources in our arts and media industry, a field that today is 67% white males over the age of 50. The new campus will support local BIPOC young people in entering high-paying, high-demand career fields where they are currently underrepresented due to a range of systemic barriers. I have been working with Pillsbury House for years to bring this vision to fruition, so it is great to see it at this exciting stage in the process.
 The groundbreaking for Pillsbury Creative Commons
Daycare Expansion
Tierra Encantada - Bryant opened in 2016 and is investing $5.3 million in their addition, which will almost double the size of their center. It includes a
brand new spacious indoor gym for children to play in during the winter months.
Tierra Encantada CEO & Founder, Kristen Denzer, founded the company in 2013. Denzer was recognized as the United States Small Business Administration’s Small Business Person of the Year in 2022.
 CM Jenkins with Senator Amy Klobuchar, Mayor Frey and staff from Tierra Encantada at their groundbreaking for expansion
Public Safety Meeting
In September, I hosted a meeting with our Commissioner of Community Safety, Assistant Chief of Police, and MPD’s Fifth Precinct Inspector, Community Attorney and Crime Prevention Specialist to address ongoing car thefts, carjackings, and robberies. We heard directly from neighbors about the fear and harm caused by these increasing crimes, including violent assaults.
We learned a lot about staffing and recruitment efforts by the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD). At the time of our meeting the City was down about 160 officers due in large part to attrition and retirement. The City is using strategies that focus on retention and on recruitment. The Minneapolis Police Chief has added new pathways to become an officer, including a community service officer program, where 18-year-olds out of high school can receive paid schooling (a two-year degree is required in MN) to become an officer. The department stepped up efforts to focus on inner city recruitment rather than job fairs and has doubled applications through this effort. MPD is now hiring all the time, not just during open academies
We were reminded that calls are triaged by 911 intake operators, sent to dispatch, and then prioritized and responded to based on priority. A stolen gym bag might sit for 45+ minutes. If there’s a more urgent call, then that will be prioritized. We were also reminded the importance of always calling 311 for reports of theft because our approach to addressing these issues is data driven.
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Unhoused Neighbors and Encampment Think Tank
Earlier this year neighbors expressed increasing safety and livability concerns related to the encampment around 31st Street and 2nd Avenue, which has moved back and forth between the 35W Bridge underpass to private residences on surrounding blocks. Sadly, the same day I hosted a community meeting to discuss these issues, a death occurred in the encampment later that evening. One takeaway from our meeting was to convene a “think tank” to explore ideas, challenges, and solutions.
In September – October, I hosted a series of meetings and then a community town hall to share the ideas, challenges, and proposed solutions that came out of the community think tank. We engaged in meaningful dialogue along with experts in the field and entities from the county and the state. We discussed safe outdoor spaces and increased our understanding of what it will take to effectively reduce unsheltered homelessness. There is much more work and collaboration needed to help house and support people experiencing homelessness while increasing their safety and safety for all community members.
Black Business Week
I was proud to, once again, co-host the City’s fourth annual Black Business Week from July 22-28, 2024. Black Business Week is a chance to celebrate and support Black-owned businesses and entrepreneurs and launch us into the national Black Business Month of August. The City has an amazing planning group that spans several departments and offices, including the Ward 8 Office, in our effort to close racial wealth gaps, build a more inclusive economy, increase business ownership, and create generational wealth. Read more about Black Business Week 2024 here.
 CM Jenkins addessing the crowd at the 2024 Black Business Week Kickoff
South Minneapolis Seniors Fair
This past October, myself along with Councilmembers Koski and Chowdhury hosted the 5th Annual South Minneapolis Seniors Fair at Diamond Lake Lutheran Church. We hosted nearly 100 attendees who got to participate in workshops, a resource fair with 26 vendors, and a panel featuring elected officials including myself, Council Members Koski and Chowdhury, Attorney General Keith Ellison, and State Legislators Sencer-Mura and Greenman.
 A sanpshot of the lego serious play workshop addressing loneliness and isolation at the 2024 Senior Fair
 The Ward 8 Team: CM Jenkins, Deebaa, and Kristina, with our summer intern, Ryan
The Ward 8 team wishes you and yours a very Happy New Year! |
