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The University of Minnesota hosted the Association of Big Ten Students Conference, a time for student governments from Big Ten schools to build skills, share insights, and grow as campus leaders. The Ward 2 office was invited to participate in a conference on Higher Education and how student governments can work in partnership with local elected leaders on effective higher education governance. Ward 2 Policy Aide Celeste Robinson participated alongside State Representatives Mohamud Noor and Nathan Coulter and State Senators Omar Fateh and Doron Clark. Thank you to the UMN Undergraduate Student Government for your exceptional leadership!
Panelists and attendees at the BTSC Higher Education Panel.
Panelists and attendees at the BTSC Higher Education Panel.
Twin Cities Maker Fest is a day-long celebration of making, art, and creativity across the metro region! This year, TCMF will be a free street fair on 31st Ave S and E 26th St in Seward, with free art and craft activities, demonstrations, food trucks, performances, and a makers’ market including 150 local artists and craftspeople.
Twin Cities Maker is a beloved and valuable part of our Ward 2 community. Stop by the Twin Cities Maker Fest to connect with your neighbors and enjoy the festivities.
Flyer for Twin Cities Makers Fest
36thART is thrilled to host LIFTOFF!, a special one-night lighting event focused on the iconic Brackett Park Rocket, presented in partnership with the Midtown Greenway Coalition and the Greenway Glow Bike Ride and Arts Festival on Saturday, September 12th from 5:00 - 10:00 p.m. Bring a blanket, a picnic, flashlights, lawn games and your curiosity!
Please join us for the BYO community picnic, starting at 5:00 p.m. Enjoy live music, lawn games, gigantic bubbles and art-making activities. Listen to stories about the rocket from members of the original “Rocket Boosters”—neighbors who raised funds to turn the rocket into a sculpture—as well as guest artist Randy Walker, community leaders and Duane “Digger” Carey, a Minnesota-born astronaut who travels the country on his motorcycle delivering presentations to STEM schools.
Once it’s dark, about 8:00 p.m., the renowned local performance troupe TigerLion Arts and a team of young performers will present a unique kind of flashlight flash-mob, with fog, sound effects and dozens of flashlights. Join in the countdown to a simulated liftoff!
Poster for LIFTOFF! Brackett Rocket Lighting Event
In 2024, I led the City Council to pass a ban on rental price-fixing algorithms. These algorithms were used by landlords to artificially drive up rents in cities across the country.
At the same time that cities like Minneapolis were banning the use of rent price-fixing algorithms, the Department of Justice and Attorney Generals across the country sued RealPage, alleging an unlawful scheme to decrease competition among landlords in apartment pricing and to monopolize the market for commercial revenue management software that landlords use to price apartments.
This lawsuit resulted in a multi-million dollar settlement, including a settlement fund of almost $360 million. This fund will be used to compensate renters who were impacted by RealPage’s price-fixing. If you rented a multifamily residential apartment between October 2018 and November 2025, you may be eligible for settlement funds. You can search properties you’ve rented and file a claim here.
Minneapolis’ independent music venues are opening their doors for a new nine-part concert series designed to bring young people and their families together through live music, dance and creative arts. The series kicks off Saturday, Sept. 12 and continues for nine weekends at venues across the city.
The Family Gathering Concert Series is part of the City’s work to build community by bringing families together and supporting independent music venues. Funded through the $7 million Small Business Resiliency Fund, the series is produced in partnership with the Minnesota Independent Venue Alliance. Most concerts will be held Saturday mornings with a special Sunday finale at First Avenue.
Family Gathering Concert Series:
- Sept. 12: The Hook and Ladder
- Sept. 19: The Capri
- Sept. 26: Dakota
- Oct. 3: The Parkway Theater
- Oct. 10: Animales Barbeque Co.
- Oct. 17: PILLLAR Forum
- Oct. 24: Green Room
- Oct. 31: The Cedar Cultural Center
- Nov. 8 (Sunday): First Avenue
More details, including performers and concert information, will be shared soon on the MNIVA website.
There has been a large number of car window smash-and-grabs in recent days. My office has been in touch with MPD leadership, who shared the following recommendations:
- If you are the victim of a smash-and-grab, please file a police report and include any available video or other evidence. This information is important and will assist our investigators in identifying and tying related cases together.
- MPD has assigned one commander to coordinate a response in order to support information sharing, connect cases across precinct boundaries, and ensure a unified citywide approach.
- Community Service Officers have been canvassing the affected neighborhoods, speaking with residents, and attempting to locate surveillance video or other evidence that may help identify those responsible. Community navigators have been reaching out to victims to provide information, assistance, and connections to available resources.
- MPD believes a chronic offender has been responsible for a significant amount of vehicle theft and damage. In coordination with the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office, MPD is taking accountability measures with that individual. The Hennepin County Auto Theft Task Force, in conjunction with MPD, will conduct a detail focused on the recent activity.
- MPD has spoken with the University of Minnesota Police Department. They are aware of the recent activity and will be conducting additional patrols in the area.
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Council Member Wonsley with co-authors Council Members Chowdhury, Chavez and Whiting; Animal Care & Control leadership, community advocates, and dogs celebrating the Bark Down Barriers Ordinance.
Summary: The City Council unanimously approved an ordinance I authored to remove fees and barriers for justice-impacted residents to own dogs.
Background: In 2024, Council Member Chavez and I led the City Council to pass a comprehensive overhaul of our city’s Civil Rights Ordinances, making Minneapolis become one of the first cities in the country to establish a protected class for justice-impacted status. We won this change through close partnership with incredible leaders and organizations in the justice-impacted community, who advocate for the simple policy that once you’ve completed your sentence, you shouldn’t face an unofficial “second sentence” of extra barriers, costs, and discrimination. Those types of barriers are what make re-entry and restoration impossible, and lead to recidivism. Our whole community thrives when our justice-impacted residents have the resources and support that they need to live safe, stable and meaningful lives.
This is why I was grateful when a Ward 2 resident reached out to my office to let us know that he experienced a discriminatory policy within the City’s own Animal Care and Control facility, and implored us to eliminate said policy. I and my colleagues knew this was an opportunity to put our City’s commitments around Civil Rights into practice. The Minneapolis Code of Ordinances includes extra barriers and fees for some justice-impacted residents to own dogs weighing more than 20 pounds- not because the dog is dangerous or the resident is a bad pet owner- but solely due to their prior convictions. It's a textbook example of a “second sentence” where justice-impacted communities are subjected to arbitrary barriers and costs that have nothing to do with public safety, and everything to do with punishment and discrimination against those who have already paid their debts.
My co-authors and I worked closely with the leadership of Minneapolis Animal Care & Control to create a new policy that removes barriers and fees for justice-impacted individuals, without changing Animal Care & Control’s ability to restrict ownership for dangerous animals. And, we added new language to make it easier for Animal Care & Control to prevent adoption by residents with animal cruelty convictions.
Thank you to our partners in the justice-impacted community for your advocacy, and to the leadership of Minneapolis Animal Care & Control. This is how we work together to Bark Down Barriers!
Key votes: The City Council unanimously approved Bark Down Barriers.
Council Member Wonsley with a Ward 2 resident who is justice-impacted and adopted a dog from Minneapolis Animal Care & Control.
Summary: The City Council unanimously approved an ordinance authored by Council Members Chavez, Warren and I that requires bars and clubs that have dress codes to publicly post them. This helps eliminate “velvet rope discrimination,” when an establishment claims to have a dress code as a proxy for race, gender identity, or other identities.
Background: City Council Members Jason Chavez, Pearll Warren, Council President Elliott Payne and I authored an ordinance requiring that any establishment that has a dress code and sells liquor to post their dress code in a conspicuous place at or near the entrance to the premises so that it may be easily viewed by the public during hours of operation. The ordinance does not apply to establishments that do not have dress codes. The ordinance helps prevent “velvet rope discrimination,” or the practice of denying entry because of an unstated dress code as a proxy for discrimination based on race, gender identity, or other qualities.
Velvet rope discrimination results in dangerous stereotypes about racial minorities, women, and the 2SLGBTQIA+ community and limits their equal enjoyment of certain establishments. Entry into certain establishments is often granted or denied based on stereotypes that are offensive and would likely be legally impermissible if said out loud. Dress code requirements for businesses that do not focus on health and safety needs tend to be arbitrary in both language and enforcement. This ordinance is modeled on a similar ordinance that was passed in Houston, TX in 2025. Thank you to my colleagues and community members who showed leadership to make hospitality and nightlight more equitable in Minneapolis.
Key votes: The City Council unanimously approved the Dress Codes Ordinance.
Summary: The City Council is continuing to discuss potential regulations on data center development. The Frey administration and the Legislative Research Office facilitated a policy roundtable discussion about data centers and the proposed regulations. The discussion reaffirmed that there are significant unknowns regarding the impact of data centers and raised more concerns about the Frey administration’s proposal to establish Data Center Zoning Districts.
Background: Last week, the City opened up a 60-day public comment period on potential data center regulations. The Frey administration also posted, then deleted, a proposal for data centers to be eligible in almost every commercial corridor of Minneapolis. Meanwhile, residents in the North Loop Neighborhood Association organized around a proposed data center in their neighborhood, and earlier this week passed a motion of No Action on the proposed data center due to the lack of meaningful information from the developer, and asked the City Planning Commission to delay consideration of the application until they can gather more information.
The Frey administration and Legislative Research Office hosted a policy roundtable for Council Members to learn more about the proposed regulations, ask questions, and discuss. Council Members raised similar concerns and questions to the ones we’ve been hearing from residents. City staff consistently acknowledged that the landscape of data centers was shifting and much is unknown regarding water and energy use. It is important for residents to know that the City has no authority to restrict the energy use of data centers. Staff have recommended policies around transparency of water and electric use, but also confirmed the City will not have any mechanism to hold data centers accountable if they significantly overuse their previously stated energy use. This means that if data centers are greenlit and are given zoning by right, the City will be unable to hold these corporations accountable if their energy needs shift and they begin to utilize water and energy closer to a hyperscale data center. City staff also acknowledged that since technology can become more efficient, square foot usage should not be used as an indicator of energy needs and capacity. This means there is no guarantee that future data centers that are within the proposed maximum of 175,000 sqft will not eventually expend as many resources as a hyperscale data center does today.
In light of these discussions, it’s clearer than ever that data centers have no place in Minneapolis. It’s also clear that any regulations that the City Council passes must uplift, rather than sideline, residents’ perspectives. People who live and work nearest the areas targeted by data center developers should always have a voice about a potential development. In light of that, I believe that Minneapolis should not have any areas with Primary Zoning for data centers. There are two types of zoning that are available for the City Council to make data center regulations:
In Primary Zoning, a data center developer would have the right to develop a data center as long as they have a complete application that meets City requirements. The City Council only has the legal authority to deny the development because of an incomplete application or the proposal failing to meet City requirements. The City Council does not have a legal basis to deny the land use because of community opposition due to alternative better uses for the property, environmental concerns, or other concerns specific to the project. Primary Zoning is sometimes called “zoning by right” because it gives the property owner the right to develop there.
In Overlay District Zoning, the terms for approval or denial are much more flexible. The City Council can deny the land use because of community opposition, alternative better uses for the property, environmental concerns, or other concerns specific to the project.
Allowing Primary Zoning for data centers in any part of our city is unacceptable. It unnecessarily surrenders the City Council’s responsibility to evaluate a proposed development on a case-by-case basis on a topic that is evolving quickly, and instead hands the keys to any developer with enough money to submit a complete application.
While I oppose any zoning to allow any data centers in our city, at least Overlay District Zoning creates venues for community engagement and allows the City Council to consider each specific proposal on its individual merits and weaknesses.
I encourage residents to get involved in this conversation and make your voice heard at the City:
- Submit your public comment to the City's 60-day comment period here.
- Make your voice heard at the public hearing on October 13, 4:30 PM at the Planning Commission Meeting, at the Public Service Center (250 S 4th Street). I am working with my colleagues to organize additional public hearings.
- I also encourage residents to organize with your neighbors and local small businesses against data centers coming to your community. Petitions, rallies, doorknocks, public meetings, demonstrations, and resolutions by Neighborhood Associations are a few great ways to work with your neighbors to fight data centers in your community.
Key votes: No votes taken.
For months, the City Council has asked for information about MPD operations and budget by passing legislative directives demanding answers from the Frey administration on police spending, off-duty work, and MPD’s leadership vacuum after Chief O’Hara’s resignation. The Frey administration has missed these deadlines and the answers for those questions are now late. Here’s what we’re still waiting on:
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MPD Updates and Interim Changes (approved June 30, response due August 10) — covering leadership transitions and Internal Affairs/misconduct operations since former Chief O’Hara’s resignation.
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Off-Duty Regulation and Oversight (approved June 30, response due August 5) — a review of MPD’s existing policies governing officer interactions with transgender individuals and 2SLGBTQIA+ community members, gender identity and civil rights accountability, a well as oversight into off-duty management and fees.
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MPD Spending (approved April 29, insufficient response given May 19, response due July 14).
Without timely, accurate MPD budget data, City Council Members can’t do our Charter-mandated job of oversight, which directly affects how we set the 2027 Budget and the size of your property tax bill.
The City Council and the public deserve answers. We are formally requesting responses in accordance with the approved legislative directives.
What should Minneapolis look like in the future? The City is working on its next comprehensive plan, Minneapolis 2050, and your input can help shape its goals and vision.
Take the Minneapolis 2050 survey by Sept. 30 to share your ideas about the future of Minneapolis. The survey is available in English, Spanish, Hmong and Somali. It should take you less than 5 minutes to complete.
Learn more and take the survey at 2050.minneapolismn.gov.
The City of Minneapolis needs your input to help shape the next version on the Green Zone boundaries! This survey includes census tracts that were identified through collaboration with advisory board members who have connections and lived experiences in the Green Zones. Community members identified variables and then weighted those variables to determine which factors were most important.
Complete the Green Zone Map Survey by August 30th, 2026!
The Green Zone Environmental Justice Zones were identified in 2016 through a year-long community-led process. Now, ten years later, we are updating the Green Zones using more up to date data. The Green Zones are areas of our city that have both environmental and social disparities.
Contact Ward 2
Visit: minneapolismn.gov/ward2
Email: robin.wonsley@minneapolismn.gov
Phone: 612-673-2202
City Hall
350 S. Fifth St., Room 370
Minneapolis, MN 55415
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. Para ayuda, llame al 311. Rau kev pab, hu 311. Hadii aad caawimaad u baahantahay, wac 311. |
