Do you have a burning question you want to ask the First Ward St. Paul City Council candidates? Here’s your chance to get a closer look and engage the candidates in a direct and unique way. Twin Cities Daily Planet has invited all the candidates to participate in an online forum about the issues facing First Ward and the city of St Paul, where you get to ask the questions. To get started, we’ve asked the candidates to supply a brief bio, and answer the following question:”What would be your top three priorities as a member of the St Paul City Council?”Read the bios that they provided, and their answers to the question, posted below in alphabetical order, and then it’s your turn to ask a question. Post your questions as comments, either using Facebook or our in-house commenting system, and the candidates will give you their replies. We will continue to update the site with the candidates’ information as we receive it from the candidates. Continue Reading
Minneapolis mayoral candidate Cam Winton considers himself a “fresh face” in Minneapolis’ political landscape, partly because he has lived in Minnesota for less than ten years, and also because, as a Republican running as an Independent, Winton believes he is an outsider who can bring “fresh eyes” to the business of city hall.Appearing on August 14 at the Minneapolis home of Vanessa Dayton, Winton shared his views with a small crowd as part of a casual “meet the candidate” series. He was the fifth candidate to speak to potential voters in this series, and was invited by Dayton, who said Winton is a promising candidate of interest to, “young professionals in Minneapolis.” Other articles on this series of candidate appearances:• Minneapolis mayoral candidate Betsy Hodges wants Minneapolis residents to be “militantly immodest”• Minneapolis mayoral candidate Jackie Cherryhomes claims “trifecta of experience”• Mark Andrew highlights green dreams in Minneapolis mayoral campaign• No more lemmings: Minneapolis mayoral candidate Don Samuels on educationAs a 34-year-old with two young children, Winton spoke of his desire to reach out to similar young families in order to create a “city that works for everyone.” In Winton’s view, Minneapolis has become an attractive place for recent college graduates beginning their careers, as well as empty nesters from the suburbs who want a more urban lifestyle, but, he said, the city needs to function better in order to remain livable for families.Winton cited snow plowing as one example, criticizing it as slow and inefficient. Winton maintained that, for families trying to get out the door each morning, this is an important issue that needs to be addressed.Winton also expressed interest in closely reviewing the city’s contracts for garbage removal, saying he neither favored nor disapproved of contracting only with companies that employ union members. He said he wants every option considered so that the city will not be tempted to “do what it’s always done.”Winton then spoke about the need to rework the city’s regulatory services division, in the interest of encouraging entrepreneurial activity and job creation. Winton believes there should be less red tape involved, and that less regulation will lead to job growth more quickly than what he called “blue ribbon committees and task forces.”On the topic of education, Winton said he was interested in trying to change the city’s charter to allow the mayor to appoint school board members. Continue Reading
Minneapolis mayoral candidate Betsy Hodges wants Minneapolis to be the “greatest city of the 21st century.” To do this, Hodges advocates focusing both on Minneapolis’ “livability,” and the city’s disparities between wealthier and lower income residents.Speaking from the Minneapolis home of David Wilson and Michael Peterman on Wednesday, August 7, Hodges was the fourth candidate to appear as part of an informal “meet the candidate” series. On this mild August night, around sixty potential supporters gathered to hear Hodges’ ideas for the mayor’s office. The final candidate invited to speak is Republican Cam Winton, who is running as an Independent and will speak on August 14.Hodges began by telling the crowd that her vision is to move Minneapolis forward “based on people.” To this end, she spoke of the need to address the “wide chasm” between the “haves and the have-nots” in Minneapolis, in order to ensure that all residents have access to what the city has to offer.A key way to accomplish this, in Hodges’ opinion, is to increase the city’s transit options in order to “bring people to jobs and jobs to people.” She spoke of her support for bringing streetcars back to Nicollet Avenue, and possibly West Broadway Avenue in north Minneapolis. This is based on her belief that transit can “transform communities” and bring “confidence” and “permanent investment” to different parts of the city.Sam Rockwell, who was listening to Hodges speak, said he “doesn’t own a car” and “doesn’t want to.” He asked Hodges about her ideas for making transit more efficient, speed-wise. In response, she spoke about increasing all kinds of transit in the city and adding “more permanent bike infrastructure” to improve the efficiency of public transportation.On the topic of education, Hodges, like many of the candidates who have participated in this series, described the mayor’s role as that of a “convener” rather than an active decision-maker. Continue Reading
As a mayoral candidate for Minneapolis, Jackie Cherryhomes believes she has the “trifecta” of experience that makes her a strong candidate. This trifecta includes her government experience from twelve years spent on the Minneapolis City Council, her background in community organizing, and her recent work in the business world as a consultant.Cherryhomes was invited to speak at the home of Kenwood residents Charlie and Julie Zelle, to a crowd of around 40 interested voters and supporters. She was part of a “meet the candidate” series organized by Minneapolis resident Kate Mortenson that features individual candidates speaking to voters and then answering questions. The next candidate to be featured is Betsy Hodges, who will appear on Wednesday, August 7.Cherryhomes began her speech by identifying three issues that she sees as related: health, housing and jobs, and the disparities within them. She spoke of the many positive transformations going on in Minneapolis, such as the development of the North Loop district, but said that she wants “all citizens” to have the benefits of such transformation.Housing is a central topic for Cherryhomes, based on her experience on the city council. When asked about density in Minneapolis, she spoke about the need for more low income housing in the city, and her belief that it should not be concentrated in high poverty neighborhoods. Continue Reading
If Minneapolis City Council member Don Samuels becomes the next mayor of Minneapolis, he promises that students in his city will not be allowed to “walk like lemmings into failing classrooms.” At a casual “meet the candidate” event held Wednesday, July 17 at the southwest Minneapolis home of David and Kate Mortenson, Samuels gave a short speech about three key issues—economic development, education and public safety—but received the most interest for his views on Minneapolis schools and how to improve them.About 70 friends and neighbors of the Mortensons, along with some interested citizens and supporters of Samuels, turned out on this sweltering July night to listen to Samuels’ ideas and ask questions about his positions. Samuels was the first of four main DFL candidates running for mayor to be invited to speak with voters at a Minneapolis home or office setting. These events were organized by Kate Mortenson, who wanted to give people who may not normally attend fundraisers a “free chance” to get an up close look at those vying to take over for RT Rybak, who is not running for re-election. Following Samuels, Mark Andrew, Jackie Cherryhomes and Betsy Hodges will be presenting themselves to these informal groups of potential supporters. The format was a brief introduction to Ranked Choice Voting, followed by the hosts explaining the event and introducing the candidate. Then the candidate spoke on the three issues, followed by questions from the audience. Continue Reading
Many had yet to catch up on sleep from a late election night four days earlier, but that didn’t keep around 90 people from attending the Twin Cities Media Alliance 8th Annual Fall Media Forum. Held at the University of Minnesota’s Urban Research and Outreach-Engagement Center (UROC) on November 10, this year’s theme was, “After the Elections: Change Work, New Media and the Challenges Ahead.” The day-long event provided an opportunity for participants to make sense of election results, analyze media coverage, contemplate challenges, and share ideas about valuable tools and strategies. It also served as the final major piece of TCMA’s New Normal 2012: Get Connected! project. Continue Reading
SAINT PAUL, MN – Lead by the Pan Asian Arts Alliance, the Pan Asian Dance Festival – Symposium and Competition, was successfully presented on August 17 and 18, at the E.M. Pearson Theater of Concordia University, Saint Paul.Free Speech ZoneThe Free Speech Zone offers a space for contributions from readers, without editing by the TC Daily Planet. This is an open forum for articles that otherwise might not find a place for publication, including news articles, opinion columns, announcements and even a few press releases. The opinions expressed in the Free Speech Zone and Neighborhood Notes, as well as the opinions of bloggers, are their own and not necessarily the opinion of the TC Daily Planet.The Festival offers a supportive atmosphere aimed at fostering a creative exchange of ideas, encouraging exploration of new ground and providing opportunities to experience a wide spectrum of Pan Asian dance/movement disciplines. Artists, students and audiences share their knowledge and inspiration through workshops, jams, discussions, informal showings and performances.Hmong Dance Symposium:The Hmong people are one of the oldest ethic groups in several countries, believed by some researchers to be from the Yellow Basin area in China. “Hmong” once unknown people have risen to the forefront of international debate as a result of their entanglement in the Vietnam War, assisting the American CIAs. Continue Reading
MINNEAPOLIS — About 500 people Sunday stood up for dignity and against tyranny and hate Sunday at a meeting in a suburban Minneapolis synagogue to kick off the campaign against the ill-advised constitutional anti-gay marriage amendment.Free Speech ZoneThe Free Speech Zone offers a space for contributions from readers, without editing by the TC Daily Planet. This is an open forum for articles that otherwise might not find a place for publication, including news articles, opinion columns, announcements and even a few press releases. The opinions expressed in the Free Speech Zone and Neighborhood Notes, as well as the opinions of bloggers, are their own and not necessarily the opinion of the TC Daily Planet.“My blood boils” said Minneapolis Rabbi Marcia Zimmerman as she recalled the plaintive plea of a toddler who asked if her two moms would go to jail if the amendment passes.The amendment which will be on the Nov. 6 ballot would further marginalize members of the LGBT community to further the radical agenda of the Republican legislative majority. Against formidable odds, like the corporate Catholic Church which is sinking a million dollars into the anti-gay campaign, the advocates of dignity and freedom need to convince 160,000 Minnesotans to vote against the amendment. Continue Reading
What are the women of Iraq feeling and thinking after the “end” of the US-led war, in the aftermath of its destruction and the tide of the Arab Spring?
