Issues

Community and Economic Development

Cities grow or shrink based on their success in attracting investments -- investments that bring residential, commercial, or industrial development projects to their city. When investors decide to carry out their projects in Minneapolis, our city officials and leaders must be willing to assume responsibility for involving the community in the planning and decision-making process.

Successful development is dependent on community involvement. I believe city leaders have a responsibility to ensure that community members have a chance to weigh in on development projects that impact their lives. Without community involvement there is greater risk that projects will not be welcomed by the affected neighborhood. Instead, they will be misunderstood, or derailed by lengthy disputes between the developers and the uninformed neighborhood groups and organizations. In short, without community involvement the success of any development project is in jeopardy.

During my tenure in the City Council, I have promoted the Third Ward as a great Minneapolis location for business operations. Over the past four years, the number, quality, and diversity of businesses in the ward have increased. I have always promoted community engagement and discussion with all stakeholders around development projects in our Third Ward neighborhoods.

Accomplishments

I fostered new communication pathways in the Third Ward with the successful and innovative Third Ward Summit meetings, a citizen engagement forum where individuals and neighborhood groups set priorities and expand dialogue on the issues that affect their lives, including development in their neighborhoods.
I co-founded and co-chair the Minneapolis Mississippi Riverfront Corporation (MMRC), a non-profit which includes the entire riverfront, but whose first capital priority will be the upper riverfront and implementation of the Above the Falls plan. Supported by the City of Minneapolis, the State, and the Minneapolis Park Board. Includes 6 Third Ward neighborhoods: McKinley, Hawthorne, St. Anthony West, Nicollet Island / East Bank, Marcy Holmes and Sheridan.
I am a co-founder of the Mississippi Riverfront Corporation, a non-profit enterprise focused on the redevelopment of the upper riverfront.
I supported development of the Cobalt condominium complex drawing Lunds Grocery, Prairie Stone Pharmacy, and a North Memorial Clinic and Urgent Care Center to the Nicollet Island/East Bank neighborhood.
I helped secure approval for Old Third Townhouse development, an affordable housing project in the St. Anthony East neighborhood.

I will continue to encourage development in our communities that promise positive outcomes in our neighborhoods, and are carried out only after comprehensive discussions have taken place to give an opportunity for all interested voices to speak and be heard. I will coordinate Third Ward proposals with city staff, developers, and neighborhoods, resulting in improved, eco-friendly designs, and inclusion of arts components.