Your Voice Matters — Send a 2-Minute Video
Early voting for the municipal election begins September 19. You’ll hear plenty from candidates over the next 13 weeks. We’ll be interviewing as many candidates as possible—but we also want candidates to hear from you.
Record a short video (up to 2 minutes) telling candidates what they must pay attention to if elected. If you’re comfortable sharing who you’re supporting and why, include that too. This is your chance to shape the conversation and inform your neighbors.
Email your video to terry@betterminneapolis.com by Sunday, September 21, 11:59 p.m. CT. We’ll compile submissions into a video podcast for our September 24 newsletter.
A few tips:
Film in a quiet, well-lit spot. Phone video is perfect.
Start with your first name and (optional) ward.
Landscape or portrait is fine—use whatever is easiest.
File types: .mp4 or .mov preferred.
If technology is a hurdle, please tell us. We’ll set up a brief Zoom and record your thoughts for you.
By sending a video, you consent to us editing for length and publishing across our newsletter and channels. If you prefer we omit your name, note that in your email subject line (e.g., “Video submission — no name”).
Jamison Whiting Interview Summary
Jamison Whiting, a Washburn graduate and longtime Ward 11 resident, is running for Minneapolis City Council. In this interview, he frames his campaign around “municipal basics” delivered well—public safety, strong schools and parks, and housing affordability—while urging a less toxic City Hall. Whiting brings two anchors to the race: his day job as a Minneapolis city attorney working on police reform and his role as a football coach at Washburn, which he says keeps him grounded in youth and community.
Whiting roots his story in Ward 11—east of Lake Nokomis, bounded by Lyndale on the west and Hwy 62 on the south—and in family ties to Minneapolis Public Schools. The conversation turns sober with the Annunciation tragedy; he calls it “deeply personal,” argues that assault-style weapons and high-capacity magazines should be banned, and urges city leaders to be vocal advocates at the state and federal levels. He notes Governor Walz’s move toward a special session and stresses centering the voices of impacted families.
Public safety is his top issue. Whiting supports rebuilding MPD with well-trained, accountable officers—ideally more who live in the city—while shifting non-criminal calls away from police. He highlights a forthcoming “joint response” model that pairs an officer with a mental-health professional to lower tensions on scene and match expertise to need. He says violent crime is trending back toward pre-COVID levels, though property crime and “crimes of opportunity” remain stubborn, and he emphasizes that both the reality and the perception of safety matter.
His second plank is youth investment through schools and parks, which he ties to prevention and community stability. He’s endorsed by Ward 11’s two school board members and praises neighborhood amenities from Nokomis to Minnehaha Creek. On housing, Whiting cites Ward 11’s high homeownership and rising costs, warns that affordable-housing providers face mounting insurance and operating pressures, and opposes rent control. He argues the city must create policy certainty to spur construction across the affordability spectrum—especially “missing middle” options that let adult children stay in the neighborhood.
Whiting closes by calling for a more civil, results-focused City Hall and linking economic vitality to public safety and quality of life. A DFL-endorsed candidate, he’s focused on doorknocking, fundraising, and turnout ahead of a September 30 forum at Diamond Lake Church. His pitch is straightforward: if Minneapolis wants to be the “shining blue example,” it needs to get the basics right—safely, affordably, and with respect for the people who call Ward 11 home.
Jamison’s website:
