Good interview. Frey has clearly grown in office and consistently shown that he is not afraid to meet the moment when circumstances demand it. I agree the most important thing is for him to accomplish success running a democratic city, balancing the evolution toward a more successful governance system while understanding and respecting the expectations/demands of community voices--all during a singularly difficult time of many changes in our city and beyond. Also, he is clear and organized in his thinking, explains where he stands and is unafraid of facts. He is not trying to please everyone and dodge tough conversations. In contrast to the other two candidates that you interviewed, who share good intentions and visions but lacked clarity on either their particular skills for the job or examples of their own ideas for practical solutions. Or in the case of the "held accountable" conversation re: Chief O'Hara as noted in the Strib article, those candidates were either uninformed or uninterested in dealing with facts and reality--definitely disqualifying in my opinion as to their fitness for mayor. This is not the time to continue to inflict performative politics on Minneapolis residents, we need leadership that is willing to do the hard work to find solutions together.
From a recent Strib article, Jazz Hampton, DeWayne Davis, Omar Fateh, Brenda Short, and Kevin Dwire all said “yes” when asked recently whether Brian O’Hara should be “held accountable” for his actions around the federal raid on Lake. Jacob Frey was the only one saying “no.”
Frey’s campaign issued this statement:
“No serious mayor would commit to disciplining the chief for something that never happened,” Frey said in a statement. “The facts are clear — it wasn’t an immigration raid, and the MPD was not involved in its execution.
“No chief will work for a mayor who misrepresents their conduct for political gain.”
The last thing Minneapolis needs is a populist mayor playing performative politics. I’m not in Love with Frey, but so far, Frey is the only candidate I intend to rank.
This is a great week for this interview to come out, so thank you. For those that can access the 150 or so comments on the Strib piece below, they mostly read like letters of appreciation for both Mayor Frey and Police Chief O'Hara. Recommended reading. ❣️
I don't think we can expect the Police Chief to change the MPD culture over night or even over several years. But the important thing is that he's begun this enormous and critical task. We cannot have white, racist police officers, sworn to serve and protect, on the streets of Minneapolis killing unarmed black men. The requirement of MPD to live and work within the Minneapolis city limits is an imperative. It serves no one to have suburban and exurban police officers come to work for 8 hours and go home without ever understanding the complex diversity and equality and equity issues Minneapolis faces. I question the Executive powers of the Mayor. That might be something I'd like to see repealed. Frey has matured during his tenure, but he continues to be too far into the deep pockets of big developers. It's troubling. I question the whole concept of remote work during and after COVID. People receiving City paychecks need to be at their desks providing services for the taxpayers of Minneapolis. It's time to re-occupy Minneapolis public and corporate buildings. That said, I'm a reluctant voter of the incumbent over his challengers.
Maybe it's time to stop calling them Democratic Socialists and just start calling them Socialists. It's just confusing too many that think the end goal is the same because it is not. Like Frye said, most of what we all want is the same but unfortunately there are far too many that refuse to listen long enough to understand that it really is true.
“… we will not be promoting the Democratic Party...they are contributing to economic inequality, wars, deportations, the climate crisis, etc”
So these council candidates, who received a DFL endorsement, like CM Chavez, W9, and candidate Sorenson, W8, and then CM Chughtai, W10, who tried to get that endorsement, these THREE, who ARE endorsed by the DSA, will now work in OPPOSITION to the DFL.Those specific DFL endorsements have ZERO value.
Most people believe there is no difference so I think we need to start calling them out. I think they are really just anarchists that have highjacked the Democratic party.
There is also some power in words, we have been allowing the socialists to call themselves the "progressive" part of the Democratic party when their ideas are not new or original. It's kind of like the term "agressive driving", It almost sounds cool to get a ticket because the term agressive implies strength and power. Would anyone brag about a ticket for "stupid driving", I think not. The term "progressive" implies, positive change and strength while much of their stance implies that much of the public is not competent or capable.
"It is not a matter of who is progressive and who is more progressive. It is that we have a Democratic Party, and we have a Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) party. They are not the same. One is not just to the left of the other. The DSA, in its national platform, actually declares itself as opposed to both the Democratic and Republican parties and offers itself as an alternative to both.
The DSA favors complete defunding of police. Complete emptying out of jails and prisons. Complete dismantling of capitalism. Anyone can see this and its other positions just by googling its website.
However, it is smart politically, and where its members see they can win more seats by running as Democrats, that’s what they do."
Yes, the platform implies anarcy rather than democracy with no depth to the phrases. I hate the implication that life is meant to always be easy with no need of forethought.
one more thing....the Council was elected by their Ward voters to do the work they're doing. It's not up to anyone here to say that's the wrong approach. An election is where we make our positions known to candidates that we approve or disapprove. A party label isn't a determinate of how an elected representative will govern. And there's also the party line that candidates of both major parties have embraced, and that's not always a good thing. The current slate of "socialists" are making changes they feel are necessary. If their constituents don't like the results, then it's time for someone new to take over. Terry is all about this "extreme" stuff and I just rely upon the electorate to decide what's extreme or normal. I'm in Ward 8 and I'm all for Soren Stephenson who runs as a DSA and who was injured badly in the riots after George Floyd's murder, but I believe he will govern as a practical council member.
Apologies for this long comment. Mine, moved over from an earlier Mpls Times piece. It relates to one of the candidates in Ward 8.
"I know a little bit about arsonists because I had a few of them on my caseload. What I can say is that some of them would wait a lifetime for an opportunity to do the level of damage that happen during the George Floyd Riots. For them, it was not an uprising, but simply an opportunity presented to them to do damage, and set fires, while joining up with others, in this communal experience.
That is why every person who was out AFTER curfew after GF, participating in the protests, violating that emergency order, did TWO things….to us. They took away valuable resources that should have been available to help keep people safe, and to make sure these important structures that housed these businesses and orgs, and even housing, were left intact and standing. Then they also provided COVER for the looters, vandals, and arsonists, that simply were out because they enjoyed mayhem. For that group, the laying in wait offenders, they were far less impacted by this tragic and unnecessary death at the hands of our City employees.
It has never been lost on me that a candidate for City Council in Ward 8, Stevenson, willingly violated this emergency curfew order, and continued to be involved in protest, as he refused to take direction from law enforcement. His actions, and others out with him that night, took away valuable limited resources from the people that really needed a higher level of protection then. Of course, you hate to see Stevenson, or anyone, lose part of their vision, but we expect people/ adults to make better decisions for themselves AND the City. Instead, candidate Stevenson got a big pay out, and then he runs for City Council?!
I would rather the story be, SHOW UP, be present, and take action, but do it in a lawful manner that demonstrates care and protection for the neighborhoods and the city that people are part of. Adding to that, appreciating that law enforcement, who WE hire and train, should be allowed to do the jobs we have specifically asked them to do, no matter how challenging it is for them to be out there doing it.
Good interview. Frey has clearly grown in office and consistently shown that he is not afraid to meet the moment when circumstances demand it. I agree the most important thing is for him to accomplish success running a democratic city, balancing the evolution toward a more successful governance system while understanding and respecting the expectations/demands of community voices--all during a singularly difficult time of many changes in our city and beyond. Also, he is clear and organized in his thinking, explains where he stands and is unafraid of facts. He is not trying to please everyone and dodge tough conversations. In contrast to the other two candidates that you interviewed, who share good intentions and visions but lacked clarity on either their particular skills for the job or examples of their own ideas for practical solutions. Or in the case of the "held accountable" conversation re: Chief O'Hara as noted in the Strib article, those candidates were either uninformed or uninterested in dealing with facts and reality--definitely disqualifying in my opinion as to their fitness for mayor. This is not the time to continue to inflict performative politics on Minneapolis residents, we need leadership that is willing to do the hard work to find solutions together.
From a recent Strib article, Jazz Hampton, DeWayne Davis, Omar Fateh, Brenda Short, and Kevin Dwire all said “yes” when asked recently whether Brian O’Hara should be “held accountable” for his actions around the federal raid on Lake. Jacob Frey was the only one saying “no.”
Frey’s campaign issued this statement:
“No serious mayor would commit to disciplining the chief for something that never happened,” Frey said in a statement. “The facts are clear — it wasn’t an immigration raid, and the MPD was not involved in its execution.
“No chief will work for a mayor who misrepresents their conduct for political gain.”
The last thing Minneapolis needs is a populist mayor playing performative politics. I’m not in Love with Frey, but so far, Frey is the only candidate I intend to rank.
This is a great week for this interview to come out, so thank you. For those that can access the 150 or so comments on the Strib piece below, they mostly read like letters of appreciation for both Mayor Frey and Police Chief O'Hara. Recommended reading. ❣️
https://www.startribune.com/minneapolis-mayor-candidates-discipline-chief-ohara/601381051?utm_source=gift_email
One comment, among so many,
"I think we can dispense with "ranked choice" for this election - it's between Jacob Frey and a bunch of nuts completely without sense or honesty."
I don't think we can expect the Police Chief to change the MPD culture over night or even over several years. But the important thing is that he's begun this enormous and critical task. We cannot have white, racist police officers, sworn to serve and protect, on the streets of Minneapolis killing unarmed black men. The requirement of MPD to live and work within the Minneapolis city limits is an imperative. It serves no one to have suburban and exurban police officers come to work for 8 hours and go home without ever understanding the complex diversity and equality and equity issues Minneapolis faces. I question the Executive powers of the Mayor. That might be something I'd like to see repealed. Frey has matured during his tenure, but he continues to be too far into the deep pockets of big developers. It's troubling. I question the whole concept of remote work during and after COVID. People receiving City paychecks need to be at their desks providing services for the taxpayers of Minneapolis. It's time to re-occupy Minneapolis public and corporate buildings. That said, I'm a reluctant voter of the incumbent over his challengers.
Maybe it's time to stop calling them Democratic Socialists and just start calling them Socialists. It's just confusing too many that think the end goal is the same because it is not. Like Frye said, most of what we all want is the same but unfortunately there are far too many that refuse to listen long enough to understand that it really is true.
About the council races...they are NOT Democrats.
https://minneapolistimes.com/dsa-breaks-with-dfl/
Excerpt..
“… we will not be promoting the Democratic Party...they are contributing to economic inequality, wars, deportations, the climate crisis, etc”
So these council candidates, who received a DFL endorsement, like CM Chavez, W9, and candidate Sorenson, W8, and then CM Chughtai, W10, who tried to get that endorsement, these THREE, who ARE endorsed by the DSA, will now work in OPPOSITION to the DFL.Those specific DFL endorsements have ZERO value.
Most people believe there is no difference so I think we need to start calling them out. I think they are really just anarchists that have highjacked the Democratic party.
There is also some power in words, we have been allowing the socialists to call themselves the "progressive" part of the Democratic party when their ideas are not new or original. It's kind of like the term "agressive driving", It almost sounds cool to get a ticket because the term agressive implies strength and power. Would anyone brag about a ticket for "stupid driving", I think not. The term "progressive" implies, positive change and strength while much of their stance implies that much of the public is not competent or capable.
Agree. A piece in "Readers Write" in the Strib this month by Therkelsen on this. AND of Mpls Times, thankfully, has written lots on this. 👏
https://www.startribune.com/readers-write-minneapolis-politics-trumps-budget-hot-tub-rentals/601367861?utm_source=email?utm_source=gift
Excerpt from that "Readers Write" piece.
"It is not a matter of who is progressive and who is more progressive. It is that we have a Democratic Party, and we have a Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) party. They are not the same. One is not just to the left of the other. The DSA, in its national platform, actually declares itself as opposed to both the Democratic and Republican parties and offers itself as an alternative to both.
The DSA favors complete defunding of police. Complete emptying out of jails and prisons. Complete dismantling of capitalism. Anyone can see this and its other positions just by googling its website.
However, it is smart politically, and where its members see they can win more seats by running as Democrats, that’s what they do."
Yes, the platform implies anarcy rather than democracy with no depth to the phrases. I hate the implication that life is meant to always be easy with no need of forethought.
one more thing....the Council was elected by their Ward voters to do the work they're doing. It's not up to anyone here to say that's the wrong approach. An election is where we make our positions known to candidates that we approve or disapprove. A party label isn't a determinate of how an elected representative will govern. And there's also the party line that candidates of both major parties have embraced, and that's not always a good thing. The current slate of "socialists" are making changes they feel are necessary. If their constituents don't like the results, then it's time for someone new to take over. Terry is all about this "extreme" stuff and I just rely upon the electorate to decide what's extreme or normal. I'm in Ward 8 and I'm all for Soren Stephenson who runs as a DSA and who was injured badly in the riots after George Floyd's murder, but I believe he will govern as a practical council member.
Putting another activist on the City Council is a bad idea. Im hoping someone more in the middle will run.
Apologies for this long comment. Mine, moved over from an earlier Mpls Times piece. It relates to one of the candidates in Ward 8.
"I know a little bit about arsonists because I had a few of them on my caseload. What I can say is that some of them would wait a lifetime for an opportunity to do the level of damage that happen during the George Floyd Riots. For them, it was not an uprising, but simply an opportunity presented to them to do damage, and set fires, while joining up with others, in this communal experience.
That is why every person who was out AFTER curfew after GF, participating in the protests, violating that emergency order, did TWO things….to us. They took away valuable resources that should have been available to help keep people safe, and to make sure these important structures that housed these businesses and orgs, and even housing, were left intact and standing. Then they also provided COVER for the looters, vandals, and arsonists, that simply were out because they enjoyed mayhem. For that group, the laying in wait offenders, they were far less impacted by this tragic and unnecessary death at the hands of our City employees.
It has never been lost on me that a candidate for City Council in Ward 8, Stevenson, willingly violated this emergency curfew order, and continued to be involved in protest, as he refused to take direction from law enforcement. His actions, and others out with him that night, took away valuable limited resources from the people that really needed a higher level of protection then. Of course, you hate to see Stevenson, or anyone, lose part of their vision, but we expect people/ adults to make better decisions for themselves AND the City. Instead, candidate Stevenson got a big pay out, and then he runs for City Council?!
I would rather the story be, SHOW UP, be present, and take action, but do it in a lawful manner that demonstrates care and protection for the neighborhoods and the city that people are part of. Adding to that, appreciating that law enforcement, who WE hire and train, should be allowed to do the jobs we have specifically asked them to do, no matter how challenging it is for them to be out there doing it.
Ward 8 definitely deserves some love, and the high level of attention. Great to see a strong option there.
https://www.joshbforward8.org/
this seems like a one-on to me...I believe there will be a more centrist Council soon.