Minneapolis candidates for mayor debate the future of the city
Five of the leading candidates running to be mayor of Minneapolis meet for a two-hour debate on their vision for the city with MPR News host Tom Weber. Comment here on the live blog or use #mplsmayor on Twitter to join the conversation.
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Talking climate change, Nekima Levy-Pounds says Minneapolis needs to put more resources into educating citizens on energy efficiency. She also wants more city investment in energy-efficient vehicles and to offer incentives to businesses to install solar panels.
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Raymond Dehn offered a specific proposal to change city code: By 2025, 75 percent of all new buildings in Minneapolis must meet net zero standards.
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Betsy Hodges notes a clean-energy partnership with utility companies during her time as mayor, which allows her administration to discuss goals for renewables with energy sector leaders.
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Do you support Barb Johnson continuing as City Council president?
• Jacob Frey: While Frey says he respects Johnson, he thinks it's time for a new president.
• Tom Hoch The council should decide, he said, but the mayor needs to work with whoever is in office.
• Betsy Hodges: The council should decide its leader, she says, and the mayor needs to work with them.
• Nekima Levy-Pounds: She wants new leadership, but says she would work with whoever is in office.
• Raymond Dehn: He says it isn't the mayor's job to get involved with council posts — the mayor just needs to work with council members. -
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Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2017
Polling places in Minneapolis are open from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m. -
Minneapolis mayoral candidates focus on police, housing and equity
Thanks for tuning into our Minneapolis debate. The five candidates — Raymond Dehn, Jacob Frey, Tom Hoch, Betsy Hodges and Nekima Levy-Pounds — focused on policing reform, affordable housing and equity.Housing was the issue for which the candidates seemed to have the most divergent ideas. Here's where they stand:• Frey: Frey says Minneapolis needs to build deeper affordable housing. To pay for city subsidies of affordable housing developments, Frey wants to use the value capture model. He cited his experience representing Ward 3 on the city council, which he says has recently accounted for nearly half of all new residential housing in Minneapolis.
• Hoch: Hoch quickly cited high property taxes in the city as a primary issue relating to affordable housing. He says Minneapolis not being sensitive to its property taxes can make affordable housing into unaffordable housing. He also said it's important that the housing authority have the resources it needs.
• Hodges: Hodges noted that she's facilitated housing discussions with regional leaders so the focus isn't all on Minneapolis. She also said it's important to emphasize preservation of affordable housing that already exists, as it's cheaper than building new units. Hodges also noted her administration has been monitoring the affordable housing situation and that she wants to address high eviction rates.
• Levy-Pounds: Levy-Pounds says there's a "crisis" of housing in the city. There are 17,000 people on the public housing waiting list, and more focus on them is needed, she said. Current policy doesn't have a viable solution to address this, she says. Levy-Pounds said the poor and working poor don't have a voice in City Hall, but she could offer one. She suggested changing city zoning code to allow for more multi-family dwellings.
• Dehn: Dehn says the rental market is "out of control." Renters are more than half of Minneapolis' population, he says, and the city needs to step in to tackle major rent increases. He suggested rent stabilizaiton measures and penalizing "predatory" landlords. He cited his experience securing money for affordable housing in the state Legislature. The private sector can't solve housing problems, he said.