WARD 3 KRISTINA GRONQUIST, JACOB FREY, Green party
DFL
What is the most important issue facing the ward, and how would you address it? I think the most important issue facing Ward 3 is how we move ahead positively with development and how we [want to] include everybody in that plan of development. We have downtown Minneapolis in Ward 3. We have a lot of development going on in Dinkytown as well, and I think that approaching the development very carefully and slowly — taking into account the neighborhood plans, the need for affordable housing and the need to always look at the environment, we can develop in a way that is going to keep our city green. What policies would you push to spur economic growth and job stability? I think the kind of development that we can promote should always look at job development and … providing living-wage jobs for people … I would try to promote [new models] of economic development, and that would be [with] cooperatives — organizations where citizens get together and invest in their communities … What is the most pressing issue for the University, and how would you deal with it? I think the most pressing issue for the University is how students can afford to stay educated and enrolled in the University and not be overly stressed and overly taxed. How they’re going to be able to afford their education and repay their student loans and whether or not there’s going to be job stability in their fields. The Green Party actually supports publicly funded tuition — free tuition all the way through college. That’s a national platform of the Green Party, and I realize it’d be difficult to implement on the City Council … I’m not always convinced there are scarce resources. I think that students are, in many cases, getting a raw deal in what they’re spending for education … I’ve been very disenchanted with the direction that the University has gone in becoming sort of a privileged and elite institution, and I want to turn that around and make education more affordable for way more people. How do you feel about the new development in Dinkytown and other University neighborhoods? I’m a little worried about the way the development has progressed. I would look to the Marcy-Holmes Neighborhood [Association] and other neighborhood groups that are active. Also, the small business community in Dinkytown and work with them to try to preserve the historic character of Dinkytown … We can’t stay frozen in time. Students need apartments, places to live, and we don’t want them living in unsafe old houses … so there’s definitely a balance. I’ve been concerned that the development has been moving too fast without enough citizen input. How do you feel about Minneapolis’ plan to implement streetcars to improve the city’s transit system? I support streetcars with some reservations. I believe that streetcars are an economic development tool and would like to have them viewed somewhat separately from transportation as economic development. I believe that cost-effective transportation is really going to be about improved bus service and that’s going to be more cost-effective. What changes, if any, should be made to the city’s police department? That’s been one of my top issues. … I would implement a new citizen [review] authority that would have teeth, subpoena power, and I would require police to carry their own individual liability insurance. I am also exploring the idea of cameras being installed on guns. … Racial profiling is [also] a big problem in our city, and it’s a problem everybody needs to be concerned about … In terms of sustainability, what policies would you push? I’d like to invest in green jobs that would maintain a sustainable infrastructure and make a transition from nonrenewable to renewable sources of energy. To become a zero-waste city would be really important to me. Promoting recycling, composting, reuse programs [and looking] at packaging issues and regulations. Just recycling plastic isn’t enough. We need to look at how to reduce the use of plastic in packaging. I support a strong local food economy by developing urban agriculture and promoting farming in the city … to address the issue of lack of access of some neighborhoods to healthy food. How will you work to reduce the achievement gap in education? The City Council and the mayor [do not] have jurisdiction over our school board — our school board is independent. That being said, I believe it’s a poverty gap that’s based on race or culture … Until we decide as a city, state and country to really address poverty, we’re always going to have an achievement gap. There’s a number of things the city can do to be a voice for education and work with youths outside of schools, but the reality with the achievement gap is it’s about institutional racism, structural racism …
What is the most important issue facing the ward, and how would you address it? I would say the most impor tant issue is having a City Council member who is responsive and ef fective. By responsive I mean calling [constituents] back for ever y single constituent concern, making sure the basics are taken care of and ensuring ever yone is able to par ticipate in the process. What policies would you push to spur economic growth and job stability? Two things: One is environmental sustainability. We can be doing things to create green jobs right here in our city and make sure Minneapolis is the greenest city, not only in our state, but in the entire countr y. That will, in and of itself, create jobs. The second piece is bringing additional residential population to our city, and specifically our downtown. As we grow our residential base, we’ll be able to trigger small and local businesses, trigger economic activity, which will ultimately fulfill jobs, specifically for students after they graduate. What is the most pressing issue for the University, and how would you deal with it? The student debt crisis. There are countless students graduating right now with a heap ton of debt and [without jobs], and they end up moving home and sleeping on their parents’ couch in the basement. That’s not good for the students. It’s not good for the city … If we can’t provide the link to students from their school days to their employment days, then we’re missing out on a major talent sector. How do you feel about the new development in Dinkytown and other University neighborhoods? I think we should have been attacking this issue from the ver y beginning. While I am an overall proponent of density, I think it’s necessar y for a City Council member [to] be an advocate and take an early stance, not just one that is politically expedient … I think we need to be working with the neighborhoods from the ver y beginning to ensure the best possible results that fit with the area plans. How do you feel about Minneapolis’ plan to implement streetcars to improve the city’s transit system? I think it’s a spectacular idea. Not only are [streetcars] good for transpor tation, but they also trigger a ver y large amount of private investment along the corridors in which they’re placed. I think they’d be extremely applicable both going down Nicollet and Hennepin [avenues], all the way down to Central Avenue, and I also think they’d be applicable on University [Avenue] and Fourth [Street]. What changes, if any, should be made to the city’s police department? I think we should have further interaction between the police department and the neighborhoods in which they’re patrolling. In terms of sustainability, what policies would you push? First off, as we bring additional population back in the city, we won’t have people spewing gasoline fumes into the atmosphere because they have a 45-minute commute to work. So bringing the additional population is the first big piece. The second piece is as some of these developments start coming up — and there’s a slew of inevitable economic development that’s coming — we want to make sure these buildings are environmentally sustainable. That they collect rain water, that they use solar [panels], that they use minimal oil or gas, if any, and that in some cases it’d be great to get some LEED-certified buildings as well. How will you work to reduce the achievement gap in education? I think we need to target the achievement gap and the opportunity gap at the ver y root. And that means working on funding early childhood education, which means working with pregnant mothers, before the baby is even born, to ensure that they have the tools and the books that are needed to help their child succeed. That also means going all the way back to sex education. We need to help those that are struggling the most at the ver y beginning.
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
5B
BY ALEXI GUSSO agusso@mndaily.com
DIANE HOFSTEDE,
MICHAEL KATCH,
What is the most important issue facing the ward, and how would you address it? I believe the most impor tant issue facing the ward is public safety and the maintenance of it in light of the number of public safety personnel that are planning to retire. The strategy is being discussed in the [City Council] budget committee, which I sit in, and [there was] a recommendation from the police chief to add additional personnel. What policies would you push to spur economic growth and job stability? The policies that create economic growth and economic stability are public safety, No. 1, because you can’t have economic growth without that. And then, of course, the component of [creating] jobs … The result of [the new Vikings stadium’s] synergistic policy and program [would] energize the downtown corps. What is the most pressing issue for the University, and how would you deal with it? It depends on who you’re talking to. Certainly, the most pressing issue to students is the high cost of education. And the pressing issue from the standpoint of the University is [the risk of losing funding] from the state Legislature … My role as a City Council member is to suppor t the goals of the University. I want [it] to be a successful University, but at the same time, not on the backs of the students. How do you feel about the new development in Dinkytown and other University neighborhoods? There are advantages to the development from the standpoint that development has added additional living space — much more sustainable living space — to the University and Dinkytown neighborhood. On the other hand, they have also added additional costs as far as students are concerned. … So there are pros and cons to the development. How do you feel about Minneapolis’ plan to implement streetcars to improve the city’s transit system? Streetcars [are an] economic tool. They stimulate economic development. I did vote for the streetcars at the City Council level, and I suppor t the use of streetcars and other transit options within the city of Minneapolis, including bus, transit, bikes and walking. What changes, if any, should be made to the city’s police department? As I mentioned earlier, I think we need to add additional of ficers to meet the needs of our growing community and especially the successful neighborhoods [like] Marcy-Holmes, Dinkytown … In the entire third ward, which has experienced just a tremendous amount of growth … safety personnel is critical. At the same time, the police force needs to look more like the population of the city and needs to be sensitive to the changing demographics of our community and have the ability to interface professionally with our community members. In terms of sustainability, what policies would you push? I’ve supported all of our environmental sustainability policies. I am keenly aware that it’s really critical, as our environment is under increased stress, that we as a city need to suppor t ever y aspect of environmental change [to] relieve us from our reliance on fossil fuels and look for ways to add a variety of components to our strategy … In addition to that, I suppor t all of the [new] additional buildings as being greener and more sustainable. How will you work to reduce the achievement gap in education? I am keenly aware of the educational gap because I experienced [it] as a teacher over 20 years ago in the Minneapolis school district … One of the No. 1 reasons that I suppor ted the Vikings stadium [deal] is because, along with the robust development, we will also have [more opportunities for women and minorities] that will lead to additional training and education. I think that in order for children and families to be successful, they need to have a road to success, and a job is a way of being a part of that success …
What is the most important issue facing the ward, and how would you address it? Honestly, I think the most impor tant issue facing the ward is mostly for the sake of growth. I think the best way to address it is to do what council member [Diane] Hofstede is tr ying to do in Dinkytown: tr y to do a moratorium to make sure growth is organic and not forced. What policies would you push to spur economic growth and job stability? It’s not the role of the Council or government to grow jobs. It is the role of the government and the City Council to make sure that the infrastructure is kept up with and [to] provide ser vices like the fire department and police protection. It is the role of the business community to create growth and, to that end, I believe that we need to get out of the way of the business community. We need to allow them to do what they need to do without excess regulation. What is the most pressing issue for the University, and how would you deal with it? I think the biggest issue at the moment is that tuition is awfully high, and it’s going to continue to go higher, and a lot of people are graduating without being able to find employment and repay student loans. But again, that’s not an issue that the city can address. It’s more of a situation where you have to look to see where job creation is and hopefully students will find careers where they might be able to repay their debt and find a good future. How do you feel about the new development in Dinkytown and other University neighborhoods? I think you have to preser ve … If you lose your past, you’ve lost a whole lot of your character. You have to preser ve what’s good about the city, what our past [was] and what our heritage is, and that applies in the face of a lot of growth. I think that we can probably sprout a little more than we have … in other parts of the city rather than within the third ward. How do you feel about Minneapolis’ plan to implement streetcars to improve the city’s transit system? I don’t see where the city can af ford streetcars … What changes, if any, should be made to the city’s police department? There needs to be risk management for all depar tments in the city of Minneapolis, considering the number of lawsuits that we’re carr ying out for police brutality … Instead of self-insuring, we should probably find a way to comply with the League of [Minnesota] Cities and be able to buy insurance from the League of Cities in the state of Minnesota. In terms of sustainability, what policies would you push? I cer tainly am not going to push the LEED standard because it is not necessarily ecologically ef ficient. … I think it comes down to economics. Development, like ever ything else, has to be profitable, and profits tend to drive … If it comes down to the ecology, especially in development, you pretty much have to look into how much it’s going to cost to operate the unit. How will you work to reduce the achievement gap in education? That’s a question for the school board. The City of Minneapolis and the City Council is compar tmentalized. We don’t get to make [school board] decisions.
DFL
Libertarian