And over the last five years, together, we have confronted some of the greatest challenges our city has ever faced. Serving as your mayor, standing shoulder to shoulder with the people of this city through thick and thin, has been the honor of my life. I’m not the same mayor that I was when I first took office. I’ve learned lessons that have made me a better leader and, frankly, a better person. But, through it all, I have always tried to stay true to my core conviction as your mayor: to do what is right for those I serve and our city, even when it’s hard, unpopular, or politically difficult.

I am not running for a final term to enact a rigid political agenda. I am not offering quick and easy solutions to the most difficult challenges we face. I am not offering the canned policy and positions of favored organizations or special interests. And I’m not offering a villain to blame for any and all of the problems that we face today. Because I know this city has endured and overcome too much to buy empty promises or dishonest solutions. 

What I am offering is simple: I will fight for Minneapolis and its people. No matter who you are, what you look like, what you believe, or where you come from, I will stand up for you. I will level with you. I will tell the truth. And most of all, I will work to deliver results for you and your family.

After 2021, we chose not to cling to the past. We chose to build something better. While other cities failed to meet the biggest challenges of our time, Minneapolis is delivering. We chose safety and accountability. We chose more homes and lower costs. We chose climate action. We chose a government that does what it says, measures what matters, and lets the results speak.

We are not at the finish line. Crime is still too high. There are too many guns in the wrong hands. Too many families are stretched by rent. Too many people do not yet see their reflection in the promise of this city. But we are not stuck. We are moving with clear eyes, steady hands, and the simple belief that If we choose what works and improves lives over what merely sounds good or wins political points, we will build a better city.

I am running for one final term to finish the job we started together. 

My vision for our city is clear: we need to build more housing, of all kinds, to keep our city affordable. We need to hire more police officers to keep our neighborhoods safe. We need to enact every reform in the consent decree and state agreement to rebuild community trust and build a better department. We need to support small and local businesses, they are the backbone of our community and create jobs. We need to support labor, because our workers literally keep this city and economy running, and they deserve good wages and a share of the prosperity they help create. We need to build more shelters and invest in programs that work to help our homeless neighbors and those experiencing addiction. We need to close encampments after offering services and shelter because they are not safe for those in them or the surrounding community. We need to pass responsible budgets, cut funding for programs that don’t work to protect funding for those that do, and ensure property taxes don’t price out working families from homeownership. We need to lead on climate, not only because it’s our moral responsibility to our children, but also to decrease utility costs and create green jobs. We need to stand up for our values as a community and fight the Trump administration’s attacks against our neighbors. But most of all, we need to build a city that people want to live in, move to, and raise their families in. 

The path to building this city is narrow and difficult; it requires us to break with political orthodoxy for the sake of progress. This path represents a kind of leadership that is progressive in its outcomes rather than in style or intentions. It’s based on my belief that the opposite of Donald Trump’s extremism is not the opposite extreme. It is good, thoughtful government that listens to data and experts to deliver real results for the people I serve. 

If you share this vision for Minneapolis, I’m asking you to join me as we work to build it, and for your support on November 4th.