Progress

Over the last five years, we were tested as never before, but when the lights were dimmest, you stood tall, and together we pulled our city through.

Now, Minneapolis has a chance to become a national model for how Democratic cities can combine pragmatic progressive values with effective governance to guarantee every resident, no matter race, income, orientation, or faith, a home they can afford, a safe neighborhood, and a life of dignity. That’s not a slogan; it’s a choice. Big cities stand at a crossroads. One road chases headlines and political wins, leaving working families behind. The other confronts problems with data, expertise, and a healthy dose of pragmatism, measuring success in lives changed and neighborhoods improved. Minneapolis must continue down the latter path to keep making progress.

While other metros priced out working families, we drove affordable-home production up 8.5x, and we held rent growth to just 1% since 2017, compared to 31% for the rest of the country. Our Stable Homes Stable Schools program has provided stable housing to approximately 6,000 MPS children across over 2,000 families. In almost every other major American city, unsheltered homelessness has spiked since the pandemic. In Minneapolis, we have reduced it by nearly 33% since 2020. In just the last few months, our homeless response team has helped provide over 270 residents from encampments with stable housing and services, and 311 and 911 calls tied to encampments are down 80%. But our work isn’t done: to help more families struggling with housing costs, we need to double down on affordable housing programs that work, make it easier to build more housing across our city, and limit the impact of property taxes through responsible budgeting.

On public safety, we rejected the false choice between reform and safety. When calls to defund the police grew loud, most residents—and I—said no, because we need to improve and reform policing, not get rid of it. Now, police recruitment is up 133%, MPD has more officers today than it has had in years, and it’s making a real difference -- today, violent crime is down citywide, and the number of shooting victims in North Minneapolis is at a decade-low. Meanwhile, we are moving forward on police reform and safety beyond policing. The independent, court-appointed monitor for our consent decree credited Minneapolis with making “more progress toward building a foundation for sustainable reform in the first year of monitoring than nearly any other jurisdiction” in the nation. We also rolled out a 24/7 mental health response program and have invested in criminal justice reform initiatives like city diversion programs.

When Washington retreated on climate, Minneapolis advanced. Every city-owned building is now powered through 100 percent renewable energy, and we have a plan to get to net-zero emissions for the entire city by 2050. We cut 12,000 tons of pollution in 2024 alone. And have worked with partners to facilitate more public transit options like rapid bus service. We’re not resting on our laurels though -- especially with the federal government moving in the wrong direction. Through the Climate Legacy Initiative, we’re launching an ambitious plan to cut emissions and reduce energy costs by weatherizing thousands of homes across Minneapolis.

We don’t back down from bullies, either. When Trump attacked LGBTQ+ Americans, I issued an executive order making Minneapolis a safe haven for gender-affirming care. When ICE threatened immigrant families, we passed a separation ordinance and expanded legal-defense funds. When Donald Trump, or anyone else, tries to roll back our gains, we’ll meet them in court, on Capitol Hill, and at the ballot box. We beat his administration before, and we will do it again. While he tweets, we build. While he divides, we deliver.