Finding a Green Way to Govern

  Mill City Hall: Big Change Ahead for the Park Board, and the BET Has Real Policy Disputes? Big Change Ahead for the Park Board, and the BET Has Real Policy Disputes? September 30, 2025 Two less-visible boards are up for election in November, and there's a lot more change brewing than you might think. The Park Board could see a dramatic change in composition, with a lot of labor- and youth-fueled energy in a bunch of races. Meanwhile the Board of Estimate and Taxation has on the table an actual policy idea of substance and contention. We walk through the key races and candidates, and introduce where both of these boards sit in city governance and history. We recorded this episode on 9/24/25. Don't forget to check out: Parks and Power Park Board Forums Schedule : check out upcoming events on Oct 9 and 23 Our new Instagram account  for clips that are easy to browse and share Sogn Valley Art Fair - Oct 4-5  where Robin will be exhibiting works Cam's columns in Southside Pri...

This November the voters of Minneapolis will elect two people to represent them on the city’s Board of Estimate and Taxation (BET) for the next 4 years.  They will join the mayor, two city council members, and a park board commissioner to serve on the official government body that sets the limit on property tax increases, authorizes city borrowing and monitors city finances.  Three people have filed for office to compete for the two seats. They are incumbent Steve Brandt, former park board member Bob Fine, and newcomer to local politics, Eric Harris Bernstein. Brandt and Fine were endorsed in July by the Minneapolis Democratic Farmer Labor (DFL) party.  What is the BET and Why Should We Care About It?    The BET, as established by the city charter, is required to meet at least monthly and is an independent governing entity within the city’s government structure. It holds at least one hearing before approving the maximum total levies that the city may collect for...

I few weeks ago an old friend and political ally, Jesse Mortenson, invited me to host a pod cast with him. I said yes and we started recording them this summer. You can find them, and learne more at https://millcityhall.com/ After the first episode we were lucky enough to get my former Ward 2 Policy Aide and friend, Robin Garwood, to join. So far we have done 8 episodes and plan on putting out a new one every 2 weeks or so. I invite you to check it out and see what you think. Here are some more details about a recent eposodes: Dehumanizing the unhoused, from Frey to Fascism, w/ Flannery Clark and Frank In 2017, candidate Jacob Frey promised to end homelessness in five years. By 2023, he was instead crushing encampments and endorsing dehumanizing rhetoric about people experiencing homelessness and mental illness. In 2025, Donald Trump is marching the military into major cities and bragging about sweeping out unhoused people. How did we get here? We are joined by Flannery Clark...