Finding a Green Way to Govern

In March , following a closed session, the City Council approved, and the Mayor has committed to support, paying $27 million to George Floyd’s family as a settlement in the wrongful-death lawsuit filed by them against the City. This is the highest settlement amount the City has ever paid and is more than the $20 million paid to the family of Justine Damond, who was shot and killed by a Minneapolis police officer in 2017. With this settlement, Minneapolis has now paid more than $72 million to settle lawsuits related to police misconduct and violence since 2003. This is a stark and powerful reminder of our flawed and failed system of providing public safety for the people of Minneapolis. The current structure and system of policing is broken. It is morally indefensible and fiscally irresponsible to allow the status quo to continue. I stand with the Floyd family in calling for, and working for, real action to ensure that horrific tragedies, like the killing of George Floyd, are not rep...

There are two amendments to the Minneapolis Charter on the ballot in this election. Question #1 is the best option we could find of several bad options to respond to a state law that requires Minneapolis (and Minneapolis alone) to hold a Council election in years that end in a "3," after each census. It will set up the following election schedule in Minneapolis. There will be an election for the Mayor, Council, Park Board, and Board of Estimate and Taxation (BOE) in 2021. Then there will be an election two years later, in 2023, just for Council. Then there will be another election in 2025 for Mayor, Council, Park Board, and BOE. I do not believe that this is a good outcome, as it puts the people of Minneapolis through three local elections in four years. If the charter amendment #1 is approved it will align our local election cycle back to its current pattern as soon as possible but having the Council Members serve an additional 2-year term. This will mean that we will have...

    News from Cam Gordon Minneapolis City Council Member, Second Ward         http://www.minneapolismn.gov/ward2 http://secondward.blogspot.com www.facebook.com/camgordonward2   Census Deadline. The deadline for the 2020 Census is September 30. The State Demographer, Susan Brower, reported in August that in college campus neighborhoods and immigrant communities, census response rates are below 50%. In and around Ward 2, the Como, U of M, Prospect Park and Cedar Riverside neighborhoods have census tracts that are only 50% completed. Data from the census is used to determine the boundaries and representation for Wards, Park Board, State and Federal legislative districts, as well as representation on the Electoral College in the election of our president. It also impacts funding for food and housing assistance and Head Start and is used to plan and support roads, businesses and health and public safety decisions in our com...