Although the city doesn’t have as much control over our schools as the state does the most important thing to help stabilize our schools is to start stabilizing our neighborhoods.  We need to help create neighborhoods that single parents and families want to stay in, and where they want to raise their children. This helps to make neighborhoods stronger by encouraging parents to stay in our community. Ward 6 is almost 90% rental, we need to figure out ways to keep good tenants and encourage them to continue to stay through better housing stock and better neighborhoods. 

So how will I make neighborhoods more stable? Lets start with what a City Council Member does, they are like a “mini-mayor” for the Ward. The City Council governs Minneapolis through its legislative, administrative, and financial power over many City functions. The Council levies taxes, enacts ordinances and resolutions, licenses businesses, and exercises budgetary and policy control over City departments.  Council Members represent the interests of their constituents. They respond to inquiries, suggestions and complaints regarding City programs and services and meet regularly with constituents to discuss developments affecting the ward that they represent and the City as a whole. I would like to take representing as a whole back into the neighborhoods.

Ward 6 has eight precincts that make up the four different neighborhoods. I would like to coordinate a precinct captain, leader or even teams in each ward that’s involved with their precinct. Once a month I would get together with all eight of the precincts and discuss what’s going on in our Ward as a whole and how it affects all of us. By doing something along this line we get people more involved and have direct relationships with our Council Member and get our voices heard.

This is just one way of promoting our diverse neighborhoods and cultures making Ward 6 a more desirable and a safer place for our kids and families to live. As a parent I have become more and more interested in our community and how we can all make a difference.