Frey’s win set against the backdrop of a more progressive City Council – again

Mayor Jacob Frey s referendum success at the polls on Tuesday suggests Minneapolis voters opted for a known quantity in City Hall over the more progressive priorities promised by his lead challenger Democratic Socialists of America-endorsed Omar Fateh Like it or not Frey will find a known quantity in the City Council too Voters returned a progressive majority to power setting up the possibility of continuing acrimony between the city s executive and legislative branches I m humbled by the promotion and trust that the people of Minneapolis have placed in me Frey commented in a announcement Wednesday promising to work for a city where residents can build a brilliant life in an affordable home and a safe neighborhood Conceding defeat Fateh commented the relatively close race had reframed society debate in Minnesota s largest city We have changed the narrative about what kind of city Minneapolis can be Fateh disclosed Because now truly affordable housing workers rights and community safety rooted in care are no longer side conversations they are at the center of the narrative Related Minneapolis voters break record for turnout in municipal polling A mixed picture downballot complicated efforts by either side to claim a win for their version of events though not for lack of trying Despite an overwhelming fundraising advantage Frey-aligned groups unseated only one City Council progressive Ward s Katie Cashman who was heavily outspent by Park Board member Elizabeth Shaffer Progressive stalwarts Robin Wonsley Ward and Aisha Chughtai Ward both easily retained their seats against well-funded challengers while Aurin Chowdhury Ward cruised to achievement barely challenged Frey-friendly candidates netted one seat for moderates in Ward with Pearll Warren winning the vacancy left by progressive Jeremiah Ellison but dropped an opportunity in Ward where DSA-backed Soren Stevenson claimed the seat vacated by moderate Andrea Jenkins The Minneapolis Park Board shifted leftward after chaos at the DFL s August nominating convention prevented specific Frey-aligned candidates from earning the party nod Still representatives from pro-Frey groups hailed the results as a vote of confidence in their leadership as the Trump administration looms as a threat to city operations Related To win voting in Minneapolis mayoral candidates tout their influence outside of it I feel great about how things turned out commented Jacob Hill executive director of pro-Frey political action committee All of Minneapolis The mayor was reelected with a majority for the first time since RT Rybak We held all our good council incumbents won two open seats and flipped a seat he disclosed referring to wins in Wards and where Jamison Whiting won a seat vacated by Emily Koski There is a lot of major work for Mayor Frey and the council to do in our city and we re confident that we ve elected a better group of people to do it Hill added Progressives meanwhile lamented the infusion of capital from Frey s supporters a multitude of of whom live outside of Minneapolis while congratulating their candidates and voters for holding their own Jacob Frey didn t win on his vision nor his record of leadership Instead he won on the strength of multiple million dollar PACs bankrolled by the same landlords and developers who profit from the deepening inequality in Minneapolis Chelsea McFarren chair of the anti-Frey PAC Minneapolis for the Plenty of disclosed in a announcement And yet despite their best efforts voters retained our strong progressive majority on the City Council McFarren added Related One shocker and other key takeaways from Twin Cities elections Though prospects for Minneapolis to follow St Paul on rent control appear dim in a third Frey term with fewer solid progressive votes on the City Council housing advocates disclosed Council Vice President Aisha Chughtai s conquest signaled the issue would not go away We re so glad to see that the people of Ward went to the polls to fight back against corrupt landlords and financial interests who want to extract every manageable penny from communities who have faced structural disadvantage for generations declared Klyde Warren IPG Tenant Union leader and member of Renters for Political Transformation Frey s supporters claim he fights for the same communities in his work At his election-night party in the St Anthony Main neighborhood particular credited him with showing up in overlooked parts of north Minneapolis for supporting production of deeply affordable housing and for taking a robust and comprehensive approach to community safety Howard Dotson a north Minneapolis street medic progressing in city politics mentioned the Frey administration has dramatically improved exigency response times and eased access to the anti-overdose medication naloxone The difference is life-saving he mentioned pointing to a drop in overdoses statewide Frey follows the statistics and he follows the facts Dotson commented Brian Martucci is a Twin Cities-based freelance journalist covering the Twin Cities elections for MinnPost The post Frey s win set against the backdrop of a more progressive City Council again appeared first on MinnPost