80% Complete Gets You Nowhere

Explaining to Others: Why Move to Minneapolis

Friday night, we ventured out of our comfort zone in South Minneapolis to see a comedy show at the Xcel Center in St. Paul. It was the first time we had been there since moving to Minneapolis in 2006. We either didn’t find any of the concerts interesting, weren’t available, or simply didn’t know about them.

While hockey is a big draw for many, it’s one of those activities we’d attend if someone gave us tickets—but no one has. We’ve occasionally considered going to a home and garden show, but those plans never made it past casual conversation.

Does Anyone Live Here for the Weather?

The weather was terrible—snow and ice, slick roads. The headliner, Sebastian Maniscalco, joked that he thought the concert would be canceled. Despite the conditions, about 15,000 people showed up, most dressed for a blizzard. By the end of the show, the auditorium was so hot that the cold night air felt like a relief.

As expected, both the opening acts and Maniscalco made jokes about the weather, all implying the same question: “Why the hell do you people live here?” (As we write this, we can hear the familiar sound of someone trying to start their snowblower. Our neighbor, who is in his late 60s, joked as we walked our dog to call someone if we saw him lying on the sidewalk while shoveling.)

The drive home took twice as long as usual. We saw several cars spinning their tires and sliding out of their lanes. A snowplow with a dozen high-beam headlights nearly blinded us and almost ran us off the road. During that slow, treacherous drive home, we couldn’t help but wonder if the comedians had a point. Why do we live here? What drew us to the city in the first place? And, given its current state, would we choose to move here again?

There were several reasons we moved here:

Affordable Housing

This might sound absurd, but compared to the New York area and many other parts of the country, Minneapolis is affordable. Raising two children in New York City—in the type of high-density housing that Minneapolis touts as the solution to affordability—is expensive. The cost of upgrading from a one-bedroom to a two-bedroom apartment for our second child broke our budget. We were naïve enough, for about two months, to think we could raise two children on nonprofit salaries.

For many, Minneapolis still offers affordable housing. Finding an apartment isn’t difficult; a quick internet search shows several new buildings offering the first month free to attract renters.

However, houses remain expensive. High interest rates keep us, and many others, from moving. An embarrassing gap in homeownership persists, with 77% of white households owning homes compared to just 29% of Black households. This disparity may be worsening.

Surveys suggest that moving to suburbs like Lakeville is more popular for families than staying in Minneapolis. The Metropolitan Council’s recent growth projections indicate that two-thirds of the population growth leading up to 2050 is expected to occur in the suburbs.

Jobs

Unemployment remains low in the city. According to official reports, it’s currently around 2.5%, below the long-term average of 4%. While not all of these jobs pay well, employment opportunities are available.

We moved here for a social work position at the Hennepin County Home School, which is no longer in operation. Its closure has created a gap in Hennepin County’s ability to hold and treat juveniles, many of whom received their first consistent healthcare at the Home School. For most, it was also the first time they accessed any form of mental health services.

A new approach in corrections suggested that community-based services within the child’s own neighborhood were the best means of reforming delinquency. However, many of these community-based services, if they exist, are subpar compared to what the Home School offered.

Many of us are dismayed by the lack of consequences for youth, but under the current system, there are limited options. Consider this statement from Adesola Oni in the Spokesman-Recorder:

“Youth facilities are understaffed and under-resourced to meet demand. Boys Totem Town juvenile correction facility in St. Paul, Hennepin County Home School, and Family Services in Duluth all closed in 2019.” – Adesola Oni, Senior Behavioral Health Department Administrator, Hennepin County

What Worked in the Past Might Work Again

Addressing juvenile crime is complex. Reopening the Hennepin County Home School wouldn’t solve the issue entirely, but it would help. The Home School is a $30 million facility in Minnetonka that has been unused since 2021. During this same period, youth crime has escalated. When mental health facilities are needed for youth, they are often sent out of state due to a lack of local options—sometimes as far away as Utah.

The Home School, considered progressive in 2006, was replaced by even more progressive community-based solutions that have been inadequately funded and poorly implemented. Reflecting on this, we realize that if we were making the decision today, we wouldn’t move here. There would be no reason to do so.

At the time, the public schools were an appealing factor. Now, they are burdened with tremendous debt, many buildings sit empty, and the quality of education has declined. Recent assessments show that across all grades and subjects, only 45% of Minnesota students are proficient in Math, and just 40% are proficient in Reading.

We’ve seen a shift in focus from teaching fundamental skills to filtering all learning through a confusing mix of socio-economic theories. This approach does not serve our children or the city well if the goal is to build confidence and skills that will enhance their chances of success later in life. To understand social injustices or engage in meaningful change, one must first be able to read with comprehension.

The METRO Green Line Extension: A Lesson in Unrealized Ambitions

The METRO Green Line Extension, or Southwest Light Rail Transit project, is a $2.86 billion endeavor originally estimated at $1.25 billion in 2012. Its delays and cost overruns have become a running joke. Currently 80% complete, it is still years from being operational. Whatever economic development gains were once envisioned have long since evaporated. The project stands as a symbol of why wishful thinking and good intentions must be weighed against cost, feasibility, and the benefits of end-to-end implementation.

We continue to see inefficient and impractical solutions proposed across the city. The prolonged delays and disputes over George Floyd Square are another example. After years of surveys and community input, the city council voted to explore the option of making it a pedestrian-only street, despite strong opposition from most neighborhood residents. However, when a council member can be elected with fewer than 3,500 votes—as was the case for five members—you don’t need to appeal to the majority. You only need to mobilize a small base of supporters. Due to structural issues in the city’s ward and voting system, we end up with council members content with building only 80% of the tracks.

The continual performative theatrics in Minneapolis government prevent us from moving forward and building a city that attracts newcomers, keeps families here, and prepares us for the future. We don’t want to be merely the punchline for comedians or a backdrop for right-wing politicians eager to highlight the perceived failures of Democratic leadership.

A recent example of these tactics was the proposal to move the Group Violence Intervention programs to Hennepin County. Seven councilors voted it out of committee, only for the full council to unanimously reject it. If any of them genuinely believed in the proposal, we would have expected at least seven votes in favor. Instead, it was a display of political theater that accomplished nothing beyond scoring points.

City in a Park

Staring out the car window at the dark, snowy banks along the Mississippi, it occurred to us that the parks might still be the key to attracting and retaining people in Minneapolis. They are well-maintained, beautiful, and enjoyed by nearly everyone in the city. People travel from all over the country to cross-country ski here. The recreation centers are outstanding, and the baseball, basketball, and football leagues are incredibly popular. We’re constantly amazed by how many parents commit their time to coach, organize, and serve as role models for young people.

The trails along the lakes and Minnehaha Creek are busy year-round with dog walkers, joggers, and cyclists. Visitors are often astonished to see locals jogging through the snow when temperatures dip below 15 degrees. They shake their heads in disbelief at the sight of people rushing from a hot sauna into a freezing lake. Former Park Board President Meg Forney likes to say that Minneapolis is a city built in a park, insisting that it’s a park first and a city second.

We’re not completely convinced, but the parks do rise to the top of the list when we describe why we live in Minneapolis. We avoid mentioning the Southwest LRT, the 3rd Precinct police station, George Floyd Square, the public school system, Uptown’s decline, Downtown’s commercial vacancies, juvenile crime, gun violence, or homeless encampments. Minneapolis is a walk in the park—if you can ignore the quality-of-life issues that local government should be addressing.

This summer, the Music & Movies Events Series in the parks is something we’re genuinely looking forward to. However, when the tents are packed away, the chairs folded, and the sound system stored, there will be an election. In November, voters will decide who will be the next mayor and city council members until 2030. The future of the city depends on it.

Reprinted with permission of Better Minneapolis