Lydia Millard: Responses to We Love Minneapolis candidate screener

The following are the responses to the candidate screener conducted by We Love Minneapolis:

Name: Lydia Millard

Website: https://lydiamillardward10.com/

Ward: Ward 10

Endorsements – Do you plan on seeking the endorsement of any political parties, groups, or organizations?: Yes

Money raised in 2025: $22,500

To what political parties and/or organizations do you belong (Ex: DFL, GOP, DSA, Green, Independent)? Please list all that apply: DFL

On a scale of 1-10, with 1 being most progressive and 10 being the most conservative, how would you rate yourself on the scale? 3

If elected, what will be your top three priorities? Public safety, Promoting small businesses, Constituent services

Current Property Taxes in Minneapolis: Are too high and should be reduced

The City has committed to transforming George Floyd Square in a way that honors community values and vision for the future. What option do you support for this transformation? A Flexible Open-Street concept that would support development at the People’s Way.

What concept do you support for 3000 Minnehaha Ave, the site of the former Third Police Precinct? Election and Voter Services/Democracy center plus community space

Do you support the City of Minneapolis moving forward a Boycott, Divestment and Sanction policy against Israel where possible? No

Do you support the removal of I-94 through Minneapolis and replacement with a boulevard and/or public transit? No

The City of Minneapolis has a Separation Ordinance in place preventing city employees from asking about immigration status – do you support this ordinance? Yes

What should the City do to generate missing revenue as downtown building values fall? As downtown building values fall the City should find innovative uses for these buildings and should consider targeted TIF districts to revitalize areas that are struggling. The City should also invest in commercial areas outside of downtown that could help supplement missing revenue. Ward 10’s Uptown is one such area that has historically been a high revenue generating area as the most dense business corridor outside of downtown, but it has been neglected and recent construction has made it difficult for businesses to sustain revenue-generating models that can stay competitive.

What is the appropriate role of the City Council in developing policy and providing services under the ‘Executive Mayor’ system? Residents. This means listening without any ideological agendas and connecting residents to services, and then providing feedback to city staff and the mayor when services are not working the way they should be. In order to do this effectively a city council member must create and maintain professional working relationships with city staff and the mayor.

Additionally, a city council member provides oversight on citywide projects and initiatives such as monitoring the progress of the state and federal consent decrees, and supports the success of these projects by empowering constituents with participation opportunities and using ward communication channels to keep all stakeholders informed.

Finally, a city council member is responsible for working with city staff and the mayor to create a budget by providing input from the experiences inside the ward about their constituents’ funding priorities.

What would you prioritize in immediate future city budgets? Focus more on core functions for which the city is currently primarily responsible like police, fire, and road maintenance.

Should a Labor Standards Board be revisited, its composition should be: Business and Labor have equal representation

If you answered “something else” in the previous question, please explain here: n/a

Increased vibrancy and activity downtown is important for: Everyone in Minneapolis

Minneapolis small and local business owners receive: Too little support from the City Council

How important is economic health and the business environment in Minneapolis? One of the top three most important issues facing our city

Do you believe that Minneapolis currently has a hospitable business climate? Yes

I believe that perception of crime: Has a real impact on local businesses and should be taken seriously by city policymakers

What should the City Government do to support small and local businesses? First and foremost, the City should function at a high level in meeting core city functions such as public safety and infrastructure.

The city should streamline the permitting process, and review what makes opening and maintaining businesses too time consuming and expensive. We can do more to find the balance between keeping citizens and patrons safe and enabling businesses the flexibility to innovate and stay competitive. The city should also provide financial advising and consulting services for small businesses to expand and grow their businesses.

The city should also do a better job in partnering with small businesses from the beginning to the end of large construction projects, and find ways to help ease the financial burdens during these times.

Would you support a strict rent control policy with rents capped at 3%? No

If yes, do you support exemptions for new construction? n/a

Are you open to supporting a different version of rent control than a strict 3% cap? No

In general, what effect do you believe the production of market-rate housing have on other units in the area? Decreases rent through increasing supply

Do you support the Revised Affordable Housing Right of First Refusal Ordinance? Yes

Do you think we need additional renter protections? Yes

If yes, what protections would you support? We should require payment plan negotiations and mediation before filing for eviction proceedings. This is something small landlords and local companies do in most cases, but something that larger out-of-state rental companies are not doing. Waiting until eviction hearings themselves to do this is costly and inefficient.

The existence of homeless encampments is (can answer more than one): A public health and safety emergency

Should encampment closures be halted? No

What is an immediate and urgent solution to our Encampment situation in Mpls? The city and the county should work as one in connecting people experiencing housing insecurity and substance abuse disorders to the resources they need. We also must redouble our efforts in creating private-public partnerships to keep public spaces clean and safe such as the warming centers operated by Catholic Charities and the American Indian Community Development Center. And finally, we need to maintain a public safety presence in all public spaces where vulnerable people are preyed upon.

Do you support the minimum police officer mandate of 1.7 per 1,000 residents? Yes, and I believe the City should continue working to fulfill it.

As a city council member, would you support increasing funding for recruitment, hiring, and retention of officers as the mayor proposed and City Council majority rejected in their 2024 and 2025 budgets? Yes

Do you support the Office of Community Safety Department of Neighborhood Safety’s (DNS) RFP process awarding contracts to organizations through a basic competitive bidding process with expert-informed “best practices” proposal evaluations? Yes

Do you support the Department of Neighborhood Safety requiring data-driven accountability and reporting by violence interruption/prevention groups? Yes

With regard to public safety do you feel like the city’s more pressing issue currently is police accountability or staffing levels? Staffing levels

The City reached a federal consent decree with President Biden’s Department of Justice. Despite President Trump’s administration indicating it may abandon efforts to finalize the decree, Mayor Frey has stated he will support the city and the MPD complying with the agreement even if it’s not enforced by the federal courts. Do you agree? Yes

Do you believe Shotspotter is a valuable tool? Yes

Should ShotSpotter be expanded to include additional high-crime areas? Yes

What role should the City Council have in improving public safety? The City Council should prioritize public safety in the budgeting process and do more to meet the court imposed timeline for meeting City Charter police staffing requirements. One area of success for meeting this goal is in recruitment programs, especially those that focus on recruitment from underrepresented communities that align with our policing reform goals. The City Council should provide active oversight of the city’s work to satisfy the state and federal consent decree in the ongoing, collective work to reform policing in Minneapolis. Each individual Council Member should maintain a good working relationship with their precinct inspector to support the public safety work in their ward, and to also identify areas that are not working well for their constituents. The City Council should also support the work of the Neighborhood Safety Department in creating a fully accountable process for community groups to work in collaboration with MPD to improve safety and to improve trust in our public safety system.