Minneapolis is at a crossroads.
By Terry White and David J. Therkelsen
Property taxes are rising. Storefronts sit empty. Residents are divided on how to address addiction on our streets and the growing unhoused population. These are not new problems, but they are getting harder to ignore.
The question isn’t whether Minneapolis needs new ideas. It’s where those ideas will come from.
The Mission
Two Minneapolis-based writers, Terry White and David Therkelsen, are embarking on a research trip to Seattle, Portland, and San Francisco, three cities that have wrestled publicly and visibly with the same challenges facing our city. We’re going this July to learn what worked, what failed, and why.
This is not a political project. We are not promoting a party, a candidate, or an ideology. We are going to talk to residents, business owners, civic leaders, and community organizations, the people who actually live inside these challenges, and bring their stories and lessons back to Minneapolis.
No agenda. No endorsements. Just ideas Minneapolis can use.
Statistics tell part of the story. Conversations tell the rest.
Who We Are
Terry White is the founder of Better Minneapolis, a community news and commentary platform focused on public policy and civic life.
David Therkelsen is a 50-year Minneapolis homeowner and observer of civic affairs. He was a four-time CEO of Minnesota nonprofits, including two American Red Cross field units.
Together, we bring 80 years of combined experience in journalism, communications, and civic engagement. We possess shared commitment to honest, solution-focused dialogue.
What We’ll Produce
Our findings will be published on MinneapolisTimes.com and presented to any civic organization or leader interested in honest, solution-based dialogue. Our goal is to spark conversation with five written pieces as well as audio and video interviews around the big ideas that can make Minneapolis a city that attracts families, businesses, and investment for generations to come.
Topics will include:
- Housing and the unhoused, harm reduction, enforcement, and what cities have actually tried
- Commercial real estate and business attraction, vacancy, incentives, and what draws employers back downtown
- Public schools and the social safety net, programs that moved the needle and those that didn’t
- Policing, taxation, and governance, models that balance accountability, revenue, and public trust
Who Might Support This
This project is for anyone who believes Minneapolis deserves better than the current debate, and that fresh, nonpartisan perspectives are the missing ingredient.
We are especially seeking support from individuals, businesses, and civic-minded organizations who:
- Care deeply about the direction of Minneapolis
- Want to see solution-focused research that isn’t tied to any political agenda
- Believe that learning from other cities is smarter than reinventing the wheel
Where We Stand
Total budget: $6,600
Covers travel, lodging, meals, and research materials for two writers across three cities over 10 days.
✅ $3,300 raised to date, we’re halfway there.
We are seeking donations from individuals and organizations in any amount. All contributions directly fund research and production costs.
How to Give
A tax-deductible donation securely online at: https://givebutter.com/mplsfoodforthought
Contributions in any amount are welcome. All check donations should be made payable to:
Local Media Foundation and must include Minneapolis Food for Thought on the memo line.
Donations can be mailed to:
Local Media Foundation
P.O. Box 85015
Chicago, IL 60689-5033
We’re halfway there. Your contribution sends these conversations home to Minneapolis. For questions or to learn more, contact:
Terry White | terry@betterminneapolis.com | 612-964-0652
David Therkelsen | djtherkelsen@ g mail.com |
We believe Minneapolis works best when its people are informed, connected, and willing to listen.
Great to keep an eye on other cities.
Congratulations go to Mamdani in NYC, on this one, as he separates himself and behaves like a real mayor for ALL of the City.
In Rare Move, D.S.A Rebukes Mamdani Over Police Plans The New York City chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America criticized the mayor over his support for increasing the Police Department’s head count.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/12/nyregion/dsa-mamdani-pushback.html?unlocked_article_code=1.p1A.g2V8.Qjy9BIUdR7a_&smid=url-share
I have to agree with other commenters that these are poor choice cities to learn from:
All three have severely constrained geography that Minneapolis does not. All three have severe topography that makes bicycling a different challenge than here, and weather that makes bikes a very different option than here. Looking just at population (relying on Wikipedia), let’s compare 1990 with today:
Mpls ranks 46th with 460k, in 1990 it ranked 42nd with 368k, so a 25% increase.
Seattle ranks 18th with 785k, in 1990 it ranked 21st with 516k, a 52% increase.
SF ranks 17th with 826k, in 1990 it ranked 14th with 724k, so a 14% increase.
Portland ranks 28th with 625k, in 1990 it ranked 30th with 427k, so a 46% increase.
How about instead of the usual suspects and some of the least affordable cities in the US, you looked at:
Sacramento – 536k (35th) from 369k (41st), a 45% increase.
Austin 1003k (12th) from 466k (20th) a 115% increase.
Denver 741k (19th) from 468k (26th) a 58% increase.
Albuquerque 557k (32nd) from 385k (38th) a 45% increase.
These numbers are city populations (and for Mpls does not include St. Paul), not SMSA #s so not perfect comparisons, but Denver and Albuquerque might tell you much more than your west coast picks: they both sit in a large geographic catchment, have grown faster than Mpls, but yet do well on national affordability indexes: On Payscale Mpls is ranked at 8% below the national average for cost of living and 19% below the national average for housing costs. Comparable #s for Albuquerque (-3% and -9%), Denver (+10% and +20%). Your choices hardly seem to be models we want to emulate: SF (+64% and 154%), Seattle (+45 and +104%), Portland (+16 and +36%).
I have a lot to say about Denver, and even more broadly Colorado. They are doing good work on issues of crime, particularly by juveniles, and on homelessness. I like to draw attention to Denver and San Francisco, as places Mpls should look to, places where changes are happening fast now.
I have to respectfully disagree. This is not about geography or topography. It is about governance styles that have created dire circumstances for those cities, and what they are doing to restore quality governance. The governance in Portland, San Francisco and Seattle which led to their well-documented problems, appear similar to those of Minneapolis. The cities Dave and Terry chose are a bullseye to unearth what went wrong in those cities and how governance changed to improve them. This is a brilliant idea, and I thank Dave and Terry for embarking on this research.
I applaud your innitiative!! At the risk of being an armchair critic, I’m wondering why you are choosing to visit cities where the problems are so acute? Why not Milwaukee and Buffalo, NY. I’m serious. Those are two cities I visit to see family. Both have very good streetscape retail and service sectors and very little on-street panhandling or observable homelessness compared to what you see here.
Terry and I both think independently – partly why we’re a good team for this project – so he can make his own comments.
My answer is that since Minneapolis is going in the wrong direction on a number of key metrics, we should look especially at cities that have struggled with governance practices similar to ours, yet are (we think; but that’s what we’re studying) coming back to becoming better-governed, better-managed, better functioning cities. Those are where Minneapolis will likely find the best lessons learned.
I don’t know much about Buffalo, but I do agree that Milwaukee seems to be a city that has figured out a strategy and one that is working.
I love this. I believe that we can really learn a lot from these places, and those living there. These two are exactly the right people for this job!
I gave a bit. 🤑