Mayor Frey defended Minneapolis when criticized by J. D. Vance, but his points didn’t pack much of a punch.
Most of us know the saying, “Only I can talk about my family.” The moment a spouse or friend starts criticizing your family, even if you’ve been doing so yourself for years, you instinctively jump to their defense: “Hey, that’s my family you’re talking about.”
A Stronger Case for Minneapolis
That’s how we felt when J.D. Vance chose the Third Precinct as a backdrop to criticize Governor Walz and the Democrats, using it as a symbol of what happens under Democratic leadership. Mayor Frey defended the city with claims like, “Top five for accessibility” and “Best parks and bike systems.” While these statements may be true, they don’t address why the burned-out Third Precinct remains vacant and fenced off after more than four years. Nor did his response touch on the ongoing disagreements about the site’s future.
Frey suggested a reasonable plan to convert the building into an Elections & Voter Services center, which surveys showed had strong public support. However, the city council opposed it. His proposal would save the city money by using a building it already owns, rather than leasing space. Shrinking the city’s footprint and cutting costs seems sensible, but if the mayor proposes it, you can almost be sure the council will reject it. The current proposal would allow for 8,000 square feet of community space but that is not enough to satisfy the city council.
Another of Mayor Frey’s assertions that many residents might challenge is, “Best rebound activity downtown.” Reports of fire sales for downtown commercial properties seem to contradict this claim. If a rebound is happening, it’s not reflected in the taxes residents are expected to pay—an 8.3% increase proposed for 2025 and another 9.8% for 2026. It’s fair to wonder when residents will actually see the benefits of this supposed economic recovery. If the city’s downtown economic plan relies on Taylor Swift concerts and high school volleyball tournaments, the outlook appears bleak.
The mayor and city council have yet to fully acknowledge the extent of the economic changes in Minneapolis. Instead of exploring ways to trim the budget and control city spending, they are expanding it, with a nearly 3% increase built into the 2025 budget. To fund this increase, the mayor and Steve Brandt, president of the Board of Estimate and Taxation (BET) are entertaining the idea of a city tax on high earners—an idea that Council President Elliot Payne, who often criticizes Frey and the strong mayor system, seems to indicate could be a point of agreement. Deena Winter provides an overview of the proposal in her article, Minneapolis to look at new taxes as downtown values plummet.
There are seventeen states that allow for a city-level income tax. Detroit has a 2.4% tax. New York City has a progressive tax that starts at 3.078% and rises to 3.876% based on your income.
Minneapolis, like much of America, has a significant wealth gap. It’s tempting to believe that imposing a city-level income tax could resolve the city’s budget challenges. However, there are reasons to question its effectiveness. The most obvious is that the mobility that wealth affords could lead to high earners leaving the city, resulting in a net loss of tax revenue. If we fell into this taxable category, why wouldn’t we consider relocating to Lake Minnetonka, Wayzata, Edina, or any other area where the wealthy often reside? Unlike New York City, Minneapolis doesn’t have the same energy and vibrancy that might encourage people to stay. Approximately 80% of the metropolitan area already lives in the surrounding suburbs. If Minneapolis wants to keep residents from moving away, it should explore other solutions before introducing new taxes. One possibility is pressing the state and county to contribute more toward services.
Cut Spending
Unfortunately, we’ve become rigid in how we define our political identities. While we’ve become more open-minded about issues like gender identity and sexual orientation, we remain inflexible when it comes to our economic beliefs. The desire to keep taxes reasonable, especially for the middle class, and to foster an environment where businesses can thrive and create jobs has become associated with conservatives. But it doesn’t have to be that way. You can believe in treating people with dignity and respect and still be a business owner. These are not mutually exclusive ideas.
To make Minneapolis a truly attractive city, we need to move away from cronyism and wasteful spending. We need a school system that isn’t $100 million in debt, with a curriculum that emphasizes basic reading and math over identifying oppressors. We need a mayor and city council who recognize that safety on the streets is fundamental to a prosperous city. A vibrant city is one where people want to live and do business. To counter critics like J.D. Vance, Minneapolis must offer more than parks and bike lanes. We need to acknowledge that the shuttered Third Precinct is a sign of decline, as are the struggles in Uptown and the lack of a plan for homeless encampments.
We need leaders with a vision for the city that includes both social compassion and fiscal responsibility. The 2025 municipal election is crucial for many reasons. For one, the elected candidates will serve four-year terms, during which Minneapolis will face significant choices. The Minneapolis DFL and the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) have become nearly indistinguishable, and the next election will determine whether the current approach is working or if we need leaders focused on economic growth and a well-run city. We need leaders who understand that high taxes, waste, and inefficiency do not mix well. Aligning spending with income isn’t a partisan issue—it’s common sense.
It’s all about schools, from keeping young parents near downtown to providing the workforce we need.
“Instead of exploring ways to trim the budget and control city spending, they are expanding it, with a nearly 3% increase built into the 2025 budget.” –> Indeed. When a household has lower income year to year, obviously you correspondingly lower your spending. Keep up the good work Mpls Times!
Terry, you touched briefly on schools. I had 4 grandkids in MPS, down to 3 now, one transferred to Catholic school from Justice Page. Her older sister completed Page and went on to Washburn. Our daughter is super-engaged with the schools and extremely supportive of the teachers, but this granddaughter was not provided a curriculum to learn from. It was heavily leaning towards identity issues. Once she was given the exact assignment that her 2nd grade brother got at Burroughs. When the older granddaughter attended there was a banner in the back hallway keeping track of who had been shot by the police. Despite belief to the contrary that is rare in Minneapolis, so they were trying to keep a national tally. They haven’t abandoned MPS, but it is going to be a year by year evaluation to assure the kids are learning. As a graduate of Horace Mann elementary, Bryant Jr., and Central High School I am hoping both the city and MPS can rebound.
Thank you. I am sick of the DSA using DFL resources to badmouth and undermine the DFL and our platform and candidates. And stand in the way of practical solutions that meet the needs of the whole community. If they want to run, they should form their own party and conduct their party business as a completely separate entity. I attended my ward convention and I was ashamed of their hostility, manipulation, and outright rudeness to anyone not blindly with them 100 percent. That’s not the MN DFL I have been involved with for decades.
It has been so hard to watch Minneapolis devolve into what it has become: a national example of the failure of progressive ideologues to translate their ideology into practical and workable solutions for running a city. Not that right-wing ideologues would do any better. I believe the primary issue is with the general hostility of ideologues of any stripe to the bureaucracies they must engage with as elected officials. Right-wing, left-wing, the end result is the same: the degradation of government capacity to meet its obligations.
I very much liked the article and you raised very good points. I would quibble with your assessment that the DFL and the DSA are virtually indistinguishable. I hope and believe that there is a common sense progressive viewpoint that did not lapse into the idiocy of the DSA’s utopian agenda
The basic problem is that the city council is unchecked and wants control for special interests. We’d all have to acknowledge that our Minneapolis has changed drastically after George Floyd. The Hennepin County Sheriff wrote a plea to Minneapolis in the months following that the violence needs to stop. There were over 100 murders in one sector of the city. The council took it upon themselves creating lane restrictions for bicyclists, but not a single council member will whisper a word about gun control. The council is hostile to our police force, will fight against police contracts, but not a single hand goes up to face the problem of availability of illegal gun possession.
You do know that in the state of Minnesota, that cities and counties cannot pass gun legislation that overrides state laws, correct?
P.s. look up 471.633
Thanks, Terry, and Susan. Sad-but-true, I no longer recognize our DFL party in Minneapolis–and in our state legislature. I hope they will change their name to the DSA to acknowledge what has really happened to the former DFL party. It’s a travesty. If they don’t change their name, it is truly time for a third party–at least in MInneapolis–one that true DFLers would recognize.
Bingo! You articulate what so many of us — at least long-time DFLers like me — are feeling. We need to turn out in droves for the caucuses next spring. Thanks for this excellent piece.
Another great article Terry.
I thought you would appreciate this article on axio’s twin City.
Your article actually gives a lot more context and backdrop for this basic problem. I totally agree 4 years later that unused police station is a sign of Urban decay and decline.
https://www.axios.com/local/twin-cities/2024/10/15/third-precinct-minneapolis-rebuild-plans
Well said.