DAVE BICKING: 9th Ward
by Brian Kaller

This is Dave Bicking’s first time as a political candidate, but he has been a political activist for almost 40 years—as a labor organizer, peace demonstrator, conservation advocate and small business owner. Bicking, who has owned an auto repair shop in the 9th Ward for 13 years, said the stadium issue was the catalyst for his City Council run.

“When I went to testify at the Hennepin County public hearing, there was a long line of stadium supporters,” Bicking said. “Most represented businesses or organizations that would benefit financially—though none of them indicated an interest in paying part of the cost. What is shameful is that so many of our political leaders support the stadium in spite of clear and overwhelming public opposition. The stadium debate is a symptom of a much larger issue—who are our leaders listening to?”

The push for a publicly-funded, privately-owned stadium has percolated through Twin Cities politics for 10 years, and Twins’ owner Carl Pohlad’s most recent attempt has garnered support from several prominent city leaders, including the top two contenders for mayor. Pohlad’s latest proposal would entail a $353 million donation from taxpayers, a move promoted as good for business. But Bicking believes that, while big business looks after its interest, residents must look after theirs.

“It is to be expected that large corporations will seek competitive advantage through public subsidies,” Bicking said. “That is their nature, and their responsibility to their stockholders. In a democracy, it is the responsibility of our representatives to resist, and to look out for the public interest. I will remain conscious of that responsibility while I am in office.”

Another major problem with the city government, Bicking said, is that the federal and state governments have rescinded their role of aiding the population. When politicians of both major parties have reduced taxes for the wealthy and for corporations, they have put more of a burden on city governments, and Bicking wants to see that Minneapolis retains its populist priorities.

“Resources are being squandered on war, while social services, health care and education have been cut,” Bicking said. “City government is a level at which we can and must resist.”

Bicking advocates urban development that eschews stadiums and tourist attractions in favor of poor areas and small, locally owned businesses. He also favors a living-wage ordinance and programs for affordable housing to boost the standards of the lowest-income residents.

While most politicians must respond to the will of major campaign donors, he said, Greens have some freedom from such financial pressure.

“Green Party politicians can be more independent, so that we can be more responsive to our constituents,” he said. “Unlike the Republicans or the DFL, we receive no money, and therefore no pressure, from large corporations and PACs … The Green Party is different from some other movements in our focus on electoral politics and our work on a wide range of issues. But we are not separate from other movements—we are part of them, and they are part of us, informing and motivating us as a party.”

One of the most widely-publicized city issues has been the city’s police force, and Mayor R.T. Rybak was praised for replacing the chief of police. Bicking said he favors reducing crime through social programs like youth programs, more jobs and housing, and other long-term methods, as well as strengthening the Civilian Review Board to ease tensions between the police and the poor.

Besides a Green Party endorsement, Bicking said he has received support from many DFL members and the large immigrant population in his ward, people who have come to know him through his community activism.

“I have known Dave Bicking for over three decades, during which time I have been impressed by his sense of ethics, his strong support for anti-racism and issues of social justice, and his deep understanding of environmental issues,” said health specialist David Weisberg. “He’s the only politician I have ever trusted.”

DaveBicking.org

Reggie Birts: 8th Ward
by Adrienne Urbanski

Reggie Birts looked far and wide to find a political party that was the right fit.

In 1984, at the tender age of 21, Birts’ interest in politics was triggered by Jesse Jackson’s run for the presidency. While he was a student at the University of Minnesota, Birts hosted a political radio show on student station KUOM, where he met political candidates of all parties. Birts explored his political ideologies by working on five campaigns as a student, two of which were for Republican candidates.

For a while Birts turned his interest toward the DFL, finding some matches with his own ideals, though Birts became frustrated at the lack of change the party was willing to bring about.

“I kind of was disenchanted with the Democratic Party,” he said. “Right before a primary two and a half years ago I was invited to a meeting for the Green Party. I’d been hearing more about the party and the 10 key values and I felt like this fit with me. I’ve always tried to live in harmony with mankind and make this world better than I found it.”

At the Green Party meeting Birts talked with a party member about his ideals. The member told Birts that, “You’re Green, you just don’t know it yet.”

Birts sees violence and crime as two of the most dire problems residents in the 8th Ward face; the seriousness of the problems became even more noticeable to Birts after being robbed at gunpoint while walking home within the ward. Birts plans to ameliorate the situation by stopping it at its source—the youth who become sucked into crime as a way to fill their lives. Birts sees his past experience working with the African American Men's Project as helping him better understand the problems and their roots.

“I think we really have to replace the activity these people are involved in, we can’t just lock them up or throw them off the streets. Clearly we have to go to where the problem starts. I know that Powderhorn has really been helping by providing activities and distractions away from crime,” said Birts.

Birts sees the solutions the cities have been using as too one-sided.

“Too often the city thinks that the only solution is putting more cops on the street,” he said.

Birts’ resume is long, covering everything from radio talk show host to serving in the military and as a parole officer. Birts sees all of his experiences as applicable to the open City Council position in some way. Even working as a custodial engineer in the high schools of the 8th Ward was a means of learning the conditions of the area’s schools.

Encouraging economic development in the poorer neighborhoods of the ward is also a chief concern of Birts, who wants to see the financial opportunities for his constituents grow. He sees his current employment as a loans officer as a means to aid those in the neighborhood.

“I’ve been in the mortgage industry for three-and-a-half years, so I’m the first person they come to, I know how this works.”

Birts also hopes to see economic stimulus occur within the African American community, a problem he became aware of as a chair on the economic committee for the NAACP. Birts’ interest in creating economic opportunites for minorities has led him to encourage Allina, the company that took over the old Sears building in his ward, to hire an adequate number of minority workers within the area.

Surprisingly to some, Birts also sees cultural diversity as a problem that the areas within his ward need to deal with better. He sees the minorities within his ward as being isolated and separate from each other.

“I really emphasize the need for the inclusion of cultural diversity within the 8th Ward. Of course there have already been some token examples of this, but they’re mostly for show. There’s little inclusion for people of color.”

Birts recognizes however that this problem is not one with any easy identifiable solution, but rather one that the ward will have to slowly work toward. He also hopes that this is a problem he will be able to work with the city on, should he take office.

RegBirts.org

Cam Gordon: 2nd Ward
By Adrienne Urbanski

Cam Gordon is a busy man, finding time for an interview only while out knocking on the doors of those who call the 2nd Ward home. Five days a week Gordon and those working on his campaign set out and use the Greens’ concept of grassroots democracy to reach the residents of his ward. Gordon says this is how some Green candidates like Natalie Johnson Lee have been able to defeat their well-established rivals.

As if the door-knocking didn’t consume enough of his time, Gordon also runs a Montessori school out of the lower level of the duplex he calls home. The father of six also serves as associate editor of the Public School Montessorian, as a reporter for The Seward Profile and as editor of the Profile’s West Bank stories section.

As a father, much of Gordon’s concerns for the ward and the city at large are for its children. Among Gordon’s plans for the children of the city is a system where he would like to set up “index indicators” so that the health of the children could be tracked and resources could be applied where most needed.

In order to provide the best possible environment for the area’s children, the state of the ward’s schools and parks are also important to Gordon

“There are several schools and parks in or near the ward. People want to be sure that these remain healthy and supported by the city and the neighborhoods. We must find ways to work together with both public and nonpublic agencies and institutions to ensure that our children grow up in supportive communities and that people of all ages have good educational opportunities.”
The 2nd Ward remains unique because of the large amount of both university students and immigrants within its boundaries. While Gordon sees this as contributing to the rich cultural life of the community and its ability to have thriving small businesses, he also knows that this presents many challenges for the area.

“It is especially important to find ways to fight against racism and discrimination. New immigrants must understand both their rights and their responsibilities as new members of our community.”

Two areas of concern that Gordon identifies are maintaining police and community relations, and making sure everyone is included in making community decisions.

“We can do a much better job to ensure that typically underrepresented groups get the information they need in a way they can understand it. And we need to ensure that they find a welcoming place in our neighborhood organizations so that they can participate fully in civic life. Too often students and immigrants feel unwanted by and disconnected from city government and the civic life of their communities.”

Gordon also wants to work towards preserving and promoting the small businesses and co-ops that exist within his ward. He sees these businesses as helping the neighborhoods by keeping jobs and money within the community, as well as countering sprawl, reducing traffic, protecting the open spaces and protecting the local economies. Gordon feels that small businesses often get the short end of the stick when it comes to public policy.

“Too often public policy has played a role in fueling the growth of large corporations at the expense of small businesses. We need to find new ways to help small businesses and curb the kinds of large scale formula development that conflicts with the vision so many of us have for our city and for our neighborhoods.”

Gordon ran for this same position last term, losing by only a hair with 49 percent of the vote. This time Gordon says he’s better prepared for his campaign, already knowing the ropes and the steps he’ll have to take.

“We are working harder this year and focusing more on doing a better job of meeting more voters face to face. Many of the issues are the same and I remain committed to the core values of social and economic justice, grassroots democracy, ecological wisdom and nonviolence.”

CamGordon.org

NATALIE JOHNSON LEE: 5th Ward
by Adrienne Urbanski

Natalie Johnson Lee didn’t always possess the same enthusiasm for politics that she now displays so strongly in her city council position. Johnson Lee originally came to Minneapolis not for politics, but to further her corporate career through a position at General Mills. While living in Minneapolis, Johnson Lee noticed the concern her two sons displayed toward their public school education. Wanting to ensure a higher quality of education for all children in the city, Johnson Lee became interested in groups like the Minneapolis Urban League, for which she did policy work.

Initially Johnson Lee placed her sights on the DFL, but became frustrated with what she saw as the party’s avoidance of important issues in order to ensure more votes.

Upon becoming involved with the Green Party, Johnson Lee immediately found a solid match for her beliefs and ideals, something she had been starting to see less and less of within the DFL.

“The DFL just wasn’t right for me. I think the DFL has become too complacent ... I think they need to reevaluate who they stand for and where they stand to make it work for all the people and not just businesses.”

Like her fellow Green Party members, Johnson Lee believes deeply in hands-on campaigning, which she sees as her secret to unseating the well-established and well-liked former City Councilmember Jackie Cherryhomes.

“I think she [Cherryhomes] had kind of gotten away from that, and no longer saw that as a necessary part of the campaign. They severely underestimated me all the way through. Whenever you fly under the radar you can get a lot of stuff done. No one pays attention to you.”

Johnson Lee agrees that hands-on campaigning is a common practice for Green Party members, and a key aspect of the fact that it’s the only political party that’s been growing steadily.

“I think we have to because we’re a third party—the resources don’t come as fluidly as [they do to] others. We really have to be creative about how we get people engaged and how we get our message out about what we have to say.”

One of the key concerns Johnson Lee has for her constituents are the problems holding back development in North Minneapolis, a large part of her ward. Misconceptions, Johnson Lee says, are a large part of the problem.

“Most people just go by the media’s perception of things. I live in North Mineapolis because I love North Minneapolis. We’re there because we just love the area, we love the people. It might have a lot of challenges, but it has so many jewels and gifts that too often get overlooked. North Minneapolis provides homes for working class people, it’s near downtown and it has great housing stock. Because of people’s opinions there is a lot of hesitancy for businesses to become an active part of North Minneapolis.”

Johnson Lee has already set about using her hands-on strategy this summer by walking through the North side and making sure everyone is registered and intends to vote. Far too often she feels voters make the grave mistake of only voting once every four years, not realizing that important decisions are made with every election.

“There’s the old theory that only those who vote will get the resources they truly need. The only way that can happen is if you go to the polls and vote for the office. I think people citywide don’t vote enough, and only care what happens in a presidential election. We need a greater voter turnout for local elections. No one gets encouraged to vote in them. To me democracy is year round, it’s not just every four years. We have to be consistent and keep the dedication to getting people to vote.”

As an issue, education is still high on her list of priorities, especially with respect to a quality education for all.

“My biggest issue is making sure we have a platform where all kids have a good education and have access to some kind of post-secondary education outside of high school,” she said. “We can have programs to support and make children successful year round; programs like youth employment, youth summer employment. We need to connect with organizations that really support and enhance the growth of young people.”

Johnson Lee sees a direct link between providing adequate education and opening people’s eyes to the importance of voting.
“Some people are going to realize [the importance in voting] and some aren’t,” she said. “You just have to educate people, provide them with information, keep them engaged and connected all the way.”

NatalieJohnsonLee.com

Aaron Neumann: 3rd Ward
By Adrienne Urbanski

Though significantly younger than the other City Council candidates, at 29, Aaron Neumann already has more political experience under his belt than one might assume. Neumann first became familiar with the political system by volunteering on the campaigns of Rep. Karen Clark, Sen. Linda Berglin, and city councilmembers Shane Price and Don Samuels. Neumann has also remained dedicated to environmental causes working for both the Sierra Club and Clean Water Action. As a freshman, he also worked to form the first Earth Club at his high school.

Tying into Neumann’s environmental platform is his concern about public transportation.

“I often wonder how we can pay for a stadium but not for the bus,” said Neumann.

Like Dean Zimmermann, Neumann prefers riding his bike to driving, and wants the city to extend the options for bike riding further by advocating a for the City of Minneapolis Bikeways Master Plan, (Northeast and Northside Quadrants) to ensure it's completion by 2010..

Neumann has tried to take his political and environmental concerns to his neighborhood by working as a board member for the Steven’s Square Community Organization and the Holland Neighborhood Improvement Association (HNIA).

Concerns for the state’s drug laws have been an issue for Neumann since the beginning of his campaign; specifically the penalties associated with marijuana usage. Neumann has been involved in a number of groups relating to legalizing marijuana, including as Chair of NORML MN, and he was a co-organizer with Gov. Ventura of the first-ever nationally State-sponsored medical marijuana forum. The Minneapolis Observer, in its June/July issue, suggested that his stance on de-criminalizing marijuana, combined with his youth, could hurt Neumann’s chances. Later, though, the Observer admitted to underestimating Neumann’s viability as a candidate. Neumann says his campaign doesn’t focus on the Drug War quite as much as he is credited with, and that his concern extends to the harsh penalties that residents in his ward face, which he sees as being racially biased.

“According to the latest numbers available from our Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) Criminal Uniform Crime Reports, Minneapolis arrests roughly 1,500 people each year for marijuana offenses alone—and a big majority for simple possession. That’s about four people every day in Minneapolis who get arrested for a substance that is far less harmful than alcohol and many over-the-counter drugs. As if this isn’t enough, Minneapolis leads the nation in the greatest disparities in black and white marijuana possession arrest rates,” said Neumann.

Neumann feels that in areas like the North side of Minneapolis, marijuana can be used as a “leverage tool” for police, and that arresting users has accomplished little. He would like to see the city shift its focus to treatment for "hard" drugs.

“Like other progressive cities, we can pass a resolution denouncing our nation’s failed Drug War, and call for policy that de-penalizes drug users with a focus on treatment, and pass an ordinance that will de-criminalize the responsible personal use of marijuana by adults, direct our police to re-prioritize our enforcement, and level the playing field and ease the tension between cops and the people they serve,” said Neumann.

Aside from policing drug users, Neumann sees the relations between the police and the constituents of the 3rd Ward as worsening in recent years.

“I think our police force has become more on edge in recent times, and therefore more harsh on regular folks. This is in part due to cuts in police, and in part due to lack of accountability. I would like to see nobility and respect restored to the police and the communities they serve. It used to say “To Serve and Protect” on all the squad cars, and that’s gone now. I personally would love to see “Serve. Protect. Respect.” as the mission of our police, and back on the squads.”

Predatory lending has also been a key issue Neumann has been addressing within his campaign, as he feels that the residents of the 3rd Ward are specifically targeted by such scams. He would like the City Council to pass an ordinance to prevent fewer city residents from being hurt by these schemes.

“It’s a simple ordinance that the council can pass that defines what a ‘high-risk’ loan is and then provides counseling to those who qualify, as a way to end the many foreclosures and bankruptcies that devastate already fragile communities,” said Neumann.

As for specific changes within the ward, Neumann would like to see the areas of West Broadway and Lowry Streets transformed into a thriving business community, dominated by local business owners as opposed to chains. By working to change the zoning laws of the area, he believes that businesses will be able to more easily move in.

This revitalization of the ward’s neighborhoods is a large concern for Neumann, who would like to see the dilapidated buildings of the city turned into not just new businesses, but low cost housing as well.

VoteNeumann.org

Dean Zimmermann: 6th Ward
By Adrienne Urbanski

Those who live in the 6th Ward might be familiar with spotting Councilmember Zimmermann, riding through the neighborhood streets on his bike, outfitted with “Vote Zimmermann” signs.

Zimmermann is devoted to his daily bike rides through the ward, not only because of his dedication to alternative modes of transportation, but also because his rides bring him closer to his constituents.

“I bicycle for a number of reasons, not the least of which is it saves me a lot of money and I contribute fewer pounds of pollution in the biosphere. But it does actually provide me a lot of access to my constituents. They see me on the street and yell, ‘Hey Zimmermann’ so I go over and talk with them about what problems they see in the city. So it definitely puts me in closer contact with my constituents.”

Public transportation and reduced dependency on automobiles are two beliefs that Zimmermann has remained dedicated to throughout his time spent on the City Council and while serving two terms on the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board.
“When I first ran for the Minneapolis Park Board 12 years ago, I promised to make it as easy to bike to work as to drive in the city of Minneapolis,” said Zimmermann, who sees this promise now as a
reality.

Zimmermann also bikes regularly with the Critical Mass—a group that meets the last Friday of every month to ride en masse through the city streets, promoting biking as a viable transportation option. In the spring of 2002 Zimmermann used his position to help ease relations between city police and the group after an altercation in which members were arrested and had their bikes confiscated.

Zimmermann’s dedication to both his position, as well as to the Green Party, goes back to his lifelong interest in politics that started as early as junior high school.

“I’ve always had this driving force in me that it’s important for me to leave the planet in a better condition than I found it,” he said.

This force led Zimmermann to become involved in the civil rights movement as a teenager, and then later in Vietnam War protests.

“When the opportunity came for me to run for political office, I saw it as a place for me to create social and environmental justice more effectively.”

Zimmermann became acquainted with the Green Party in 1995, and in his 10 years in office has seen it grow exponentially despite many misconceptions the public has towards the party.

“Of course there will always be misconceptions about anything that’s public. A lot of people are hesitant to support new things, that’s always true. Some people will never be the first one to do anything. The political system in this country puts up a winner-takes-all system, which means people don’t want to vote for something that lets the worst possible guy get elected. To a certain extent it makes it harder for any third party to be successful. We really have a system that forces us to vote for the lesser of two evils.”

Zimmermann, however, is confident about those misconceptions changing as the party achieves more and more success.
“We are the only political party that is growing in this country. We have elected members on the City Council and on the Park Board, and we expect to increase those numbers,” says Zimmermann.

Like many of his fellow Greens, Zimmermann spent years working within the DFL, putting time in on both Rep. Karen Clark and Sen. Paul Wellstone’s campaigns.

“I just grew weary that they [the DFL] were never going to be a party that would stand up for the issues they told people they were standing for. They continued to nominate safe candidates. I grew tired of all of that. I certainly have found a better way to change things within the Green Party.”

Zimmermann has used the Green Party in the past few years as a means to discuss his plans for improving and promoting the public transportation options within the city. One plan Zimmermann has discussed with his fellow Greens is the Personal Rapid Transit system (PRT). Zimmermann says PRT doesn’t have the same problems as other public transportation, in that it’s able to go to more specific locations and riders don’t have limited times to catch it.

“It’s there waiting for you when you’re ready to go, and it goes directly to where you’re going.”

Because of the eight years he spent serving on the Park Board, Zimmermann said that few surprises awaited him when he took on the role of councilmember. He was surprised, however, about the feelings he developed toward small business owners within his ward.

“Probably the thing that most surprised me is that I’d become an advocate and defendant for small business people. When you’re dealing with a big city like Minneapolis, the bureaucracy has a tendency not to be very understanding of people caught in the nuances of how things are applied. We need to find a way to enforce policy in a way that doesn’t run roughshod over them.”

Come September 13, the residents of the 6th Ward will take the first step toward deciding whether Zimmermann will continue to make things easier for small business owners and bicyclists alike.

VoteDeanZimmermann.org ||