Why are you running for mayor?

“To run the city better! The current administration is wasting money left and right and ignoring easily solvable problems. I consider myself an urbanist and I do not think any of the other candidates fully understand what it takes to build a great city. I also think we need a mayor who is focused on actually doing the job of running the city rather than just trying to be a figurehead for policy decisions that are up to the city council to enact, not the mayor.”

As mayor, how will you advocate for immigrants and communities of color?

“Just listening to and acting in accordance to the suggestions of advocates within those communities is the best way to advocate for them. In order to build a city that benefits all of us, we need to take input from everyone and have a conversation about how we can address any issues within the constraints of city government. A lot of policies that are desperately needed need to be advocated for at the state level and to the city council directly.

“As mayor, if I hear anything that the city council or state is not taking into account I will absolutely push them on it and direct people's momentum towards the ones who can affect the change they need.”

How can the city revive downtown, which is home to several vacant offices?

“Downtown has been in need of revitalization ever since they carved a freeway directly through it decades ago and giving handouts to private property owners isn't going to fix it. If you want a thriving downtown it has to be a place people actually want to spend time in, not just a place to drive to for an event and then drive away. Pedestrianizing every road that we physically can, legalizing street vendors in areas that have no street level businesses, and renovating vacant buildings into housing or other uses are just a few ways to improve downtown.

“Unfortunately, a lot of these solutions are under the power of city council to enact and not the mayor, but I will absolutely advocate for anything that benefits the public.”

How can the city best prevent another cyberattack?

“There are lots of ways to prevent cyberattacks, but first and foremost is making sure all city employees are trained to recognize security threats and not fall for phishing attacks or social engineering. I haven't seen the specifics on how the cyberattackers accessed our city's systems, but if that information comes out I can offer more targeted recommendations.”

The corridor in Midway starting at Snelling Ave and University Ave has lost or is losing several businesses. What should the mayor do to revive this corridor, which is home to many communities of color?

“I would love to hear people's suggestions on what the mayor can do because from what I can tell it doesn't seem like the mayor has the power do a whole lot to help! These are privately owned properties surrounded by state and county owned roads (I-94, Snelling, University, and Lexington).

“I am strongly in favor of land value tax to incentivize owners of large parking lots to redevelop them, actually re-thinking I-94 to reduce the pollution and high speed traffic, and even the city council using eminent domain to force out bad land uses and give the city the opportunity to create public housing, public markets, and more. We need to be honest about who holds the power to make these changes and not solely rely on the mayor's soft power influence as a means to an end.”

Do you support the city’s sanctuary policy, and should it be expanded?

“I do support the city's sanctuary policy. I'm not familiar with what expansions are being proposed though. I'd love to hear more about this.”

How can the city make up for lost federal grants and revenue due to cuts from the Trump administration?

“It will be very hard to make up the difference, but the best way to do it is through more efficient spending. Pedro Park is a great example of a project that is great for the city, but ended up costing substantially more than necessary. With a more creative and simplified design that park could've easily cost millions of dollars less while still providing the same level of amenities to the community. We need to be critical at every step of the way when spending public funds and I do not think the current administration believes this as much as I do.”