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2021 Campaign Endorsements

ISSUES

CM Cunningham responds to constituent concerns with compassion and urgency

• Ward 4 has the highest volume of constituent calls into the office and 311. CM Cunningham has worked alongside a hardworking Ward 4 team of Northside women of color to resolve thousands of constituent cases.

• CM Cunningham advocated for Public Works to change its practice of focusing intensive plowing efforts on just high density areas, resulting in Ward 4 now getting more plowing resources.

• EIGHT major road and transit infrastructure projects currently underway or in the planning phase.

• Coordinated multiple emergency responses including:

  • Tornado and debris cleanup, safety checks.

  • Community safety efforts to combat white supremacist invaders.

CM Cunningham addressed some of the most urgent ward 4 housing needs in his first term

• Owning a home is the biggest predictor of both personal and generational wealth. More Ward 4 families now have pathways to homeownership through down payment assistance, financing and educational opportunities through CM Cunningham’s work on the Minneapolis Homes program.

• CM Cunningham led the creation of the Tenant Relocation Assistance ordinance to ensure that when landlords lose their rental licenses due to negligence renters have the necessary assistance to find and secure a new place to live. 

• Rising property values and yearly property tax increases in Ward 4 means landlords can charge higher rent. Higher rent means many of our neighbors are further cost-burdened. The result is often that our neighbors get displaced because they can no longer afford to live here. CM Cunningham championed the 4D program’s expansion to include single-family homes to offer tax reduction incentives for Landlords who maintain affordable (at Northsider income) rent to keep families housed.

• When the heater or other important appliances and structures in the home break down, it can be very expensive. Dozens of Ward 4 landlords have already been able to make critical repairs to their homes through the Emergency Housing Repair ordinance, which CM Cunningham co-authored to help offset these costs.

• Dozens of Ward 4 families with children have remained housed through CM Cunningham’s collaboration with the Mayor on the Stable Homes Stable Schools initiative.

Together, we laid the groundwork for a thriving local economy

• Championed D-Line rapid transit down Fremont with construction scheduled for 2021-2022.

• The Upper Harbor Terminal Coordinated Plan, which is scheduled to be approved by the City Council in early fall 2021. Councilmember Cunningham helped secure $15M from the State Legislature to support this development.

• Councilmember Cunningham got Baldwin Square developer and Northsider Jamil Ford over the finish line by securing nearly $780,000 in City investment and additional City supports for Mr. Ford’s Fremont development plans, which is preparing to break ground in 2021. Northsiders can look forward to a fun and unique restaurant experience, along with other community amenities.

• In collaboration with local business owner Houston White, Councilmember Cunningham secured $400,000 in funding for Camdentown on 44th and Humboldt and over $50,000 for the Camdentown Business Association. As a result, this corridor will soon become a bustling, local economic ecosystem of Northside neighbors shopping at businesses owned by other Northside neighbors.

• Worked with Ward 4 business owners to establish the Upper Northside Business Association (UNBA), which already granted $30,000 to help businesses reopen after the 2020 uprisings and COVID-19 shutdown.

CM Cunningham protects youth rights and listens to them directly.

• Fought for major investments in youth violence prevention efforts across North Minneapolis.

• Authored the Minneapolis LGBTQ+ Youth Conversion Therapy Ban.

• Supported efforts to bring millions of dollars into North Minneapolis for lead poisoning abatement and asthma prevention.

• Leading development of an action plan to eliminate all new cases of lead poisoning in Minneapolis.

• Launching a Ward 4 Councilman Youth Advisory Committee.

• Chaperoned every Henry prom and homecoming.

• Frequent guest lecturer at Northside middle and high schools.

Councilmember Cunningham empowers young people to get involved in the political process

• CM Cunningham regularly provides classroom talks at Northside schools about the importance of getting involved in the political process, using this time to seek their feedback on current events and policies.

• CM Cunningham mentors multiple Step Up interns in his office every cohort, empowering them to work on projects that they are passionate about.

• CM Cunningham regularly engages with teachers to pass along opportunities for students to speak at public hearings on issues that matter to them.

• CM Cunningham is collaborating with School Board Director At-Large Kimberly Caprini to create a youth violence prevention curriculum that will be co-developed with students.

• CM Cunningham is in the process of building a Youth Advisory Cabinet, which he will consult with when making policy decisions.

• CM Cunningham regularly attends Patrick Henry functions and chaperones the Prom and Homecoming every year so that young people know who he is and can build a relationship with him.

Councilmember Cunningham prioritizes environmental sustainability in city policies and practices

• CM Cunningham advocated for residents to have increased access to affordable, renewable energy through tax credits and City policies driving energy consumption.

• CM Cunningham created a funding pool for Minneapolis homeowners to access weatherization resources.

• CM Cunningham championed the garden lease program to promote residential access to community gardens and gathering spaces for neighborhoods.

• CM Cunningham supported the Upper Harbor Terminal Collaborative Planning Committee to create high standards for environmental sustainability in the development.

• CM Cunningham is leading an initiative to eliminate all new cases of childhood lead poisoning.

• CM Cunningham advocated for the METRO D Line bus rapid transit, a clean energy electric bus that will improve resident mobility and opportunity for Northsiders while improving air quality across the city. Scheduled to break ground in 2021.

Councilmember Cunningham advocates for smart public safety policy that increases safety for all residents

• Led the effort to formalize the Office of Violence Prevention as an official City division, which now oversees many successful initiatives.

• Investments in community-led strategies and ‘boots on the ground’ agencies doing violence prevention work, resulting in 7,500 people getting support in 2019 alone (2020 numbers forthcoming). 

• Increased funding to help intervene and protect Northside families experiencing domestic and intimate partner violence through the pandemic and beyond.

• Added three new case investigators to the Office of Police Conduct Review to increase its capacity to investigate complaints against Minneapolis law enforcement officers.

• Added a Southeast Asian Community Navigator to promote healthy City and police relations with the Hmong and Southeast Asian community, particularly here in North Minneapolis.

• Lead author on the2021 Transforming Public Safety Charter Amendment, which proposes to create a Minneapolis Department of Public Safety that includes law enforcement and other public safety services.

together, we made significant progress fighting for the rights of workers, renters, children and families

• Thousands of workers in the service industry now have their wages protected due to CM Cunningham’s work on the Wage Theft Ordinance.

• Thousands of freelance workers now have their rights and wages protected due to CM Cunningham’s work on the Freelance Worker Protections Ordinance.

• CM Cunningham overhauled the Conduct on Licensed Premises ordinance to clarify tenant rights and create pathways for landlords and neighbors to hold residents accountable for dangerous or criminal behavior.

• For the past decade, the Northside has fallen prey to out of state landlords who do not take care of their rental properties, with tenants, their families and neighbors all suffering the consequences. CM Cunningham wrote the Tenant Relocation Assistance ordinance to hold absent landlords accountable by requiring them to pay for their tenant to find new housing.

• CM Cunningham championed permanent funding for the Office of Immigrant & Refugee Affairs, keeping thousands of families together every year through access to critical legal resources.

• Thousands of Minneapolis LGBTQ youth are now protected due to CM Cunningham’s work on the Minneapolis conversion therapy ban.

with councilmember cunningham as our representative, Northsiders Lead

The Upper Harbor Terminal Redevelopment (UHT) Coordinated Plan has been finalized, and is scheduled to be approved by the Council in early fall of 2021. This development has the potential to greatly benefit North Minneapolis. Councilmember Cunningham led the creation of the UHT Collaborative Planning Committee, which consisted of almost entirely Northsiders who made decisions about the development. Over the past 2 years, they worked to create a plan that benefits Northsiders first:

• Hundreds of affordable - at Northsider income - rental units and homeownership opportunities with priority given to Northsiders.

• The land will remain in public ownership to ensure Northsiders can continue to be lead decision makers about the development.

• Priority for Northside entrepreneurs and business owners for commercial space.

• A ticket fee for the music venue that will amount to $1M/year, and the surrounding Northside community can decide how to invest those funds.

After the UHT Coordinated Plan passes, Councilmember Cunningham will continue to center Northside voices as other decisions are made. There are still many opportunities to shape the identity of this exciting development. Northsiders will get to help decide what kind of businesses should occupy the commercial space as well as how ticket fee funds are used, among other important decisions.

Councilmember Cunningham is committed to advocating for Northside resources. Since the beginning of his term in 2018, he has invited Ward 4 residents to join him at Community Office Hours twice per week. Residents are encouraged to use this time to share their concerns and ideas, which helps him make decisions about policy and what to focus on in his work.

together, we created opportunities to build our community identity and deepen connections with our neighbors

• Worked with local business owner Houston White to get the Great Streets grant for 44th Avenue, which provided funding for Camdentown’s very first Camdentown Blues & BBQ Festival.

• Successfully organized with Ward 4 residents to get Lowry designated as a Cultural Corridor, which will allow businesses along the corridor to access extra funding and other resources, along with an area beautification initiative.

• Brought a new food shelf and distribution center to Ward 4 that feeds hundreds of Northside families every month.

• Added a Hmong Community Navigator to promote healthy City and police relations with the Hmong community.