All candidates answer Ballotpedia’s survey in Minneapolis City Council Ward 11 race

By

Douglas Kronaizl

All five candidates in the race for Minneapolis City Council Ward 11—incumbent Jeremy Schroeder (D), Dillon Gherna (D), Emily Koski (D), Albert T. Ross (D), and Kurt Michael Anderson (I)—completed Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection survey. This survey allows candidates to speak directly to Ballotpedia readers, describing who they are, why they are running, and what they would prioritize if elected.

On Oct. 13, Axios Twin Cities’ Nick Halter wrote that “The City Council has been moving to the left for several years now,” adding, “If you want to know which way the Minneapolis City council is headed, keep an eye on Ward 11.”

Public safety and policing have been key issues in this race and others across Minneapolis. In addition to elected officials, voters in Minneapolis will also decide several local ballot measures, including Question 2, a charter amendment that would replace the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) with a Department of Public Safety (DPS). Last August, Schroeder voted in favor of placing Question 2 on the November ballot.

Minneapolis was one of six cities included in Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection Expansion Project, which allowed local voters to submit questions about pressing issues they wanted their elected officials to address. One of those community questions related directly to Question 2 and candidates’ stances on the measure.

Below are excerpts from each candidates’ surveys in response to this question. Click on candidates’ names to view their full survey responses:

What role do you feel police should play in Minneapolis? What are your thoughts on the city council’s proposed changes to the Minneapolis Police Department?

  1. Schroeder: “Armed police officers cannot solve every public safety issue in the city, and we need to unburden police officers currently faced with the unfair challenge of responding to every kind of crisis.”
  2. Gherna: “The police should maintain their role in the public safety eco-system … I do not believe defunding or abolishing the police will accomplish this.”
  3. Koski: “I do not support the Public Safety Charter Amendment proposed by Yes 4 Minneapolis.”
  4. Ross did not respond to this community question directly, but elsewhere in his survey wrote: “I promise I want to defund or dismantle our Minneapolis Police Department.”
  5. Anderson: “I strongly oppose Charter Amendment 2 … It is the wolf of police defunding dressed in the sheepskin of public safety.”

According to the most recent campaign finance data, Koski led the field with $53,477 on hand followed by Schroeder with $19,549, as of July 27, 2021.

All 13 city council wards are up for election this November. In addition to Ward 11, incumbents are seeking re-election in all but two of the races with a total of 58 candidates running overall. Of those 58 candidates, 20 have completed Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection survey.

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