The Wedge Times-Picayune

October 15, 2021October 15, 2021

Endorsement: Elliott Payne for Minneapolis City Council in Ward 1

Elliott Payne is a bright spot in a rough year. A mechanical engineer turned designer who has has also worked on policy in the city’s Office of Performance and Innovation. At the city he helped develop an ordinance to prevent renters and victims of crime from being evicted without due process. He has incredible talent and energy to offer this city at a time when we desperately need it.

October 14, 2021October 14, 2021

Endorsement: Andrew Johnson for Minneapolis City Council in Ward 12

Andrew Johnson doesn’t always vote the way I wish he would, though we agree on a lot. He doesn’t stick his neck out to lead like the other south Minneapolis white guy I endorsed yesterday (which explains the peril Jeremy Schroeder finds himself in). But you can talk to him and you can tell that he cares about being seen as someone who engages and explains his positions in an intellectually honest way. He makes a solid case for the public safety charter amendment, which I recommend you read. Andrew Johnson is a fine council member.

October 13, 2021October 13, 2021

Endorsement: Jeremy Schroeder for Minneapolis City Council in Ward 11

Jeremy Schroeder was elected in 2017 and has spent his first term doing exactly what he shouldn’t have: taking a leadership role on difficult issues like housing and zoning reforms and moving towards fixing our city’s broken system of public safety. He’s gotten far less heat for his climate work, such as the city’s sustainable building and energy disclosure policies. He cares about the details and making government work better.

October 12, 2021October 20, 2021

Endorsement: Jason Chavez for Minneapolis City Council in Ward 9

You might be tempted to paint Ward 9 as another left vs. right, tough-on-crime vs. soft-on-crime city council race. But this one isn’t like the others. There are lots of candidates who I would suggest are wrong on the issues — but, among all the plausible contenders, there’s one candidate in Minneapolis I’d categorize as a scam.

October 6, 2021October 7, 2021

Vote No on Question 1, Reject Mayoral Power Grab in Minneapolis

If you are inclined to vote yes on Question 1 to change the structure of Minneapolis city government, first consider the problem you’re trying to solve. Is it about a particular example of dysfunction, abuse, corruption, or poor leadership that involves the police department? If it is, you should go read the part of the city charter that has always placed “complete power” over police in the hands of the mayor. As much as he’d like you to forget it right now, Jacob Frey knew this fact very well during his 2017 campaign for mayor.

Flashback to video of Mayor Frey being singularly in charge in 2020. pic.twitter.com/zJKMjWFNJQ
— Wedge LIVE!™ (@WedgeLIVE) July 7, 2021

September 27, 2021September 27, 2021

Wedge Fest is October 2!

Join us this Saturday, October 2, 2021, from 2 to 6 pm for the first (annual?) WedgeFest! We’ll be at the south side of Mueller Park (2500 Bryant Ave S), somewhere in the grassy area.

WedgeFest is a celebration of authentic Wedge culture, hosted by Wedge LIVE, and soon to be known as our area’s largest root beer festival. This year’s WedgeFest will feature as many as dozens of varieties of root beer, from store brands to fancy brands. It’s also a chance to meet local candidates running for mayor, city council and other offices.

Cats are encouraged. Please bring root beer to share. The first 50 attendees will receive a limited edition WedgeFest button.

First 50 attendees at Wedge Fest get a limited edition button. pic.twitter.com/aHZO6cNtOq
— Wedge LIVE!™ (@WedgeLIVE) September 23, 2021

September 17, 2021November 4, 2021

2021 Minneapolis Candidate Endorsements

I’ll link to longer endorsements as I write them, but thought I’d put this list out if you’re the kind of person who absolutely needed to vote early.

July 29, 2021October 12, 2021

Vote Yes for the Minneapolis Public Safety Charter Amendment

After a year of debate, countless (very painful) Charter Commission meetings, and a successful community-led petition drive — a public safety charter amendment is going to be on the ballot this November. You should vote yes, and here’s why.

March 31, 2021April 3, 2021

Wedge LIVE Caucus Season Endorsements

Listen everyone, I didn’t want to do endorsements. It’s the DFL calendar forcing my hand. I’m otherwise happy to wait until fall. Even Tom Hoch put out a slate of Minneapolis candidates — so why should I stifle my voice? I have more to offer the world than Tom Hoch. So, yes I am offering my from-the-heart, too-much-time-spent-watching-local-government, Minneapolis DFL endorsements.

March 26, 2021March 26, 2021

“Strong Mayor” Label Won’t Fix Weak Mayor Problem

I have tweeted a variation of this sentiment countless times over the last several months:

I had a bad dream that 2020 happened and then we immediately started having a conversation about switching to a strong mayor form of government. pic.twitter.com/7MqWpfnVI3
— Wedge LIVE!™ (@WedgeLIVE) February 10, 2021

Because this sad/confusing/hilarious joke occupies space in my brain at all times, it’s becoming my own personal conventional wisdom. But 2021 is more complicated than your average city election year. I’m a little concerned that people don’t get it. I’m worried a “strong mayor” charter amendment will end up on the ballot with some bland, inoffensive title like “government structure amendment” and people might vote for it.

In Minneapolis, the mayor has authority over the police department. As candidate, and soon-to-be Mayor, Jacob Frey explains in the above video from 2017: “That’s the mayor’s job. The police report exclusively to the chief, and the chief reports exclusively to the mayor.”