Community-Centered Policing
Public safety is one of the core functions of City government. Cam is committed to increasing the effectiveness, responsiveness and accountability of the Minneapolis Police Department, and has fought to:
- Focus on preventing youth violence, starting a permanent commission to work on ending youth homicide
- Fund programs to keep Somali youth from joining gangs
- Diversify the police force, leading to the highest percentage of officers of color and female officers ever
- Reduce crime by double digits throughout the Ward since taking office in 2006
- Increase oversight by strengthening the Civilian Review Authority
- Undertake an external audit of the Internal Affairs Unit, and ensure that the recommendations will be acted on
Environment
Minneapolis is gaining a reputation as a sustainability leader. Sustainlane recently ranked us the seventh greenest city in the country, up from #10 in 2005. This progress is thanks in part to Cam's work to:
- Pass the City's first Environmental Purchasing Policy
- Create the climate change grants
- Put a next-generation green roof on the Target Center
- Adopt a green building policy that requires new City buildings to meet LEED standards
- Require that taxis dramatically increase fuel efficiency
- Allow wind turbines where appropriate
- Install the midwest's largest solar project on the Convention Center
- Fund 2,000 rainbarrels and 1,500 trees per year
- Pass a resolution against the Big Stone II coal plant
Justice
Cam recognizes that we all benefit when our society grants equal justice to all. He led the fight to:
- Address racial disparities in employment
- Empower City staff to revoke rental licenses when landlords don't pay judgments against them
- Protect free speech during the Republican National Convention
- Repeal the outdated and discriminatory Lurking ordinance
- Tighten regulations on landlords providing adequate heat to tenants
- Oppose pre-employment drug testing for all City staff
- Pass a resolution calling for a foreclosure freeze
- Prevent Animal Control from declaring pets dangerous without due cause
- Pass a resolution calling for a fully inclusive Employee Non-Discrimination Act
- Oppose the unnecessary and unconstitutional expansion of the aggressive solicitation ordinance
- Defeat the terrible ordinance outlawing walking in an alley other than your own
Democracy
People's connection to their government is vitally important to good representation. Cam believes that we need to increase participation at empowerment and all levels, and worked to:
- Establish the first ever blog by a Minneapolis elected official
- Create a powerful and independent Neighborhood and Community Engagement Commission
- Fully fund neighborhood-driven investment and administrative support to neighborhood groups
- Pass and implement Ranked Choice Voting
- Pass the Accountable, Balanced and Connected school board referendum
- Introduce campaign finance changes to the City's legislative agenda
Transportation
To succeed in the 21st Century, Minneapolis must invest in a multi-modal transportation system in which taking transit, walking, and biking are emphasized. We've recently grown our bike mode share to 3.8%, second highest in the nation. Cam has helped lead efforts to:
- Plan for a successful Central Corridor LRT line that serves our neighborhoods
- Install miles of new bike trails and paths throughout the City, including the new U of M Trail
- Manage the traffic impacts of the I-35 bridge collapse
- Rebuild the I-35 bridge with a bike/pedestrian tunnel connecting Bridge 9 to downtown
- Invest in the nation's first large scale bike sharing program
Neighborhood Livability
Second Ward neighborhoods face tremendous challenges and opportunities in this time of growth and change. To preserve community character and enhance livability, Cam has worked to:
- Create the University District Partnership Alliance between neighborhoods, the City and the U
- Begin a University-area zoning and regulatory study and give it a chance to work with a development moratorium
- Reform the administrative review process for new small residential projects
- Pass a new noise ordinance that will allow us to better regulate bass-heavy noise from bars
Health
Our kids deserve to live in a city with fewer toxins, and more opportunities to live healthy, productive lives. Cam has led on efforts to:
- Require that landlords disclose known arsenic contamination of soil to tenants
- Pass a resolution calling for the phaseout of the endocrine-disrupting chemicals bisphenol-A and phthalates from childrens' products
- Require produce in every grocery store in Minneapolis
- Allow more small-scale farmers markets across the city
- Require contractors to use lead safe work practices
- Create a statewide fund to replace lead-painted windows in older homes
- Question Xcel Energy's use of the toxic chemical pentachlorophenol in utility poles
- Study best practices for combating binge drinking in the University area
