Betsy Hodges for City Council

When the polls closed last night, the unofficial results looked very positive. My profound thanks to the voters and volunteers and supporters who shared our vision of a brighter future for Minneapolis, even in these tough times. Together we will make it happen!

  Thank you,

Polls open at 7am across Minneapolis for the 2009 Municipal Elections!

First thing's first, remember to vote. If you have trouble finding your polling place, go to http://pollfinder.sos.state.mn.us/.

We'll be working hard throughout the day to get all of Betsy's supporters out to vote. If you can help, stop by anytime between 8am and 8pm at 1914 W 49th Street in Minneapolis. There'll be plenty to do if you're willing to help. You can also call Brian at 612-919-5327 for more info on how you can help us achieve victory!

Lastly, acter the polls close at 8pm we'll be having a little Election Day get together for Betsy's supporters and volunteers at Roann Cramer's house at 1914 W 49th Street. We'll be there from 8pm to 9pm. Feel free to stop by to see Betsy and enjoy good company as we await Election Results.

Thanks for all your support...and remember to vote!!!

This summer, Betsy responded to questions from the Star Tribune.  Highlights include:

Question: Council members may collect up to $400 monthly as a car allowance.  Would you do o or collect a lesser monthly allowance (how much?) or collect only per-mile payments or actual miles driven? Explain your choice: 
 
Answer: I have never collected the car allowance, and it was not a policy I supported.  Once Council Members were able to claim per-mile payments like other City employees, I have received those per-mile payments. I will continue to do that if elected for a second term."

See all of Betsy's answer's here.

Betsy and City Council Member Paul Ostrow have an op-ed in today's Star Tribune about the City's closed pension funds, on of the biggest drivers on your property taxes.

You can read the article here. Or check it out below the fold.

The Southwest Journal has an article on our campaign this week. Here are some highlights:

The incumbent is first-termer Betsy Hodges, a former development director at a legal non-profit and staff member for Hennepin County Commissioner Gail Dorfman. Hodges plays several important roles on the City Council, but key might be her position as chairwoman of the Intergovernmental Relations Committee. That job has her actively hopping between St. Paul and Minneapolis, sometimes Washington and Minneapolis, to keep the city's needs on legislators' minds. It also has made her an important middleman between the city and the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board, a position that puts her in the center of an ever-tense relationship.

She's been a main spokeswoman for creating awareness of two pressures on taxpayers: the city's ballooning pension fund obligations and the decreases in state-distributed Local Government Aid (LGA). Hodges has long advocated for pension fund reform, and she helped initiate an effort to research alternatives to LGA.

 

 

The Minnesota Independent recently ran a story on Betsy's relection campaign. Here are some highlights:

Incumbent Betsy Hodges is running with big-name endorsements from the DFL, Mayor RT Rybak, Rep. Keith Ellison, and Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken.

Hodges says that pressure on the city's finances is an issue she has been focused on. “The two biggest drivers of that pressure are cuts to Local Government Aid and the city's obligations to our closed pension funds,” she said. “Those two issues have been top priorities in my first term, and will continue to be priorities if I am re-elected.”

August 30, 2009

Last week in the Committee I chair and at the City Council I had a matter of law before me that has been controversial.

This summer over 17,000 people signed a petition asking for a ballot measure to grant the Park Board the ability to raise your property taxes independent of the City enterprise, in effect creating a new unit of government.

Whether or not I agree with that proposal was not the question before me as a Council Member.

The question before me was whether the action proposed was constitutional, whether it pre-empted state statute, and whether it violated public policy.

Those are the criteria the Council needed to use to determine whether or not to put the initiative on the ballot. If it violated any one of those criteria, then we should not put it on the ballot.

I wish I could make promises about what the City will do in the next four years. I cannot.

When the City adopts the 2010 budget his fall, we will make painful, even brutal, choices.  These will include tax increases and service cuts.  Because of state budget cuts, cities all across Minnesota have been left with no good options.

In times like these we must hold onto our principles more than ever.   The temptation to take "short cuts" must be resisted.  Cost shifts and budget gimmicks are not the answer.  The state budget, which was already challenged by the economic downturn, is in much worse shape because of years of financial smoke and mirrors. 

In Minneapolis the choices we must make would have been far worse if we had not faced our challenges head on.  We've paid off debts and aggressively pursued pension reforms.  As the City Council's designated advocate at the Capitol, I have personally led the pension reform and fought hard for Minneapolis. 

But that same job for the City also gives me hope.  I have seen how important it is to not lose sight of the City's greater future.

MINNEAPOLIS - City Council Member Betsy Hodges, the DFL endorsed candidate for City Council in Ward 13, filed for re-election today.

"I have been honored and proud to represent Ward 13 on the City Council these last four years," said Hodges. "The City, like all of us, is facing unprecedented budget challenges, and I am running for re-election to help make the tough decisions that are coming.  But we must also never lose sight of the City's brighter future, and I will work with the community to build toward that shared vision."

Betsy was endorsed by acclamation on Saturday at the Ward 13 DFL Convention! Thank you to all the delegates who took time on Saturday to attend the convention and support Betsy. An extra thank you to all of our volunteers who helped at the convention and in the run-up to it.
 
As Betsy said at the convention, not having an opponent is not the same thing as having support. Saturday showed us that Betsy has a strong base of support here in Ward 13, and we will build on that base throughout this campaign.
 
Our campaign will not only be an opportunity to re-elect a great Council Member, it's an opportunity to build on the enthusiasm and motivation from last year's victories as we work to get more people involved in the politics that directly affect their local community.
 
Be sure to stay tuned for future updates from the campaign and be a part of that process by signing up on our volunteer page. Thank you again Ward 13 DFL!