Candidate:
Sheila Nezhad

Position Running:
Mayor

Campaign website:
sheilaforthepeople.com

What political ideology do you identify as?
I draw from many political perspectives, mostly socialism and queer liberation theory.

Are you seeking or have received endorsement from any political parties or groups? If so, which ones?
I am seeking the DFL endorsement, as well as the endorsement of TCDSA

Do you support Public Housing as an integral part of housing development?
Yes

Do you oppose the conversion (privatization) of Public Housing to Affordable Housing? If yes, why?
I oppose privatization. Public housing should remain a public good, housing should not be treated as a commodity for profit, but something that is a guaranteed right to every resident of our city.

Describe what you know about Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) and Section 18. Do you think the RAD/Section 18 policy privatizes public housing? If you answer ‘yes’, then what will you do to support the reversal of RAD/Section 18 to keep Public Housing Public once you are elected into office?
RAD: HUD program that was designed to help fund repairs to public housing. However, it seems to be a voucher based program and HUD uses a lot of the “housing-choice” language that we sometimes see with Charter Schools. I know that RAD has been used to try and place Public Housing in Minneapolis under non profit management instead of government management.

Section 18: HUD program designed around the demolition of public housing, often to replace it with new units, though these properties don’t seem to always necessarily be public housing. It looks like there’s a voucher program to make sure that tenants aren’t displaced, but I wouldn’t be surprised if many still lose housing permanently due to this program.

If elected, I would not support these programs. I think we should be working to preserve and expand public ownership of housing, and I think there are better ways to pursue this than what these federal programs are providing. Easiest of these would be to pass a public housing tax levy to fund the maintenance of our housing stock. Many folks have also talked with us about public financing options like Land Trusts, Municipal Bonding, and Public Banking as ways to fund housing without having to change ownership status. I would be willing to research and explore these options to better transform our public housing into a more sustainable and expansive system.

How will you implement the charter between MPHA and the City of Minneapolis to monitor, hold MPHA accountable in making sure they follow the guidelines of the city charter? For reference: [https://lims.minneapolismn.gov/File/2018%E2%80%9000866] [https://youtu.be/Ad-Lo6y7oHI] [https://tinyurl.com/Comments-7-25-18-Housing-Comm]
A lot of the problems brought forward about MPHA reminds me of the criticisms I and many others have made of MPD and other city agencies over the years. Overall, I see a lack of transparency, and democracy in our city departments, and this needs to change. First, I think that the MPHA commissioners should be individuals who actually live in Public Housing, so that those who are receiving these services have direct input. It is very unfortunate to hear that residents of public housing have faced discrimination by public employees, and I would work with the council to remove those in charge who have caused the harm. I also want to make sure that our city does a better job communicating with residents, and so I would provide more funding to our communications staff to make sure all MPHA communications to residents are culturally appropriate and translated so that residents understand what is going on in their housing.

Do you support increased construction of Public Housing in Minneapolis? If yes, what steps would you take to make this happen?
As I mentioned previously, I would like us to expand our housing stock. We can raise a public housing tax levy, but there are also some public financing options we could explore that I would have my staff begin researching when I take office.

Do you believe Public Housing is essential to mitigate housing insecurity?
Yes

Have you or anyone in your family or friendship circle ever been unhoused?
No

Have you or anyone in your family or friendship circle ever lived in public housing?
No

Do you think the difference between Public Housing versus Affordable Housing has been sufficiently discussed with the public?
No. I think that in general we have not had an honest public discussion about our housing in this city, and we definitely do not have a full understanding of what support our residents needs with regards to housing.

Should public housing tenants and those eligible for public housing be sufficiently informed of the differences between Public Housing and Affordable Housing, of their rights and protections, and looped into meetings including ones that involve policy & lease changes and be allowed to ask questions?
Yes

Would public land that is being earmarked for private “affordable housing” development be better utilized for Public Housing?
Absolutely. We should preserve public ownership of land when possible.

Are there other public housing related ideas, comments, goals you would like to include here that weren’t addressed in the questions above? Please state them here.
I believe that our city needs to support more public housing, which I see as a necessary service rather than a source of profit. I would support the expansion of public housing and increased funding to maintain and improve current public housing. I believe that as a city we must pursue a Housing First model, where chronically unsheltered residents are placed in culturally competent stable housing, that provides whatever other social services they may need to improve their livelihoods. Overall, I would like to follow the lead of tenant organizations, and help them build pressure against their landlords, city council, the state legislature, and other bodies of power that stand in their way.

Who filled out this questionnaire? The candidate or the campaign staff?
All my questionnaires are written in conjunction with myself and my staff, as well as other advisors we have on a variety of topics.

Candidate:
Philip Sturm

Position Running:
Mayor

Campaign website:
Philsturm.org

What political ideology do you identify as?
Social Democrat

Are you seeking or have received endorsement from any political parties or groups? If so, which ones?
DFL

Do you support Public Housing as an integral part of housing development?
Yes

Do you oppose the conversion (privatization) of Public Housing to Affordable Housing? If yes, why?
Yes. Benefits never materialize when privatizing housing or any other resource for that matter. It is easy enough for private interests to cook the books, fudge the numbers and lobby the legislature to avoid any real accountability in outcomes. There are lots of people with masters degrees out there whose entire careers are BS’ing people.

Describe what you know about Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) and Section 18. Do you think the RAD/Section 18 policy privatizes public housing? If you answer ‘yes’, then what will you do to support the reversal of RAD/Section 18 to keep Public Housing Public once you are elected into office?
It sounds like a way to auction off public housing, slowly dismantle it and eventually sell it off at highly reduced prices to properly connected real estate moguls and developers. It’s basically just building housing for private interests on the public dime and then giving it over to them at a discount. As an elected official I would look to work with the city council to develop policy responses that limits this activity in the city under authority of city ordinance chapter 420. My chief job as mayor would be to call bullshit on these circles of influence and patronage, in a City Hall entirely devoted to the professional careers and networks of its entrenched bureaucracy.

How will you implement the charter between MPHA and the City of Minneapolis to monitor, hold MPHA accountable in making sure they follow the guidelines of the city charter? For reference: [https://lims.minneapolismn.gov/File/2018%E2%80%9000866] [https://youtu.be/Ad-Lo6y7oHI] [https://tinyurl.com/Comments-7-25-18-Housing-Comm]
We need to reinvigorate resident participation in public housing councils. This would mean supporting resident support groups in educating, recruiting and maintaining active interest. Resident groups can get hamstrung by itinerant or unstable leadership at times, so we should find ways to create a more stable, and thus more influential, resident power base. There are a lot of things that go by the wayside in municipal government, with no enforcement of code or requirements on professionals, so we would have to appoint someone to tighten the screws on oversight and accountability. Someone not looking for a career in those industries they are dealing with.

Do you support increased construction of Public Housing in Minneapolis? If yes, what steps would you take to make this happen?
Yes. Divert funding that goes to subsidize developers into public housing funds. Explore options for public housing levy.

Do you believe Public Housing is essential to mitigate housing insecurity?
Yes

Have you or anyone in your family or friendship circle ever been unhoused?
No

Have you or anyone in your family or friendship circle ever lived in public housing?
Yes

Do you think the difference between Public Housing versus Affordable Housing has been sufficiently discussed with the public?
Not really. Most people don’t think about public housing unless its in their immediate neighborhood. Or they just assume something is “Section 8” or make up something to categorize those houses or complexes or what have you. Affordable housing is just a way grease political wheels to get developments approved with a fig leaf of a solution.

Should public housing tenants and those eligible for public housing be sufficiently informed of the differences between Public Housing and Affordable Housing, of their rights and protections, and looped into meetings including ones that involve policy & lease changes and be allowed to ask questions?
Yes

Would public land that is being earmarked for private “affordable housing” development be better utilized for Public Housing?
Definitely in some instances there is a huge opportunity to develop new models of public housing and cooperative developments on large scales, which in themselves can serve as laboratories for social policy, public safety and research.

Are there other public housing related ideas, comments, goals you would like to include here that weren’t addressed in the questions above? Please state them here.

Who filled out this questionnaire? The candidate or the campaign staff?
Candidate

Hmong Translation
Somali Translation
Spanish Translation

Candidate:
Robin Wonsley Worlobah

Position Running:
City Council Ward 2

Campaign website:
Robinformpls.com

What political ideology do you identify as?
I identify as a Democratic Socalist.

Are you seeking or have received endorsement from any political parties or groups? If so, which ones?
Currently seeking the Twin Cities Democratic Socialist of America (TC-DSA) endorsement.

Do you support Public Housing as an integral part of housing development?
Yes

Do you oppose the conversion (privatization) of Public Housing to Affordable Housing? If yes, why?
Yes. There is already so little public housing; we cannot afford to lose any more of it. Furthermore, we know that most of what is currently defined as affordable housing is not truly affordable to vast segments of our population.

Describe what you know about Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) and Section 18. Do you think the RAD/Section 18 policy privatizes public housing? If you answer ‘yes’, then what will you do to support the reversal of RAD/Section 18 to keep Public Housing Public once you are elected into office?
RAD was created in 2012 by the Obama administration to give local public housing authorities the ability to privatize units within their public housing portfolio or demolish them entirely and replace them with properties owned by private or non-profit entities, effectively privatizing them. Under the RAD program, tenants’ rights aren’t always enforced. RAD is often implemented unevenly and with insufficient oversight, with drastic outcomes for residents. 

Once elected, I will work with my fellow Councilmembers to introduce an ordinance to immediately reverse RAD/Section 18, demand the restoration of privatized housing to its public status, prohibit future transfer of public housing to private or non-profit entities, and limit the Council and MPHA’s ability to function without full oversight by the public. We must commit to developing and acquiring units back into our public housing stock to replace those already lost to RAD/Section 18 sales

How will you implement the charter between MPHA and the City of Minneapolis to monitor, hold MPHA accountable in making sure they follow the guidelines of the city charter? For reference: [https://lims.minneapolismn.gov/File/2018%E2%80%9000866] [https://youtu.be/Ad-Lo6y7oHI] [https://tinyurl.com/Comments-7-25-18-Housing-Comm]
The City Council has abetted the privatization of public housing by not exercising accountability over MPHA. In fact, the Council has gone out of its way to staff the department with commissioners and directors with major ties to corporate developers, and no connection or extensive experience with public housing development and management. 

Further, the MPHA has failed to abide by City Charter mandates requiring sufficient transparency and accessibility of citizen participation while pursuing changes to their policies and programs, especially changes to housing that would lead to privatization. 

As a Democratic Socialist, I believe that housing should be fully democratic, and the management of public housing should be truly public. To restore transparency and trust to the process, one of my first acts as city councilmember would be to work with public housing advocacy groups like Defend Glendale and public housing residents to co-create a proposal updating the MPHA ordinance and emphasizing citizen participation requirements, then work with those groups to organize broad support for the ordinance not only from elected officials, but also the students, homeowners, workers, and residents it would affect. I would also like to explore ways to build political pressure both inside and outside of City Hall for a new slate of MPHA commissioners, since the current authority is clearly putting profits over resident interest.

Do you support increased construction of Public Housing in Minneapolis? If yes, what steps would you take to make this happen?
Yes, I do. Increasing construction of public housing will have a major impact on Ward 2 residents, 50% of whom earn less than $35,000 while market-rate rents in the area are cost-burdened and thus consume 30% of residents’ annual income. 

I am committed to taxing and enacting fees on corporate businesses and developers to raise revenue for the creation of public housing. I believe we should also use tax revenue to issue contracts to unionized construction companies to build additional public housing and would work with housing groups to create community agreements with unions that guarantee above-livable-wage jobs to residents, especially those in public housing.

Do you believe Public Housing is essential to mitigate housing insecurity?
Yes

Have you or anyone in your family or friendship circle ever been unhoused?
Yes

Have you or anyone in your family or friendship circle ever lived in public housing?
Yes

Do you think the difference between Public Housing versus Affordable Housing has been sufficiently discussed with the public?
No; the two are not the same. Public housing keeps the public in control of housing, eliminating corporate developers from the equation. Affordable housing can still be private, and almost always is. The concept of affordable housing was created in part to allow the decimation of public housing by outsourcing the responsibility for providing non-cost-burdened housing to market forces and private developers. I believe the general public is kept intentionally ignorant of how “affordable housing” is officially defined and used as a loophole for corporate developers to build properties that, while they meet the technical definition of affordable, are anything but for most people.

Over the decades, the political establishment has successfully vilified public housing. I want to use my position to help turn that around, helping people see public housing as an asset to the community that deserves respect and full resourcing.

Should public housing tenants and those eligible for public housing be sufficiently informed of the differences between Public Housing and Affordable Housing, of their rights and protections, and looped into meetings including ones that involve policy & lease changes and be allowed to ask questions?
Yes

Would public land that is being earmarked for private “affordable housing” development be better utilized for Public Housing?
Absolutely. Our city’s criteria for affordable housing have allowed the drastic increase in construction of new housing stock that is still out of reach for most people, so “affordable housing” alone is not going to solve our housing crisis. Therefore, we support any initiative to replace “affordable” housing with public housing.

Are there other public housing related ideas, comments, goals you would like to include here that weren’t addressed in the questions above? Please state them here.
I am interested in discussing with you how we might be able to convert units that are currently being held hostage by private developers as a result of the 2040 Plan into public housing.

Who filled out this questionnaire? The candidate or the campaign staff?
Both Robin Wonsley Worlobah and her campaign team jointly completed this questionnaire. 

Candidate:
Nicholas Kor

Position Running:
City Council Ward 7

Campaign website:
www.nickkor.com

What political ideology do you identify as?
Progressive

Are you seeking or have received endorsement from any political parties or groups? If so, which ones?
DFL

Do you support Public Housing as an integral part of housing development?
Yes

Do you oppose the conversion (privatization) of Public Housing to Affordable Housing? If yes, why?
Yes, I believe public housing should be kept public. The conversion of public housing into privatized affordable housing puts these units into the private market, which inherently means less housing security for residents and less affordability. People deserve permanent, deeply affordable housing in our city. That is what public housing provides. We need more public housing, not less.

Describe what you know about Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) and Section 18. Do you think the RAD/Section 18 policy privatizes public housing? If you answer ‘yes’, then what will you do to support the reversal of RAD/Section 18 to keep Public Housing Public once you are elected into office?
RAD allows for the conversion of public housing into Section 8 housing, transferring management of public housing into the hands of private companies. This in turn is supposed to allow for more capital investments into housing by leveraging private money. I believe that RAD, while it does not completely privatize public housing, is a big step towards that and is the wrong direction for public housing. Although there are examples of successful RAD conversions, particularly when non-profit developers have stepped in with a commitment to keeping the housing affordable, further analysis of RAD by GAO (Government Accountability Office), has showed that the program does not leverage as many funds as it claims, that many tenants saw their rents increase, and that management companies were treating tenants poorly and preventing them from organizing. Non-profits looking to preserve these homes as affordable also require additional public subsidy, which is difficult to come by. 

We should be utilizing every tool in the toolbox to preserve existing public housing and supporting the communities that have built their homes here. Instead of RAD, we need to be making real investments into public housing. The Biden Administration has called for a $40 billion dollar investment into updating and repairing public housing in their infrastructure plan. I will work with federal and state partners to lift up the voices of those who have been impacted by RAD and ensure that those voices are at the table when speaking to federal officials and advocating for changes at the federal level. I will also work with these federal and state officials to ensure we create real funding for capital investments in public housing in addition to funding for more public housing.

How will you implement the charter between MPHA and the City of Minneapolis to monitor, hold MPHA accountable in making sure they follow the guidelines of the city charter? For reference: [https://lims.minneapolismn.gov/File/2018%E2%80%9000866] [https://youtu.be/Ad-Lo6y7oHI] [https://tinyurl.com/Comments-7-25-18-Housing-Comm]
The Charter clearly demonstrates that the City of Minneapolis has a role to play in holding MPHA accountable and ensuring they do their job. The City can do more to ensure that MPHA creates meaningful community engagement processes and opportunities for residents and stakeholders to have their voices heard and participate in decision making processes. We need to ensure that MPHA is providing language accessibility so that everyone of their residents and community members receives, and understands regular updates so that they can participate fully. The City Council can and should require quarterly updates from MPHA regarding their budget. Finally, as a last resort, the city council can hold the MPHA accountable through the removal and appointment process for commissioners.

Do you support increased construction of Public Housing in Minneapolis? If yes, what steps would you take to make this happen?
Yes. The biggest barrier, of course, is funding. I will be a strong advocate at both the state and federal levels to push for more money into public housing. Public housing is one of the most important tools we have for providing extremely affordable housing. I believe that we need to start by focusing on one project to show that new public housing can and should be built in our city. f we can leverage enough funding to build one new public housing complex, it will help shift the narrative and momentum and allow us to continue to build more. I will do this by leveraging my relationships at the state level to use bonding money to build a new public housing development. I believe another option is to use the HRA levy that the City of Minneapolis has to be able to fund this project.

Do you believe Public Housing is essential to mitigate housing insecurity?
Yes

Have you or anyone in your family or friendship circle ever been unhoused?
No

Have you or anyone in your family or friendship circle ever lived in public housing?
Yes

Do you think the difference between Public Housing versus Affordable Housing has been sufficiently discussed with the public?
No, unfortunately the narrative has been solely focused on affordable housing and the problem with that is that affordable housing is such a broad term that it is not always affordable to all people. I believe we need to shift the narrative. Public housing has been inaccurately blamed as the cause of our community’s problems, when in reality public housing is an important community asset and a critical part of our housing infrastructure. We need to talk about public housing more often in this way and include the reasons why we need more public housing, not less. If we truly believe that housing is a human right, if we truly believe that housing is a social good, we would invest more money into public housing right now so that we can better manage our current stock in addition to building more public housing.

Should public housing tenants and those eligible for public housing be sufficiently informed of the differences between Public Housing and Affordable Housing, of their rights and protections, and looped into meetings including ones that involve policy & lease changes and be allowed to ask questions?
Yes

Would public land that is being earmarked for private “affordable housing” development be better utilized for Public Housing?
Yes. Data shows that there are nearly zero vacancies across the city for housing at 30% area median income. That is real proof that we need more housing for 30% of area median income. That is what public housing provides. It is housing at the most affordable levels. Unfortunately, often, these affordable housing developments are not built at the most affordable levels nor are they permanently affordable. That is why it is so important, particularly if the land is owned by the city, to build more public housing on these lots and not affordable housing development. We must choose to leverage public land for the public good.

Are there other public housing related ideas, comments, goals you would like to include here that weren’t addressed in the questions above? Please state them here.
We need to think bigger and differently about our housing landscape in our city. We need to change the narrative about what public housing is and can be. Public housing does not have to be a deteriorating, poorly managed, type of housing that many see it as. With the right investments, public housing can be good housing, well-managed, and supported by all. And there are already cities around the world where housing is a social good, where the government invests in this housing for everyone. For example, in Singapore, a very capitalist country, over 80 percent of their housing is public housing. The people in Singapore have both deeply affordable and well managed housing that is generally well supported and appreciated. While we don’t have to be exactly like Singapore, it is a prime example that building more public housing is not only possible, it is worth the investment and good for the public. I believe that we need to do more to help educate our people on public housing, to help shift the narrative on what’s possible, and to make real investments into more public housing in Minneapolis.

Who filled out this questionnaire? The candidate or the campaign staff?
Candidate

Candidate:
Jason Chavez

Position Running:
City Council Ward 9

Campaign website:
https://www.jasonchavez.org/

What political ideology do you identify as?
Democratic Socialist

Are you seeking or have received endorsement from any political parties or groups? If so, which ones?
I’ve been endorsed by the Minneapolis DFL, Twin Cities DSA, SEIU MN, Take Action MN, Stonewall DFL, Sierra Club, Unite Here Local 17, MN 350 Action, AFSCME Council 5, Minnesota Young DFL, DFL Environmental Caucus, Run for Something, Roadmap For Progress, People’s Action,  College Democrats of MN, and OutFront MN.

Do you support Public Housing as an integral part of housing development?
Yes

Do you oppose the conversion (privatization) of Public Housing to Affordable Housing? If yes, why?
I oppose the privatization of Public Housing. In reality, “affordable housing” is not affordable to a lot of our community members and misconstructs its accessibility and affordability problem. 

Unfortunately, we have a system that relies on “Area Median Income ” that is not equitable and discriminatory instead of income-based housing that is a proven housing method that works. 

Housing is a human right. For this reason, we must expand public housing, need to protect it and we must ensure we do everything in our power to prevent the privatization of it while also educating the public on the difference.

Describe what you know about Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) and Section 18. Do you think the RAD/Section 18 policy privatizes public housing? If you answer ‘yes’, then what will you do to support the reversal of RAD/Section 18 to keep Public Housing Public once you are elected into office?

Section 18: Demolition/Disposition allows Public Housing Authorities to demolish public housing/ take ownership of them while transferring them to private authorities and developers. We have seen how this has led to the displacement of community members and furthers gentrification onto neighborhoods. 

Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD): this program began in 2012  by the Federal Government and it allows non-profits or private entities to own and manage properties. It does so by converting public housing into Project-Based Vouchers (PBVs) or Project-Based Rental Assistance (PBRA) which leads to a lack of oversight for tenant protections. We have seen the impacts of RAD that include people being threatened with eviction, deprived of accomodations, relocation to places that do not meet residents needs, and a continuous amount of human rights violations. 

Simply put, I do NOT support these programs. I will fight to expand and protect Public Housing. I will work with community members for funding resources that are not Section 18 and RAD to help fund Public Housing. Some ideas are an increased Public Housing Levy used to build but also upkeep existing buildings. As a Council Member, I will use everything in my power to ensure any buildings we are currently or have used Section 18 and RAD have a relook and work to reinstate it as Public Housing.


How will you implement the charter between MPHA and the City of Minneapolis to monitor, hold MPHA accountable in making sure they follow the guidelines of the city charter? For reference: [https://lims.minneapolismn.gov/File/2018%E2%80%9000866] [https://youtu.be/Ad-Lo6y7oHI] [https://tinyurl.com/Comments-7-25-18-Housing-Comm]
We need to hold the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority to its highest standards. This means we hold them accountable, ensure they are transparent, and make them representative of the communities they serve. 

The Minneapolis City Council and Mayor retain appointment and removal authority over the board of commissioners. We must use this authority to remove commissioners who have ties to corporate and private developers, have imposed privatization, and that do not have the best interest of public housing residents. We must also have commissioners that have lived or are currently in public housing because we need people that truly care for public housing residents to help create solutions that actually work. I am also open to changing MPHA’s powers. They are currently vested in a 9-member board of commissioners that was created in 1980 by the special law and have not been working in the best interest of Public Housing residents. 

Do you support increased construction of Public Housing in Minneapolis? If yes, what steps would you take to make this happen?
I support the increased construction of Public Housing in Minneapolis. The 9th Ward is well over 50% renters, unhoused residents that need income-based housing to barely survive, and are being impacted by the lack of true “affordable housing”. 

This much needed housing, that is already lacking and being privatized, will lead us towards the right direction to support some of our most vulnerable community members. 

Here is some of the work we can do:

• MPHA Board Members and Accountability: Use City Council powers to ensure board members are working in the best interest of Public Housing Residents, not corporate and private developers. Holding Board Members that have fought to privatize Public Housing accountable by vacating seats.
• State Legislature: Use bonding bills and work with State partners to bring funding for public housing into Minneapolis. 
• Taxes: We can increase the Public Housing Levy, corporate taxes, and work across Government to tax the rich and bring the funds back to Public Housing.

Do you believe Public Housing is essential to mitigate housing insecurity?
Yes

Have you or anyone in your family or friendship circle ever been unhoused?
Yes

Have you or anyone in your family or friendship circle ever lived in public housing?
Yes

Do you think the difference between Public Housing versus Affordable Housing has been sufficiently discussed with the public?
I do not believe that we have sufficiently discussed the difference between public housing and affordable housing with the public. The term “affordable housing” in theory sounds great but the reality is that it is not affordable to a lot of our community members. Oftentimes they are seen as the same thing they are completely different. That being said, we have also not made it accessible to those that speak different languages and the jargon used often leads people into this misunderstanding. 

As a Council Member, I will be working hard to educate our community members and lead by example on the difference and why it is crucial for Public Housing to be protected, expanded, and not allow it to be replaced in the name of Affordable Housing.

Should public housing tenants and those eligible for public housing be sufficiently informed of the differences between Public Housing and Affordable Housing, of their rights and protections, and looped into meetings including ones that involve policy & lease changes and be allowed to ask questions?
Yes

Would public land that is being earmarked for private “affordable housing” development be better utilized for Public Housing?
Yes, public land that is being earmarked for private “affordable housing” development would be better utilized for Public Housing. What is currently known as “affordable housing” is not affordable to many which is why we need income based/public housing. By earmarking public land for private “affordable housing” we risk being able to house some of our most vulnerable members because of its lack of affordability, violate tenant rights, and cause displacement.

Are there other public housing related ideas, comments, goals you would like to include here that weren’t addressed in the questions above? Please state them here.


Who filled out this questionnaire? The candidate or the campaign staff?
Jason Chavez

Candidate:
Yussuf Haji

Position Running:
City Council Ward 9

Campaign website:
hajiforward9.com

What political ideology do you identify as?
Democrat/Green

Are you seeking or have received endorsement from any political parties or groups? If so, which ones?
DFL, DFL Caucuses, Sierra Club, Community Power

Do you support Public Housing as an integral part of housing development?
Yes

Do you oppose the conversion (privatization) of Public Housing to Affordable Housing? If yes, why?
Yes because then there will be less of a way to have a entity like the government step in and managed it if we have a bad landlords or bad conditions. There will also be a way to directly regulate the cost of living and can keep it stabilized without rouge entities charging more.

Describe what you know about Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) and Section 18. Do you think the RAD/Section 18 policy privatizes public housing? If you answer ‘yes’, then what will you do to support the reversal of RAD/Section 18 to keep Public Housing Public once you are elected into office?
No, when there is a lack of affordable housing we have to use the existing housing market for more housing. It does in turn give a subsidy to private corporations, but it’s at a regulated with the market rate that is controlled by a government agency and not by the private corporations.

How will you implement the charter between MPHA and the City of Minneapolis to monitor, hold MPHA accountable in making sure they follow the guidelines of the city charter? For reference: [https://lims.minneapolismn.gov/File/2018%E2%80%9000866] [https://youtu.be/Ad-Lo6y7oHI] [https://tinyurl.com/Comments-7-25-18-Housing-Comm]
Well I would want the community input and have a draft be proposed and have it as a vote for the whole public to take part in. As this will help lead to storm get community input into the process and have them be part of keeping all sides accountable.

Do you support increased construction of Public Housing in Minneapolis? If yes, what steps would you take to make this happen?
Yes, target low income and the areas that are growing like in uptown and make sure as the gentrification happens that living there is feasible for everyone and not a select few.

Do you believe Public Housing is essential to mitigate housing insecurity?
Yes

Have you or anyone in your family or friendship circle ever been unhoused?
Yes

Have you or anyone in your family or friendship circle ever lived in public housing?
Yes

Do you think the difference between Public Housing versus Affordable Housing has been sufficiently discussed with the public?
No not at all. The difference is what’s key to understanding what is really needed to be done and help gain more support as having confusion will lead to more factions of different opinions happen and nothing move forwards.

Should public housing tenants and those eligible for public housing be sufficiently informed of the differences between Public Housing and Affordable Housing, of their rights and protections, and looped into meetings including ones that involve policy & lease changes and be allowed to ask questions?
Yes

Would public land that is being earmarked for private “affordable housing” development be better utilized for Public Housing?
Yes I 100% agree and commit to have that happen every time if I am elected.

Are there other public housing related ideas, comments, goals you would like to include here that weren’t addressed in the questions above? Please state them here.
N/A

Who filled out this questionnaire? The candidate or the campaign staff?
Both worked together to answer this questions in the best way.

Candidate:  
Carmen Means

Position Running:
City Council Ward 9

Contact:
carmen@carmenforward9.com

Campaign website:
www.carmenforward9.com

What political ideology do you identify as?
Liberated free thinker

Are you seeking or have received endorsement from any political parties or groups? If so, which ones?
Democratic Farmer Labor

Do you support Public Housing as an integral part of housing development?
Yes

Do you oppose the conversion (privatization) of Public Housing to Affordable Housing? If yes, why?
Yes, I do oppose the conversion of Public Housing to Affordable housing. Public housing is income based however the notion that “Affordable housing” actually exist is misleading.  The misleading exist in the verbiage “Affordable”which is based off of AMI that includes incomes from other cities such as; Edina, Bloomington, etc. This number increases the overall cost and affordable as it pertains to affordability for Minneapolis moderate ti low-income residents.

Describe what you know about Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) and Section 18. Do you think the RAD/Section 18 policy privatizes public housing? If you answer ‘yes’, then what will you do to support the reversal of RAD/Section 18 to keep Public Housing Public once you are elected into office?
Yes, I believe that Sec 18 is has clearly stated its intentions in converting public house to private. However the RAD has a slight but suspicious spin as it currently has used developers (large-mostly white) to remodel the public housing units with a promissory to keep the price of rent the same. My support will have to be around the support of policies that stand with rent stabilization as well as creating new policies that keep major developers  out

How will you implement the charter between MPHA and the City of Minneapolis to monitor, hold MPHA accountable in making sure they follow the guidelines of the city charter? For reference: [https://lims.minneapolismn.gov/File/2018%E2%80%9000866] [https://youtu.be/Ad-Lo6y7oHI] [https://tinyurl.com/Comments-7-25-18-Housing-Comm]
If I was  elected I would make sure that the council was consistent in over seeing the guidelines and making sure that MPHA is being held accountable to the goals.  I would ensure that they are not issuing unlawful evictions and that tenants rights are not being violated. I would also create a community accountability

Do you support increased construction of Public Housing in Minneapolis? If yes, what steps would you take to make this happen?
Yes, I support the increase of construction of Public Housing. Steps that I would take would be:

1) Create wrap around service support system that give resources and support to household economic increase through job training, college and/or trade school. 

2) Make sure that the charter guidelines are being adhered to through community accountability and Council accountability

3) Create a program that residents are able to transition to home-ownership4) Make sure that the developer that is selected has diverse multi-level staff.

Do you believe Public Housing is essential to mitigate housing insecurity?
Yes

Have you or anyone in your family or friendship circle ever been unhoused?
Yes

Have you or anyone in your family or friendship circle ever lived in public housing?
Yes

Do you think the difference between Public Housing versus Affordable Housing has been sufficiently discussed with the public?
No, it  has not been discussed enough.  Affordable housing is overly used in a very divisive and deceiving way (as mentioned above). So many believe that affordable housing and public housing are the same and they are not. More discussions need to be had to educate the public and challenge the verbiage and outcomes.

Should public housing tenants and those eligible for public housing be sufficiently informed of the differences between Public Housing and Affordable Housing, of their rights and protections, and looped into meetings including ones that involve policy & lease changes and be allowed to ask questions?
Yes

Would public land that is being earmarked for private “affordable housing” development be better utilized for Public Housing?
A wrap around holistic Public Housing program would be a better fit.

Are there other public housing related ideas, comments, goals you would like to include here that weren’t addressed in the questions above? Please state them here.
Public Housing alone is not the cure to the ultimate battle of Poverty.  Poverty is a billion dollar industry that countless folks profit off of except the marginalized. If there is not services that are able to break the cycle of poverty we will continue to see generations filter through a band-aid system without ever creating avenues of economic improvement and the overall empowering of ones self.

Who filled out this questionnaire? The candidate or the campaign staff?
Carmen Means

Candidate:
Mickey Moore

Position Running:
City Council Ward 9

Contact:
Mickey@weneedmoore.org

Campaign website:
www.weneedmoore.org

What political ideology do you identify as?
Democrat

Are you seeking or have received endorsement from any political parties or groups? If so, which ones?
I am seeking the DFL endorsement.  I am endorsed by the LMN party.

Do you support Public Housing as an integral part of housing development?
Yes

Do you oppose the conversion (privatization) of Public Housing to Affordable Housing? If yes, why?
It’s politically expedient to just come out against the privatization of Public Housing, but the truthful reality is that it would depend on some very specific circumstances.  There have been cases in several cities around the country where this option was a useful and intelligent opportunity for residents to transition into home ownership, when that combines the idea of new public housing projects becoming realized.  The more important consideration is that we should never reduce the number of available public housing units and we should always prioritize providing the maximum number of affordable home options for are residents.  I don’t think representatives who have blanket opposition to generalized ideas is helpful.  What we need are elected officials who have broad minded, shared goals with the public we serve and who are always looking for possible better methods of improving our systems and the options that people have to be positively impacted by our programs and policies.  If that means examining a conversion idea, then it’s something that needs to be looked into by experts and discussed publicly throughout the affected community.  If a privatization idea results in increased opportunity for home ownership AND and increase in the total number of public housing units because of new investment, or new public development, than that’s a win/win. Naturally, I would oppose any effort at conversion that lowered the number of public housing units, or disenfranchised public housing tenants.

Describe what you know about Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) and Section 18. Do you think the RAD/Section 18 policy privatizes public housing? If you answer ‘yes’, then what will you do to support the reversal of RAD/Section 18 to keep Public Housing Public once you are elected into office?
Let me be clear, and state something that very likely no other candidate is willing to say.  While I know what the RAD/Section 18 policy is all about.  Where it comes from ,how long it been around, and what it does…I don’t mind explaining that I’m not comfortable simply speaking about this issue by heart.  This issue incudes a complex combination of fluid policies and radical recent changes.  I’ve got a great memory, and a big brain, but still, I don’t want to misspeak or give out misinformation. Neither do I want to research the issue solely for the purpose of sounding intelligent on this matter here, in this questionnaire.  

I think the increase of section 18 usage during the Trump administration tells us most of what we need to know about the clearly negative impacts of this concept.  In the Trump years, it was clearly used to benefit wealthy developers at the cost of affordable housing opportunities for those in need.  The demolition and disposition aspect leaves useful public housing units vulnerable in any city govt., including progressive cities controlled by Democratic mayors and councils, like Minneapolis.  Based on our own city’s recent history, the RAD/Section 18 policy definitely puts at risk some of our most vital affordable housing options and converts protected units to market rate and unaffordable levels.  

Now, the federal govt., under the new Biden administration, is already looking into changes in this policy at the federal level, but in my opinion, we need to be more proactive and think long-term.  We cannot guarantee who presides over the federal govt. into the future and what changes they might try to force upon the system.  We need policies, regulations and even state and local ordinances and laws, protecting our affordable housing and providing effective counter measures so that neither govt. nor big development, or even disguised nonprofits who sell off shares of their portfolio to independent stakeholders, can impede our commitment to providing our residents with a maximum number of wide ranging affordable housing opportunities.

The things that a single city council member can do are limited, but do include some powerful options such as public messaging and bringing the issue into our public forums and discussions, partnering with like-minded advocacy groups who have our residents best interests at heart, working to influence other council members to create coalitions of interest, working with multiple levels of govt. (county, State and federal legislatures) to lobby for and enact more meaningful and far-reaching legislative solutions.  

Lastly, I would want to point out that I have already procured the services of one of this countries most ardent and astute affordable housing experts, UCLA Lewis Center Housing Initiative’s Shane Phillips as my own personal affordable housing consultant.  (until such time as I can effectively convince our city to hire him, or someone with his qualifications as our cities affordable housing director, which is a position I think our city would greatly benefit from having. Shane and I have spoken multiple times about this issue, and several others and he will be a valuable resource to our city and our residents as an unbiased and apolitical arbiter of factual solution-based ideas that have proven effectiveness.

How will you implement the charter between MPHA and the City of Minneapolis to monitor, hold MPHA accountable in making sure they follow the guidelines of the city charter? For reference: [https://lims.minneapolismn.gov/File/2018%E2%80%9000866] [https://youtu.be/Ad-Lo6y7oHI] [https://tinyurl.com/Comments-7-25-18-Housing-Comm]
I don’t have to tell you that the city council only works when a large contingent of members operate cooperatively to address problems or issues. The stark reality of our city system is that a single city council member can accomplish little or nothing on their own.   So, the greatest weapon we can provide for implementing the charter and enforcing the details in the governing provisions is to create a alliance of like-minded council members that take a public commitment to upholding the very specific policy agreements already in place.  Operating with purposeful transparency and maximum public awareness.  Instituting new policies where needed, and enforcing the most meaningful, impactful and effective aspects of the charter agreements, such as removing and replacing commissioners and  committee members who do not operate with the best interest of our residents or promote what we determine to be counter-productive policies

Do you support increased construction of Public Housing in Minneapolis? If yes, what steps would you take to make this happen?
Yes. Let me first explain that he very concept of public housing a personal issue with me, having lived in govt. assistance housing, and through my decades of work with immigrants to find and provide affordable housing, I absolutely understand firsthand how critically important and life changing these option can be.  In Minneapolis, we are in the midst of an ongoing affordable housing crisis.  While policies can be useful, they rarely solve the underlying causes nor do they appropriate address the factual market forces that determine the situation people are facing.   Housing is one of the clearest market-based industries that exists.  It is very strictly controlled by supply and demand.  The most effective method for creating more affordable housing options, is to either increase our supply, or somehow, reduce our demand.  Only one of these ideas is realistic.

We need greater incentives.  Tax breaks, subsidies, public/private partnerships, creative financing options, and more. Nothing should ever be off the table when we look for ideas and strategies to attack this issue.  Operating in cooperative collaboration with other cities, other counties, our state and our federal govt. should be a regular and ongoing process.  In fact, there ought to already be a cross-jurisdictional task force looking into potential opportunities to work across all levels of govt. to provide better and more useful options related to affordable housing.

We need more demands on developers. Over the last 7 years, over 90% of new development has been rental, with little or nothing contributing to the affordable housing aspect. (in some cases, a 20%, with loopholes, commitment…)  We need something closer to a 50% trade off. For every new rental that is maximum profit priced, we need an accommodating affordable housing option.  (and no loopholes…)  We simply cannot continue to give away the farm, and then complain about not getting enough to eat.  

We need more elaborate and creative ideas.  The manner in which the East Phillips Urban Farm initiative independently included affordable housing into their design plans is a perfect example of how community-based projects often focus on solving problems more comprehensively than even city govt. development plans.  If we can partner with ideas from all across the spectrum of development, and help encourage them all to include aspects of affordable housing into their long-term designs, obviously that’s a huge victory.  

We have to include all the spaces we already have and turn them into realistic options. Nearly every ward in the city has abandoned and underused buildings.  There are affordable housing options just waiting for our city to take advantage of them.  Many of these buildings already have proposals for repurposing them into affordable housing, and our city is either stalling on or fighting the ideas.  We need a new approach where we target, subsidize and expedite these ideas and incorporate them into our public housing portfolio.

We need to broaden our approach.  Public housing no longer has to mean the giant cedar riverside style skyscraper apartment buildings.  I would encourage our city to reimagine what we mean by public housing and open our minds to new and innovative concepts that will vastly increase our options.    Modular housing, tiny homes, re-zoned single family homes, underground homes, mobile homes, and may other ideas need to be examined and experimented with.  

It’s a factual truth that we need to accept. Minneapolis is running out of readily available land.  But we also need to remember that whether or not these new ideas occur in or around Minneapolis, or even Hennepin county, they will still benefit our residents.  Therefore, public housing in St. Paul, and our inner and even our outer ring suburbs are all a useful advance of our need.

Do you believe Public Housing is essential to mitigate housing insecurity?
Yes

Have you or anyone in your family or friendship circle ever been unhoused?
Yes
Have you or anyone in your family or friendship circle ever lived in public housing?
Yes

Do you think the difference between Public Housing versus Affordable Housing has been sufficiently discussed with the public?
No, in fact, there are often confusing messaging tactics used by elected officials to give the public the perception that the city is working on the affordable housing issue, when in fact, their proven priority has long been big development and gentrification.  I believe that the vast majority of property owners, especially those with 40 or less units in 10 or less properties are the only group truly focused on providing affordable housing.  These “landlords” are often targeted and scapegoated by the city, while he biggest developers are allowed to reap the maximum subsidies, tax breaks and profits.

We need a new public message that allows people to understand and learn who is and who isn’t providing affordable housing options and what the city is and isn’t doing. Without partisan agendas and disingenuous political messages.  

Should public housing tenants and those eligible for public housing be sufficiently informed of the differences between Public Housing and Affordable Housing, of their rights and protections, and looped into meetings including ones that involve policy & lease changes and be allowed to ask questions?
Yes

Would public land that is being earmarked for private “affordable housing” development be better utilized for Public Housing?
I’m absolutely certain that there are cases where this is 100% true.  There have simply been too many private developments pursued and constructed in Minneapolis without any increase in public housing space or opportunity.  Of course, we would have to examine each issue on a case by case basis, but knowing ahead of time that there’s no way for every private development to be in the best interest of our public means it’s something that should have a lot more scrutiny and there will be lots of cases where these ideas ought to be flatly rejected as not being in the public interest.

Are there other public housing related ideas, comments, goals you would like to include here that weren’t addressed in the questions above? Please state them here.
This is a good chance for me to thank you for the opportunity to address these critical issues were facing in our city and to tell you how much I personally appreciate the important work your group does on behalf of people who need public housing.  I would like to point out a few things: 

1.) I am a someone who lived in govt. assistance housing for the first 10+ years of my life.  I’ve rented homes in the past, and I am currently a homeowner.  I am someone who has worked with immigrant families to obtain public housing, but none of these experiences makes me a public housing expert.  Therefore, I would always rely on citizen-based advocacy groups, input and feedback from community residents themselves, unbiased consultants and advisors (like Shane Phillips) and experts in the field to provide the critical knowledge and fact-based information needed to make impartial decisions on behalf of the best interests of the residents and business owners in the 9th Ward.

2.) An awkward and uncomfortable issue that no one likes to discuss is where people live.  I understand that everyone wants to live in the city. I’m born and raised in Minneapolis. It’s my hometown and I love it here.  But the reality is, if our city is going to properly house our growing population, it would have to drastically change it’s design and character.  The plain truth is, that to accommodate the growing need, we would need to begin to incorporate the types of giant complexes of housing structures we see in most other major cities.  Structures that provide hundreds or thousands of skyscraper-style units upon a much smaller ground level footprint.  Now, whether Minneapolis is willing to or is forced to do that, remains to be seen. But what I’d like to offer into the discussion is the more practical and “let’s-face-the-truth” type of concept.  We simply cannot ALL live in Minneapolis. And let me be even more clear (and controversial) about the specific people to which I am referring.  While diversity rapidly increases inside the borders of Minneapolis, along with problems like affordable housing and the underlying causes of that issue, in other, often nearby cities, the exact opposite is happening.  Many of these cities are essentially all white. They are 85, 90 even 95% white cities, with little or no unemployment (2-4 percent) lower than average median home prices.  Better than average school districts, low crime and a quality of life people generally enjoy.  The bottom line, and what no one wants to talk about is, if we are going to functionally change our circumstances in the future, we’re going to have to address the issue of true societal integration.  If we’re truly going to transform our system, and provide affordable housing opportunities for people, we need to address how to drastically change the wealth, equity and homeownership gap.  That will only happen by transitioning current renters into homeowners, and presenting a realistic concept of them living in another great Minnesota city like Stillwater, Buffalo, Elk River, East Bethel, Forest Lake, Afton Lake Elmo, Hastings, Rosemount, New Prague, and on and on.  All govt. interventionist ideas aside, the problems we’re facing now, will continue to get worse, unless we honestly address the factual truth of that situation.     

Who filled out this questionnaire? The candidate or the campaign staff?
Mickey Moore always fills out ALL questionnaires himself.

Hmong Translation
Somali Translation
Spanish Translation

Candidate:
Aisha Chughtai

Position Running:
City Council Ward 10

Campaign website:
www.aishaforward10.com

What political ideology do you identify as?
As a socialist, I believe that all aspects of society, including the workplace and the economy, should serve working class people, and success must be measured by people’s needs being met, not in profit.

Are you seeking or have received endorsement from any political parties or groups? If so, which ones?
I have been endorsed by SEIU Minnesota State Council, Teamsters Local 120, TakeAction Minnesota, Stonewall DFL, Minnesota Young DFL, Our Revolution Twin Cities, Run For Something, and People’s Action. I am also seeking the endorsement of other progressive movement organizations and labor unions. Finally, I am seeking both the Minneapolis DFL endorsement and the endorsement of Twin Cities DSA.

Do you support Public Housing as an integral part of housing development?
Yes

Do you oppose the conversion (privatization) of Public Housing to Affordable Housing? If yes, why?
Yes.

I strongly oppose the privatization of public housing! Affordable housing, while an important part of a healthy housing ecosystem, is typically less accessible and affordable to those who need housing most urgently. This means that it is critical that we protect and preserve existing public housing while fighting any attempts to privatize it.

Decades of policy hostile to public housing and too friendly to big, private developers have created an environment where privatization has been rapidly increasing. This reduces the amount of public housing, causes displacement, and leaves those experiencing the most severe housing instability—for whom that private affordable housing is out of reach—with nowhere to go.

I believe that housing is a human right, not a commodity. Privatization is a key part of the commodification of housing. We must preserve public housing and protect it from privatization because it is crucial to the city’s ability to ensure that the most at-risk people in Minneapolis are housed. Black, brown, and Indigenous, LGBTQIA+, and people with disabilities are much more likely to be unhoused and unstably housed, and it is members of these groups that are most disproportionately harmed by the commodification and privatization of housing.

Describe what you know about Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) and Section 18. Do you think the RAD/Section 18 policy privatizes public housing? If you answer ‘yes’, then what will you do to support the reversal of RAD/Section 18 to keep Public Housing Public once you are elected into office?
Yes. I would support the reversal of both Section 18 and RAD.

Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) is a federal housing program that allows management and maintenance of public housing to be taken over by the private sector. It converts true public housing into voucher-based Section 8 housing. This puts tenants at risk of abuse by private property managers, makes it harder to form and access support systems like tenants’ unions, and exacerbates the already dire backlog in units that accept Section 8 vouchers in Minnesota. Research has shown that half of all housing choice voucher holders are unable to use them, and that Black and Latinx voucher holders are even less likely to be able to do so than white voucher holders.

Section 18 is a federal statute that authorizes a Public Housing Authority to demolish and/or dispose of public housing with HUD approval. Using Section 18 combined with RAD, the MPHA could demolish public housing for any reason and replace it with privatized housing by pushing everything into the hands of private developers. On top of all of the other harms associated with privatization, if another housing bubble or financial crisis bankrupts development firms with RAD properties in their ‘portfolio’, it places that public housing in an untested legal situation in which private equity firms could gobble up public facilities like we have seen occur in the private housing market.

These programs—and others like them—harm people facing housing instability by reducing the number of options they have and making it more likely that they will be at the mercy of profit-seeking developers, rather than those interested in ensuring they have access to stable housing. This is true even in the case of “temporary” relocation for the purpose of renovating units, which forces members to rely on housing choice vouchers for the duration, and many are unlikely to be able to return even after the renovations are complete.

These programs only exist in the first place because we have failed to adequately fund public housing to such an extent that governments can no longer afford to maintain even the meager number of units currently available. This is part of the destructive, ongoing pattern of housing commodification.

To keep our public housing public, we must reverse that trend and stop thinking of housing as a commodity. The city should commit to treating housing as a public good, and funding it accordingly. We need to make it a priority to invest in maintaining our current public housing stock; cease the sale, lease, and delegation of public housing to private companies; and build more true public housing.

How will you implement the charter between MPHA and the City of Minneapolis to monitor, hold MPHA accountable in making sure they follow the guidelines of the city charter? For reference: [https://lims.minneapolismn.gov/File/2018%E2%80%9000866] [https://youtu.be/Ad-Lo6y7oHI] [https://tinyurl.com/Comments-7-25-18-Housing-Comm]
I believe that it is the responsibility of City elected officials to utilize every tool available to them to ensure that our public housing and its residents are protected and cared for. This includes proactively and consistently holding MPHA accountable.

Specifically, much of the Council’s strength in this area revolves around the appointment and accountability of MPH commissioners. I will follow all rules related to the City’s open appointment process for appointing MPH commissioners; will follow up to ensure that commissioners file their Statements of Economic Interest; and will pursue removal of commissioners who do not follow the guidelines of the City’s Charter, including regulations around citizen participation. I will oppose the appointment of MPH commissioners who have ties to private developers, especially those who have profited from, or are monetarily invested in, the private development of housing – those who are making decisions for public housing residents should not be invested in privatization.

Do you support increased construction of Public Housing in Minneapolis? If yes, what steps would you take to make this happen?
Yes.

I would advocate for us to have the ability to, outside of MPHA, acquire and construct new publicly owned, social housing. This can be funded through the property tax levy, bonding, an affordable housing trust fund, and increased corporate taxes.

As a City, we should also explore the creation of a municipal bank to ensure the grip of finance capital (in the form of large banks holding the mortgage/financing the development of public housing) is loosened, and that the investment from the City into building and maintaining public housing is truly public. 

As our climate drastically changes, we know that our city infrastructure must be resilient, including our housing stock. This means public housing needs to be built to be green, sustainable, and efficient. If built this way, public housing could also be funded through a municipal green bank.

Do you believe Public Housing is essential to mitigate housing insecurity?
Yes

Have you or anyone in your family or friendship circle ever been unhoused?
Yes

Have you or anyone in your family or friendship circle ever lived in public housing?
Yes

Do you think the difference between Public Housing versus Affordable Housing has been sufficiently discussed with the public?
No. Affordable housing and public housing are distinct in important ways, and they’re too often conflated. This makes it more difficult to advocate for the needs of people facing housing instability, and for current and future residents of public housing.

True public housing is owned and administered by the government, and is intended to be available to those facing the most severe housing instability. So-called affordable housing, on the other hand, is administered by private, often profit-seeking, entities and tends to be out of reach for very low-wealth and -income people.

When these two concepts are conflated, it’s easier for attention to be diverted to affordable housing to the detriment of public housing and the people who rely on it. So, it is important to draw this distinction so that we can clearly advocate for public housing specifically. Political officeholders and candidates can play an important role in making the differences clear to constituents, and I am committed to doing so throughout my campaign and at City Hall if I am elected.

Should public housing tenants and those eligible for public housing be sufficiently informed of the differences between Public Housing and Affordable Housing, of their rights and protections, and looped into meetings including ones that involve policy & lease changes and be allowed to ask questions?
Yes

Would public land that is being earmarked for private “affordable housing” development be better utilized for Public Housing?
Yes. Public land should be kept public, and it should serve the public. Community members should have agency over how it is developed and to make sure it serves the community. Every parcel of public land that the City surrenders to private developers and corporations is another lost opportunity to bring more desperately-needed public housing units to Minneapolis.

Are there other public housing related ideas, comments, goals you would like to include here that weren’t addressed in the questions above? Please state them here.
In addition to building more public housing and protecting current stock from privatization, we must prioritize funding for the backlog of outstanding maintenance in our existing public housing. Part of this involves putting pressure on the state to provide more funding to the city, both through public campaigns and by leveraging relationships. While we work to secure more state funding, I would also be in favor of another levy earmarked for maintenance/remodeling.

I will also be a fierce advocate for increased tenant protections, including for residents of public housing. Minneapolis recently adopted several new policies to protect tenants, including inclusive screening criteria. I will work to expand and improve on these, and ensure that they are adequately enforced. I will also fight for further protections, including a just cause eviction policy and pre-eviction filing requirements (also known as pay or quit), and Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act (TOPA) policies. Furthermore, I would advocate for any tenant protections with a minimum period of tenancy to go into effect after three months, rather than one year.

I also want to close by saying that, to me, the protection, preservation, and creation of public housing is more than just a housing justice issue. Because of who in our community is most impacted by housing insecurity, championing public housing is a critical part of working toward racial, LGBTQIA+, and disability justice in this city. Failure to recognize these intersections, and failure to advocate for public housing in these contexts and through these lenses, is a failure to understand the scope of housing injustice in Minneapolis.

Who filled out this questionnaire? The candidate or the campaign staff?
This questionnaire was primarily filled out by the candidate, Aisha Chughtai. Wisdom and knowledge of other campaign staff, including the campaign’s communications director, and of impacted volunteers is woven throughout. Where we had gaps in our knowledge and experiences, we sought more information from trusted sources on public housing, especially Defend Glendale’s own publicly available informational resources.

Candidate:
Steven J. Frich

Position Running:
City Council Ward 10

Campaign website:
StevenForWard10.com

What political ideology do you identify as?
Democratic Socialists

Are you seeking or have received endorsement from any political parties or groups? If so, which ones?
N/A

Do you support Public Housing as an integral part of housing development?
I think housing is a human right. Everyone deserves to have a roof over their head. To make more public housing we are able to have standardization with rental applications, be efficient with placement of families into housing, keep costs way down because we remove profit from it, and we keep the landlords from exploiting the proletariat.

Do you oppose the conversion (privatization) of Public Housing to Affordable Housing? If yes, why?
RAD and section 18 seem like good, temporary fixes, but I think that they are using government money to send to private landlords and transferring wealth from the government directly into their pockets. It is good for people who need Section 18 or RAD, but it is a neoliberal solution to a systemic problem due to capitalist private property rights. 

Yes it does in a sense privatize it. Well, we need to take some big steps. I won’t propose ending it before we have it’s replace ready. We need to utilize government owned properties to convert them to public housing so the poor and working class people who currently depend on RAD/Section 18 can transfer over to the new system.

Describe what you know about Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) and Section 18. Do you think the RAD/Section 18 policy privatizes public housing? If you answer ‘yes’, then what will you do to support the reversal of RAD/Section 18 to keep Public Housing Public once you are elected into office?
From the information I was able to find out about this it seems like the MPHA has deep ties to private housing developers and corrupt city councilors. I would seek to sever the connection altogether or seek to replace much of the structure and leadership in MPHA. They are not being held accountable currently and they’re directly harming Black, Brown, and Indigenous people in Minneapolis. They are not listening to complaints and it seems like they have no real oversight, which is what they need.

How will you implement the charter between MPHA and the City of Minneapolis to monitor, hold MPHA accountable in making sure they follow the guidelines of the city charter? For reference: [https://lims.minneapolismn.gov/File/2018%E2%80%9000866] [https://youtu.be/Ad-Lo6y7oHI] [https://tinyurl.com/Comments-7-25-18-Housing-Comm]
From the information I was able to find out about this it seems like the MPHA has deep ties to private housing developers and corrupt city councilors. I would seek to sever the connection altogether or seek to replace much of the structure and leadership in MPHA. They are not being held accountable currently and they’re directly harming Black, Brown, and Indigenous people in Minneapolis. They are not listening to complaints and it seems like they have no real oversight, which is what they need.

Do you support increased construction of Public Housing in Minneapolis? If yes, what steps would you take to make this happen?
Yes, I would not approve developer’s permits or variances. We have the bourgeoisie continuing to come into our cities and constructing apartment buildings and drive up the cost of living in Minneapolis, they gentrify and displace poor and working class people. We need to transition towards a state run housing option that uses city funds and utilizes city properties to build government housing like they have in Vienna, Austria. We have unlimited funds to continue to have the police brutalize people, we can instead use that money to uplift the most disenfranchised people in Minneapolis.

Do you believe Public Housing is essential to mitigate housing insecurity?
Yes

Have you or anyone in your family or friendship circle ever been unhoused?
Yes

Have you or anyone in your family or friendship circle ever lived in public housing?
Yes

Do you think the difference between Public Housing versus Affordable Housing has been sufficiently discussed with the public?
I don’t think so. People often see them as the same thing, but what we need to do is highlight the difference.

Should public housing tenants and those eligible for public housing be sufficiently informed of the differences between Public Housing and Affordable Housing, of their rights and protections, and looped into meetings including ones that involve policy & lease changes and be allowed to ask questions?
Yes
Would public land that is being earmarked for private “affordable housing” development be better utilized for Public Housing?
YES!

Are there other public housing related ideas, comments, goals you would like to include here that weren’t addressed in the questions above? Please state them here.
I think it is important for people to tie in charter amendments like Minneapolis 4 Rent Control in with public housing. Research and history has shown that with rent control we need a number of other strategies to ensure bitter developers/landlords don’t destroy our market and supply of housing by letting properties deteriorate or selling them off or completely demolishing the property altogether. We need rent control with public housing.

Who filled out this questionnaire? The candidate or the campaign staff?
The candidate