Minneapolis Mayor RT Ryback announced last month that after four terms in office he will not be running again for his current position at City Hall. This has led to an interesting turn of events as many citizens of Minneapolis have thrown their hat in the ring. The list so far includes City Council members, executives, and former members of local government. MinnPost has the full list (so far) in alphabetical order. The Star Tribune has compared the upcoming election to the competitive race in 1993 in which a slew of candidates ran when Don Fraser vacated the office.
Ward 13 Council Member Betsy Hodges, a current member of the Minneapolis City Council, was one of the first to announce her candidacy for the Mayor’s seat. Hodges first ran for the Council in 2005. She currently chairs the Ways and Means committee and serves on several others. There is more information on CM Hodges in an interview conducted with the Minneapolis Examiner here.
Hodges’ candidacy has in turn opened up her spot on the Minneapolis City Council for Ward 13. Two candidates have announced their intentions to run for this office. The Southwest Journal reported that Linea Palmisano of Linden Hills will run for Hodges’ seat. Matt Perry, citizen of Minneapolis, has also announced he will be running for the seat. The Minneapolis Examiner hopes to conduct interviews with both candidates in the coming months.
Even though 2013 is an off-year, electorally speaking, it looks to be a major one for the city of Minneapolis. There will be a flurry of activity leading up to the DFL nominating convention this summer and beyond. Citizens of both Minneapolis and Ward 13 should look forward to many important discussions of the issues that affect their local area and city all throughout the year.
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