The City Council race for the 13th Ward in Minneapolis continues to gain steam. The two current candidates running in this area are Linea Palmisano of Linden Hills and Matt Perry of East Harriet. Over the weekend the Perry campaign announced an endorsement from Hennepin County Commissioner Gail Dorfman. According to Hennepin County, Commissioner Dorfman has been serving the third district of Minneapolis since 1999 and was mayor of St. Louis Park from 1996-1999. The Perry campaign released a statement from Commissioner Dorfman:
I wholeheartedly endorse Matt Perry for the Minneapolis Ward 13 City Council seat. Matt has been a strong community leader on a number of transportation, economic development and infrastructure projects over the years. His balanced, pragmatic approach to problem solving, combined with his insistence on community involvement and resident and business input, make him an ideal representative for southwest Minneapolis. I believe Matt's years of experience and knowledge of local issues will well serve the residents of Ward 13, and I am proud to endorse him for the City Council.
The Perry campaign released a statement from the candidate:
“I am humbled and grateful for Commissioner Dorfman’s support. Her work is widely admired by the residents of Ward 13 as the standard for public service. I am committed to returning her support by serving Minneapolis with the same wisdom, expertise, and energy that she has brought to Hennepin County Board throughout her career as a public servant. ”
The Perry campaign also released a statement from Jen Borger, campaign chair:
“This is a tremendous success for Matt. It shows that our community leaders recognize the experience and vision that Matt would bring to serving Minneapolis. We look forward to many other community leaders joining Commissioner Dorfman’s support.”
This endorsement will go alongside several others from local citizens that Mr. Perry has collected over the course of the campaign. Not to be outdone, the Palmisano campaign has announced an endorsement of its own, from former 13th Ward Council Member Lisa McDonald:
"I am supporting Linea because she is a candidate we can send to City Hall that will have the collaborative skills to work with the council, business folks and 13th ward citizens. I believe she is the only candidate with real private sector experience in this race. That, combined with her volunteer experience on the Linden Hills Board and in the immigrant community makes her the right choice for City Council."
Ms. Palmisano, in an email statement, also said that she has “had the opportunity to meet and spend time with hundreds of 13th Ward residents to discuss specific city issues and concerns, and look forward to continuing that discussion with a positive, issue focused campaign.”
It is still early in the campaign but the two candidates are already lining up key endorsements. The race to claim CM Betsy Hodges’ seat on the Minneapolis City Council for the 13th Ward continues to heat up as the year progresses.
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