Ward 3 encompasses a very diverse area. It includes not only neighborhoods in Northeast Minneapolis, but Southeast and Downtown as well. Because of a booming Downtown population, some Third Ward constituents will vote in other wards in this November’s election. Mills and Rainville are running for a four-year term.
Michael Rainville, DFL (incumbent)
rainvilleward3.org
Michael Rainville is a lifelong resident of Northeast Minneapolis. A graduate of DeLaSalle High School, he holds a degree in marketing from St. Thomas University and a certificate in nonprofit management from Notre Dame University. He worked for 35 years for the Minneapolis Convention and Visitors Bureau. He’s been an active advocate for Northeast, helping to establish the Sheridan Memorial Park, the Memorial for Survivors of Sexual Violence in Boom Island Park, the Pierre Bottineau Library and maintaining the Ritz Theater as a performance venue. He was elected to a two-year term in 2021.
Why are you running for City Council? This is the year the rubber meets the road. There was a learning curve to the job. It took half a year to understand my duties and responsibilities. And now, the Third Ward is changing. The downtown population has grown. We used to have 33,000 people in Ward 3; now there are 54,000. The entire Bottineau neighborhood will become part of Ward 1.
What committees do you serve on? Public Safety and Health, and BIHZ – Business, Inspections, Housing and Zoning. Did you know we’re the only city in Minnesota that has a Health Department? I’m also on the Criminal Justice Coordinating Committee. It includes city attorneys, the chief of police, three judges. We’re trying to address the juvenile crime wave that’s been plaguing Minneapolis by early intervention, getting parents and social workers involved and getting the youth the help they need. It’s not the kind of work that makes headlines, but it’s helping tamp down the crime.
What are your thoughts on police reform? We have a legal road map from the State of Minnesota and from the Department of Justice. We know what we need to do. Sixteen other cities have gone through DOJ training. Minnesota provides advice, but not money. DOJ provides training, equipment, systems. The chief [Police Chief Brian O’Hara] is in agreement. We’re working hard to recruit new officers. If you want to change policing, you have to be open to change. I do a monthly ride-along with the police in my ward. I want to continue to improve public safety.
If reelected, what policies would you pursue? I want to work on housing. A big part of public safety is to have housing for people, ensuring they have a pillow to put their head on at night. There are 200-plus deeply affordable housing units being built on California Street. That’s a start.
I’ve also become interested in climate initiatives. The Minnesota 350 group converted me. Not just getting homes into low income neighborhoods, but providing jobs in the new green economy, good-paying jobs that give people dignity.
Other thoughts? I am not a show horse, I’m a work horse. I really emphasize constituent service for myself and my staff. You have to care more about residents than what goes on your Facebook page. That’s what a city council member does.
Marcus Mills, Independent
mills4millcity.org
Marcus Mills was raised in Texas. He has been a renter in the Marcy-Holmes neighborhood for 22 years. He has served as the chair of the Marcy-Holmes Neighborhood Association Land Use and Development Committee and helped develop policy that lead to the Minneapolis Climate Equity Plan. He is endorsed by the Green party, former City Council Members Cam Gordon and Jeremy Schroeder and several community organizers. He is the owner of At Your Fingertips Solutions, a communications company.
Why are you running for Minneapolis City Council? I think I can be successful. I am a hunter of ideas. I search for ideas to help folks, and bring them back to the “sausage makers,” the ones who can put them into action.
If elected, what committees would you like to serve on? Public Health and Safety, Housing. I’m also interested in inter-governmental relations; I have some connections.
If elected, what policies would you pursue? I want to make sure we are pursuing the Climate Equity Plan with fervor. I’d like to develop a system for lower-income homeowners to purchase energy improvements such as insulation, solar, furnaces. It would be tied to the meter, not a loan. It would be a pay-as-you-save model.
In terms of housing, I’d like to see more affordable housing. Marcy-Holmes has had 3,000 units built in six years. Most of it is luxury housing. We have wealthier people moving into downtown and acquiring a luxury unit and subletting it for profit. We need to develop smarter inclusionary zoning. Right now, only 3% is required. We need to stop giving developers money to build luxury housing and use CPED to create partnerships between these developers and low-income-project developers like Aeon and Project Pride for Living. Win-wins are my business.
What are your thoughts on police reform? There are too many things which we count on the police to control. They admit that. We need to expand behavioral crisis response teams, build that system out. Violence interrupters have been effective in public spaces. We need more of them. They come from every walk of life and are trained to deescalate a situation, where the police are trained to expect danger. We don’t need the police to take a traffic accident report. Anybody can take down information.
I’d like to see harm reduction centers so people who use drugs can do so in a safe and controlled environment. Find ways to help them get out of using. Get people the support that they need. Have people there ready to intervene.
Other thoughts? I’d like to unite the entire Third Ward. We have people living in downtown, people who want to age in place. We have a thriving artist community. People like to get together here, whether it’s Open Streets, an event at Father Hennepin Park or Art-A-Whirl®.
Early voting in Minneapolis begins Friday, Sept. 22 at Minneapolis Elections & Voter Services, 980 E. Hennepin Ave. You can vote in person, drop off a ballot, register to vote or get language accommodations there. Curbside voting is also available. In-depth voting information at https://www.sos.state.mn.us/elections-voting/