Minneapolis Ward 7

What I know about the candidates for this City Council seat

My wife and I were born and raised in Minneapolis, spent a couple of decades in Edina to raise our kids, and returned to Minneapolis in 2015. We are retired snowbirds who winter in Phoenix. Except for wintering in Phoenix, my wife and I have lived within a ten-mile radius of Downtown Minneapolis all our lives. We are Minneapolis/Minnesota residents when it comes to voting and income taxes—a choice we have deliberately made, as it would save us money to be Phoenix/Arizona residents. Residency is one small way to show our love and support for Minneapolis and the state of Minnesota.

I don’t know much about local politics. I spend way more time thinking about national politics, but I recognize that local politics has a more direct impact on my life than national politics. My goal is to become more informed and more involved in local politics. I am a lifelong Democrat and believe that before we can successfully lead the nation, we need to improve our leadership in blue cities like Minneapolis.

Minneapolis feels like a vibrant and thriving city, but it is also struggling with issues such as declining revenue, homelessness, affordability, crime, and vacant commercial real estate. As we learned in the summer of 2020 (between COVID-19 and the George Floyd protests), the city is fragile and can easily descend into chaos.

With that backdrop, I plan to write blog posts over the next few months focusing on various candidates running for Minneapolis positions. Ultimately, I am figuring out who I will vote for on November 4, 2025. This post will focus on Katie Cashman (incumbent) and Elizabeth Shaffer (DFL endorsed), who are running to represent Minneapolis Ward 7 at the City Council.

Minneapolis Ward 7 includes the following neighborhoods:

• Bryn Mawr

• Cedar-Isles-Dean

• Downtown West

• East Isles

• Kenwood

• Linden Hills

• Loring Park

• Lowry Hill

• Stevens Square-Loring Heights

• West Maka Ska

Ward 7 is affluent - some of its neighborhoods are among the most affluent in the city, with household median incomes 50% higher than the city's overall average of $80,000. It is a juxtaposition of parks (including the Chain of Lakes), dense apartment-style housing (60% of Ward 7 are renters), upscale single-family homes (some of which could be called mansions), and part of the Downtown area.

Candidates for the fall 2025 election (November 4, 2025) are: Katie Cashman (incumbent) and Elizabeth Shaffer (DFL endorsed and a current Park Board commissioner). There are 13 City Council members, and they serve four-year terms concurrently.

Minneapolis is a very blue city (the DFL-endorsed candidate has won over 90% of the time in the last ten years, non-endorsed candidates typically are even more left/progressive than the DFL-endorsed candidate). The Minneapolis DFL recently endorsed socialist Omar Fateh, giving you a sense of how left the city is. Cashman is considered more progressive than Shaffer. When Shaffer received the DFL endorsement, Shaffer said: “Ward 7 DFLers have made it clear: We deserve a responsive Minneapolis City Council member who will be a voice for all of Ward 7.” Cashman said in a statement that despite corporate and special interests “buying an endorsement” through political action committees like All of Mpls (which formally endorsed Shaffer) and We Love Minneapolis, she will continue her campaign with the support of grassroots organizers and small-dollar donors.

Katie Cashman

Cashman’s priorities (from her website):

• Public Safety - A comprehensive public safety system that is accountable for keeping us safe.

• Housing - Meeting residents’ basic needs and making Minneapolis affordable for everyone.

• Economy - Fair wages, supporting small businesses, and building towards the economy of the future.

• Leadership - Leadership that listens to community members, business owners, and workers.

• Solidarity with Workers -Working for those who work for a living, not the wealthy few.

• Climate and Environment - Ensuring breathable air, drinkable water, and a livable climate now and for the future.

• Responsible Fiscal Policy - Balancing the budget and diversifying revenue.

• Complete Streets - Getting people where they need to go quickly and safely.

Elizabeth Shaffer

Shaffer’s priorities (from her website):

• Maintain safe, functional public spaces and systems

• Be a friendly place for businesses, entrepreneurs, and workers

• Be fiscally responsible

• Promote environmental well-being, green spaces, and parks

• Encourage cross-ward relationships and dialogue

I will drill down on the main topics mentioned by the candidates:

• Public Safety - both candidates support staffing the Minneapolis Police Department to its mandated level¹ and expanding Public Safety beyond armed police officers. Shaffer suggests a “behavioral crisis response team,” and Cashman talks about a “complementary and alternative public safety workforce.” I don’t find a significant difference between the two candidates on this topic.

• Affordable Housing and Homelessness - Cashman discusses “incentivizing the conversion of vacant office space to housing,” “funding and permitting low-barrier and culturally specific shelter and supportive housing models,” and “expanding affordable housing programs,” among other initiatives. Shaffer is silent on this issue. I appreciate that affordable housing and homelessness are a priority for Cashman (as this is one of my key issues for the city) and that she has a list of specific ideas to solve the problem. I am disappointed that this is not a stated priority for Shaffer.

• Minneapolis Economy - Cashman is focused on revitalization and small businesses, listing specific solutions. Shaffer is similarly focused on small business and retaining current employers, but is vague on solutions: “I will promote pragmatic and holistic city policies that will help promote economic growth and great paying jobs today and into the future.” I appreciate Cashman's specificity and am disappointed in Shaffer’s vagueness.

• Leadership - Cashman is focused on engaging with her constituents and provides details on how she will achieve this. Shaffer is focused on “cross-ward relationships and dialogue.” Again, I appreciate Cashman's specificity and am disappointed in Shaffer’s vagueness.

• Working People - Cashman discusses “Working for those who work for a living, not the wealthy few” and provides examples of how she plans to achieve this. Shaffer discusses being pro-business and how this stance will ultimately lead to opportunities for working people. I find both candidates vague on this topic, relying on slogans vs. actionable plans.

• Environment - Cashman lists out a variety of plans to help ensure that Minneapolis will be a green city. Shaffer is similarly pro-environment and touts her parkboard experience. I don’t have a sense of who is the stronger candidate on this topic.

• City Budget - Cashman aims to balance the budget and diversify revenue sources, noting “we must reduce our reliance on ever-growing property tax levies, which are regressive, overly burden lower-income and fixed-income residents, and create cost-prohibitive housing markets.” She goes on to say we need “new fees and taxation programs while minimizing spending from the General Fund.” Shaffer also wants to balance the budget and notes we need to be “prepared to make difficult decisions.” Again, I don’t have a sense of who is the stronger candidate on this topic.

• Transportation and Roads - Cashman lists a variety of projects regarding traffic, streets, and public transit that she supports. Shaffer is silent on this topic. “Fix the damn roads,” to quote Michigan’s Governor Gretchen Whitmer, is always a good priority, and I appreciate that Cashman has this as a specific priority.

I am not ready to endorse either candidate after this exercise. I was impressed with the specificity of Cashman’s plans, but was disappointed by a whiff of anti-business sentiment in her priorities. Her ideas are good, but I assume it will be hard for her to deliver on them (I don’t have a sense of where the candidates in the other twelve wards stand). I like Shaffer’s pro-business attitude, but I was disappointed that her priorities lack detail. The candidates don’t do a great job of helping a voter distinguish why you should vote for one vs. the other, given the similarity of their priorities.

I hope to learn more about Cashman and Shaffer and meet them in person. I want to study thier track records too. I need to figure out which of the two to vote for and will let you know in a future blog post.

1. The Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) is subject to a staffing mandate that requires a minimum of 731 sworn officers, as mandated by a Minnesota Supreme Court ruling.