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Twin Cities

We make podcasts and newsletters that connect people with the cities they love.

City Cast Twin Cities

Sean McPherson

Molly Chase

Tiffany Bui

Adam Sage

Holiday Shop Now (Before It’s Too Late)

File this under “easier said than done,” but you’ll be happier if you knock out a bunch of your holiday shopping long before Thanksgiving hits. We asked an unscientific collection of 10 of our friends where they get the majority of their gifts and there were some clear winners named by nearly every person, plus a couple sleeper hits worthy of checking out. –

Go to a museum you’re a member of and get a discount on your gift shopping: 

Crafting enthusiast here with an important message: Making art is good for your well-being. Even the 

. If you struggle with perfectionism, try crafting with actual garbage, as I did through an amazing alternative fiber arts class offered through 

. I had a blast, came home with a respectable basket, and now see fresh possibilities in every discarded plastic bag. Feeling like crafts are a waste of time? I cannot relate, but Seed Stitch Studio has you covered with classes that extend the life of your clothes, including the intriguing 

 workshop through St. Paul Public Schools, and 

 from Ingebretsen's Scandinavian Gifts & Foods. I wanted to recommend a felting class, where you create beautiful effects while you stab the hell out of some wool. But I didn’t find any online. It’s always the stabbiest classes that sell out the fastest. I’m no Mayo Clinic, but I suspect we could all use some crafting for stress relief and fun. 

Need indoor plans? Dress up in your finest and browse 

 on display at the Mia. Explore design through a spiritual lens at the 

. View the archives of local creative force 

 at the Minnesota Museum of American Art. See 

 that document a changing Minnesota at the Minnesota History Center. Marvel at intricately 

 at The Museum of Russian Art. If you want to make your own art, check out 

Some people might say it's already too cold, but at City Cast Twin Cities, we're not some people. The website 

 does a phenomenal job rounding up cycling events in the Twin Cities, and here are a few that you should check out if you're interested in meeting more two-wheeled friends this month:

: Meet at the Sibley Historic Site near Fort Snelling State Park at 11 a.m. for a 10-mile ride full of donuts, cider, and candy. It's on dirt and gravel trails so a road bike won't be your best bet.

 at 10 a.m. for a social ramble through the river bottoms of the Minneapolis area. This one also has a lot of riding on dirt and gravel, so bring something with fatter tires than a road bike!

Saturday, Nov. 14 - Schlöpptoberween Vol. 7

: Meet at Behind Bars Bicycle Shop for a costumed bike ride that raises money for Pedal Power MN to introduce biking to school-age children in underserved communities and across Minneapolis. They have a different costume theme every year, and if their 

 are any indication, we're going to see some awesome 90s and early 2000s cartoon-themed costumes on the streets of NE this year.

Friday, Nov. 27 - Joyfulton Leftovers Roll/Stroll

: Meet at the Fulton Beer Taproom in North Loop at 6 p.m. for a leisurely family-friendly bike ride or walk along the Mississippi River on the day after Thanksgiving. All riders and walkers get a free beverage when they get back to the taproom. 

File this under “easier said than done,” but you’ll be happier if you knock out a bunch of your holiday shopping long before Thanksgiving hits.

Your Guide to November 2026 in the Twin Cities

Twin City Guides

Anna Weggel

We holiday hard here in the Twin Cities theater scene. We holiday so hard that I’m going to make another list in our December guide, but let’s dive into part 1 now – featuring holiday shows that are running in November! 

Dr. Seuss's How the Grinch Stole Christmas!

This show is a must-see for my family. We’re huge fans of the cast, and especially Reed Sigmund who plays The Grinch, so I reached out to him to ask him my two burning questions. I was curious, after all these years of playing The Grinch, how he finds ways to keep it fresh. He said, “I think it just comes down to remaining present. Present onstage, present to the audience, present to the other actors (especially new cast members and the impulses they bring), and present to the world around us. Theatre is alive! My role, and our story, should be a reflection of where we exist currently. By embracing that, instead of clinging to the familiar (as cozy and comfortable as it may be) we can add relevance to a story that’s proven to be timeless.” I also asked him what, in 2026, kids can learn from The Grinch. He said, “This story will always be about empathy and what happens when we step outside our familiar habits and beliefs, to see ourselves and each other through a fresh lens. Empathy is empowering! And more necessary at this moment of time than any other.” 

I don’t see this show every year, but I make sure to see it whenever I have a theater lover in my life that I really want to impress with a big budget, super spectacular experience. It does feel like something new and extra special is added each year, and this is just such a timeless story that I truly don’t get sick of hearing it in its many iterations on stage. 

This is my official and shameless plea to get on the press list for Theater Latté Da because I am telling you – these people cannot miss. Some of my favorite shows that I’ve ever seen in the Twin Cities have been in the lovely Ritz Theater in NE Minneapolis, which is why I feel confident recommending a show to you that I’ve never even seen. Here’s how the company describes this show: “On a cold Christmas Eve along the Western Front, as soldiers sat on opposite sides of the battlefield, something extraordinary happened. The guns fell silent. Emerging into no-man’s-land, enemies met not with violence, but with song. Drawn from letters, diaries and firsthand accounts, this profoundly moving piece is told through stirring a cappella harmonies that illuminate a fleeting moment of shared humanity in the midst of war.” I’m in! 

Kung Fu Zombies vs Southeast Asian Girl Scouts

From Theater Mu, the story is inspired by a real Southeast Asian Girl Scout troop in St. Paul and uses “humor and sci-fi to examine how communities deal with conflict, harm, instability, and moral codes that change constantly if you want to survive.” You had me at martial arts, hip hop, and Asian heritage. We are so excited to interview the playwright next week! 

Did you know that you’re living/walking/shopping/driving around the Twin Cities which are home to the literal oldest ongoing satirical sketch and improv comedy theater in the United States? The Brave New Workshop has put on more than 400 (do you hear me?!) productions in the last 60 years. And listen to me very closely when I tell you there’s nothing harder to do than sketch comedy. The writing - the timing - the memorization - the precision. These folks are some of the most talented sketch performers in the world, and this show is always their top seller. Why would you miss it? How could you?

We holiday so hard that I’m going to make another list in our December guide, but let’s dive into part 1 now – featuring holiday shows running in November!

Twin Cities Holiday Shows Worth Seeing (pt. 1)

Holiday Shows Worth Seeing (pt. 1)

Tane Danger

Minneapolis Public Schools Board, District 1: Candidate Forum

 Today we have the two candidates for the District 1 seat on the Minneapolis Public Schools board. The voters of District 1, which is in the northeastern section of Minneapolis, will vote on Nov. 3. I’d like to note there’s also an at-large seat open on the school board, and we hosted a forum with those candidates on our Oct. 22 episode.

Today, this forum is going to give ample time for the two candidates from District 1 to share their positions. Our guests today are incumbent school board member and board treasurer Abdul Abdi and challenger Ben Lattimore. Abdul and Ben, thank you so much for being here.

 Thank you both so much for being here. For a lot of folks, top of mind with the Minneapolis school board is the transformation plan that proposed closing 16 schools. That plan has now been taken off the table. But just to start with a simple yes or no: Would either of you have voted for any of the three proposals that were part of that plan if they had come up for a vote and you were on the school board? I’ll start with you, Mr. Abdi.

 That’s fair. We’re going to get into it more, so I’ll give you more time, but just to get it on the record: Mr. Lattimore, would you have voted for any of the three proposals if they’d come up and you were there?

 I would not have voted for any of the three proposals. I wrote about it at length on my website. But like you said, we can get into it more.

 Let me ask this as a follow-up. Do either of you believe that the status quo, in terms of the district’s financial situation, is sustainable? MPS has had to close budget gaps the last three years, ranging from $40 million to $110 million. The first budget you’d work on if you were elected would be 2027–2028. So if you don’t believe the pathway we’ve been on is sustainable, what is the first thing you would push for to get MPS toward a more sustainable financial future? Ben Lattimore?

 The first thing I would do, within the governance of the body, is try to find a replacement cabinet member for the finance role that was left vacant. There really needs to be someone to fill that role, and there clearly needs to be more staffing in finance and accounting in the district. There’s clearly not enough bandwidth there for people to do the accounts receivable and the accounts payable.

It was miraculous that they were able to get $10 million back in special ed reimbursements from the state. It took the deficit from around $50 million to $39 million. And when you see something like that, it’s like, well, what else is there? I don’t want to be conspiratorial, but I would venture to guess that if we missed this, maybe we missed something else. It’s probably not to the tune of $10 million, but who’s to say something isn’t being missed here or there?

I’m not trying to criticize. These people are working in public service, and they’re working very hard. I’m not trying to take anything away from them. But we need to have more financial governance in the district. And from a K–12 funding standpoint, there needs to be more funding from the state. We currently rank around 30th among states in K–12 per-pupil funding, and that needs to move up.

 Thank you very much. I want to give Abdul Abdi a chance to respond to the same question. If you were reelected and moving into the 2027–2028 school year budget, what is the first thing you would push for to put MPS on a more sustainable financial path?

 As I have done for the last three years: those findings happened under my watch. I requested an audit of the department. I brought in an outside agency to make sure the three areas of finance, HR and special education work together, because we had a revolving door in MPS that kept us from looking at what is out there.

So what I would do, and I would do it again, is make sure the classroom sees the fewest cuts. We have to make sure we can keep the student-teacher ratio, because at the end of the day, we have to really teach those students.

I also want to make sure we advocate for more funding for our schools, because if we have the same number of students and our contracts and expenses are growing, that is something we have to address as a state by investing in those students. As Ben Lattimore said, we’re 30th in school funding, and we should not be. This state should invest more in these kids, and I’m going to be publicly seeking that school funding from our Legislature as well.

 I want to follow on to underutilization, which is certainly connected to the budget but is not exclusively about the budget. More than half the district’s buildings are underutilized, which is defined as being at less than 70% capacity. It seems like that’s going to be something the next school board has to talk about.

I’ll start with Ben Lattimore. Even though you said you would not have voted for any of the three scenarios initially proposed in the transformation plan, are school consolidations and closures off the table for you? If so, what are other realistic options? And if you say, “Yes, school consolidation is on the table,” what are you talking about? What do you want to consolidate?

 I would say school closures have to be on the table. If a building is at 10% capacity, financially, there has to come a point where you can close a building.

But the issue with this plan is that there was no quantitative backing for how it was going to help enrollment or even save costs. You have to have a plan for how it’s going to drive enrollment and a plan for how it’s going to drive cost savings.

When you look at Tuttle School in Southeast Como, when you look at Putnam Community School that became Yinghua Academy, when you look at Holland Community School that became New City School, we’re selling off these buildings to charter schools that then become our competition. And then it becomes a cyclical feedback loop where we’re losing several hundred students a year to Yinghua Academy. They’re a great school over in Northeast and they’re doing a great job, but we laid it out for them on a silver platter.

So if you’re going to close a building, there needs to be some contractual stipulation that you’re not going to sell it to a charter school, because that’s just going to make it worse.

As far as other avenues go, we’ve talked about this previously: There’s been too much focus on cutting costs and not enough focus on increasing revenues. I firmly believe that if we do things like reducing the emphasis on tech in schools and driving up reading and math scores, we’re going to bring families back to the district. MPS right now is about 10 percentage points below the state average in reading and math proficiency, and I don’t think that’s something we can turn a blind eye to. I think it’s something we really need to focus on, and there really needs to be a look at increasing revenues.

 Let me pass that to Abdul Abdi, and I’ll give you the same level of runway. We started with underutilization, but Ben Lattimore also went to how to recruit more students. So, Abdul, feel free to use the same space, and share whether consolidation is on the table for you and what other options you might use.

 Nothing is off the table. I can’t sit here and say something will be off the table. But I think the number one issue for me is that families in Northeast and Southeast have been asking me for access to early kindergarten, and we don’t offer that universally.

I’ve been advocating for that at Waite Park for the last two years. We added a new kindergarten class. Families wanted to come back, but we have to give them that access back to our schools. In Northeast, I’m trying to expand Las Estrellas to K–8, because those families are asking me. So the demand is there, but MPS hasn’t really gone out there.

What I’ve been doing for the last three or four years: The place where MPS loses the most kids is from fifth to sixth grade. So I’ve been going to listening sessions with fourth-grade parents and saying, “Here is your Northeast Middle School. What do you want me to advocate for so you can stay?” Most of the elementary schools have the capacity. It’s in middle school where we lose students, and then in some high schools.

I’ve been growing Northeast Middle School. It’s now close to 600 students, up from 400-something. If you listen to those parents, what they’ve been asking for is band. I made sure every elementary school has a fifth-grade band, and that’s what attracts those families and makes them want to stay. I took those needs of Northeast to the board.

 Can I do one follow-up on this? I know we’re spending a lot of time on the budget, but we’re getting into the recruitment piece. I hear what both of you are saying about attracting new families, or attracting back families who might have considered leaving or actually left the district.

But on the budget side, can the schools do that without consolidating? And if they can, how? Where do the financial resources for bands in schools, or for some of the things you’re talking about, Ben Lattimore, come from? Abdul Abdi, I’m just trying to do a reality check. We can talk about all these things, but how does it actually work financially?

 You’re right. We have expenses growing faster than the revenue coming in for students. That’s no secret, and every year we need to adjust to that.

But in the meantime, Tane, I want to point out that of all the students who could attend public schools in Minneapolis, only 50% are attending. If we can get maybe 10% more, a lot of these issues will almost be resolved, because the district gets paid based on the total number of students.

The families told me, “We’re getting more electives in the public schools. We like the music, we like the gyms, we like the sports, we like everything, but you don’t listen to what we really need: safety.” We spent a lot of money to create double doors and fix all those issues.

So with these budget issues, I want to make sure the classroom sees the minimum in cuts, and that we address all the other areas. I’m open to looking at the contracts we give out.

 That’s fair. Ben Lattimore, same question to you. How do we do those things to attract new families with the current budget? Is that even possible without consolidation?

 I think it is possible. If we’re talking about the current resources the district has, I think the focus has to be on things we can improve academically. Removing tech from the classroom, or reducing the emphasis on it, which we know is harming student learning, literacy and test scores rather than helping, is a huge piece. Driving reading and math scores is really what’s going to attract parents back to the district.

But if we’re trying to expand the pie a little bit, and maybe it’s a little naive of me given what the state Legislature has been doing recently, a majority of a school district’s funding comes from the state. If Minnesota moves from 24th in per-pupil funding up to 15th, which is not a crazy jump, that represents a $3,100 increase per pupil, which is roughly $80 million to $90 million for a 30,000-student district.

I think that’s where you’re going to see the biggest change in resources. The school board obviously doesn’t have direct control over that, but we can advocate, we can pound the gavel for it. Besides getting better financial and accounting governance, there aren’t a lot of revenue streams at your disposal.

 I want to jump back into this conversation with a little urgency, because Election Day is less than a week away, on Nov. 3. Frankly, Ben Lattimore and Abdul Abdi, you’ve both shared compelling, positive, forward-looking ideas for the district. But residents of the northeastern section of Minneapolis have a binary choice to make on Tuesday. So Abdul Abdi, where do you see a real difference between your positions and policies and those of your opponent, Ben Lattimore?

 I’m also a parent, so I have skin in the game. I have three kids who graduated from MPS, and two are still enrolled: one is an eighth grader at Northeast, and one is a junior at Edison High School. So I see things through the eyes of a parent as well. I’m a big advocate of collaborating with other board members to make sure we address what our students need.

I’m a big advocate that every school should be safe, should be improving academically and should have access to high-dosage tutoring where it’s needed. At the end of the day, those students should not fall behind, because academics are number one. I’m proud to say that Edison’s graduation rate increased by almost 10 percentage points last year.

That’s what I’m advocating for: making sure that not only my district, but every corner of the city has access to me, so I can advocate for them and look at things through the eyes of a father. I’m blessed to have this chance again to serve my community.

 Ben Lattimore, same question to you: the differences between you and your opponent, Abdul Abdi.

 Something I think separates me, and it’s not just from Abdul, it’s from some of the other candidates I’ve heard for at-large and other districts: I like to think I’m a little more quantitative with my research, my proposals and my ideas.

I don’t know if all of my ideas are going to work. Maybe they’re naive when it comes to things like advocacy at the state level. But as someone with a business background as well as a teaching background, I think I can look at things from both perspectives. I have the business perspective, so I can be realistic with the numbers, and I have a teaching background, so I know what teachers need and what students need.

It’s also about drilling into the numbers and the details. For example, MPS actually had 3% growth in enrollment from two years ago to last year, when all the discourse around here makes it sound like we’re still hemorrhaging students left and right. It’s leveled off a little bit. What separates me from what I’ve noticed with some of the other candidates is really looking at the numbers, because I think that’s what voters are looking for.

 I appreciate both of those answers. We’ve been talking a lot about issues that affect the entire district. Both of you have named things that are specific to District 1 to some degree, but this is a District 1 race, so I want to hone in on that for at least one question. Are there issues specific to District 1 that you’re focused on, or that you’re hearing about as you go through the community, that you would carry with you if you’re elected or reelected? Ben Lattimore, I’ll start with you.

 Specific to District 1, I know we’re losing a lot of students to Columbia Heights and St. Anthony Village. Roughly 1,000 students a year are leaving to go to Columbia Heights and St. Anthony Village combined.

Today we'll talk to the two candidates for the District 1 seat on the Minneapolis Public Schools board, Abdul Abdi and Ben Lattimore.

Sam Choo

Marion Greene for Hennepin County Commissioner District 3

 We’ve been interviewing as many candidates for Hennepin County commissioner as possible to spotlight this impactful, often under-discussed position. Today we’re talking to Marion Greene, the incumbent Hennepin County commissioner for District 3, who is seeking reelection in November. We spoke to her challenger, Abdi Ibrahim, on our Sept. 18 episode. Greene began her tenure on the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners in 2014. Before serving on the county board, Greene served in the Legislature, where she was chief author of legislation to fully fund all-day kindergarten and co-author of legislation to establish the health insurance exchange that is now MNsure. Before running for public office, Greene was active in the community and worked in the private sector in policy and marketing. I know you have a busy schedule. Commissioner Greene, thank you so much for joining us today.

 Commissioner Greene, I get to ask you this question in both the past and future tense. How has your work as an elected official most tangibly impacted the community you live in? And going forward, how do you want your work to impact that community in the coming years?

 That’s such a great way of putting it. A lot of the county’s work requires that longer-term point of view. The principal thing that has impacted the community is the pandemic, and being chair of the board during that time. Together with my colleagues, I helped make sure all of the federal and state dollars coming through counties were intelligently allocated and really responded to the moment.

One of the themes we tried to take up at that time was: Are there ways to do this work that also create long-term impact? For example, something I really championed, as one of the first in the nation, was buying hotels to serve as emergency shelter and then transitioning them after the pandemic into deeply affordable housing. That’s work I’m really proud of that, knock on wood, is a little bit in the rearview mirror.

Work I did in the past that I’ve been so glad of lately is on immigration and how Hennepin County interacts with and supports more recent immigrants in our community. About 10 years ago, I established an immigrant legal defense fund to help people ensnared in deportation proceedings by our local version of Trump: the sheriff at the time. Thank goodness he’s not the sheriff any longer. That work expanded into more in-house work. We had contracted it out, but we saw how much trust we were able to build in the community, so we brought more immigration support in-house. We provide that for residents seeking services who may have an immigration-related barrier, like documentation, that just needs to get over the finish line so they can access services. We were so glad to have that in-house expertise during the ICE occupation and Operation Metro Surge, because we could call on it immediately.

Looking ahead, housing affordability in our region is of course an ongoing issue. Other work I’m proud of that’s ongoing is being a champion for transit. We’re poised to finish the Green Line extension and are now looking at the Blue Line extension. In the meantime, we’ve secured Minnesota’s first consistent transit funding, in the form of a three-quarter-cent sales tax that goes to the Met Council. I’m really excited about where that’s going to take our region. And I spearheaded the development of our first-ever climate action plan, and we’re now executing on it. So that’s exciting, continued work.

 In your opinion, what can elected officials do to help build stronger, more resilient communities?

 Oh gosh, that’s a really massive question, Sam. I think we need to focus on basics like housing affordability, in terms of policymaking and funding. But we also need to be out there as forces for connection in the community. I’ve been working to attend every annual meeting of the neighborhoods in my district, or show up at a potluck that might be a community event. Being out there and being known, and not just known as a person.

Sean mentioned at the top that Hennepin County is such a low-profile layer of government. I often tell people that if you don’t know about Hennepin County, that means things are going well in your life, because you don’t need our safety net services. But nonetheless, I want people to think of us when they’re looking for resources. For example, I have somebody in my district who’s building a film club and trying to connect with arts funding. I can facilitate that. So I guess I’d describe both tangible and intangible elements.

 I want to ask about what’s at the top of your priority list if you continue to serve. But I also want to challenge you on something. There’s the idea that if you don’t hear about Hennepin County, it’s because things are going well. But we also hear the counterpoint that folks don’t hear enough from people at the county level. They play a significant role in our lives, but people don’t know how to reach them, how to be heard by them, or how they can respond. So I’m hoping you can talk about your priorities, but also address that idea: If we don’t know about Hennepin County officials, maybe it’s because they aren’t doing the right outreach. They should be finding their constituents and making a deeper connection.

 That’s certainly a point of view that I think reflects some reality. There’s been a shift in politics, in America and on the county board. I would say a generational change. When I was first elected, my platform was all about bringing eyeballs to Hennepin County. I’m not saying the county was doing bad things, but we spend a fair amount of property tax dollars on residents’ behalf, and I want to make sure I’m responsive and connected and that people feel like they’re getting something for their money.

A lot of great work used to happen more in isolation from the community. Now there’s more expectation that elected officials will connect with the community. I wish I had statistics on this, but I notice it in the increased number of emails I get as an elected official. That’s great. It tells me we’re getting the word out about who Hennepin County is. It also tells me people are more activated. So I need to make sure I’m not taking credit at Hennepin County for what I think is a societal change. I still need to get out there and continue to elevate our work.

One of the challenges the county has is that we don’t have a single executive. Unlike a city, which has a council and a mayor, and the mayor is often viewed, for good or for evil, as the person who speaks for the city, we are a board of seven equal people. We each get one vote, and even the chair gets one vote. I think that makes coverage of us a challenge, because it’s like, well, who do you listen to?

Another challenge we need to own and overcome is the Twin Cities media market. The media market isn’t just Hennepin County, it’s really the Twin Cities, and a lot of Twin Cities media is consumed by the entire state. Think of the Star Tribune changing its name to the Minnesota Star Tribune. These are all things we need to navigate. But I do think there’s been a change in expectations, and the county board and I as an elected official need to get ahead of that, be responsive and rise to the new level of engagement.

 One thing that came up with your challenger, Mr. Ibrahim, was the HERC, and it seems like everybody wants it closed. Is that your position as well? And if so, what is your preferred timeline for closing it?

 That is definitely my position. I think we should close the HERC, and the county board has voted unanimously on that, so I can say with confidence that’s my colleagues’ point of view as well. The devil’s in the details, of course. We’ve set a timeline of sometime before 2040.

I’d like to highlight that we’re the one layer of government that, besides saying we want to close the HERC, is actually doing something about it. We’re working hard to figure out ways to get recyclables and organics out of our waste stream, so we don’t have as much waste as the HERC currently deals with. Some folks say, “Let’s just close the HERC and figure it out later.” But I am not a proponent of landfilling. I think landfilling is figuratively, not physically, the lowest place we want to put waste. We also don’t want trash to pile up in the streets. I don’t mean that as some overdramatic threat. But I do want to say to the city of Minneapolis, for example, which has voted that it wants Hennepin County to close the HERC: OK, that’s great, but what’s your plan to manage your waste? Where are you going to put it?

The way I and others phrase it is: I want to close the HERC, and I want to do it responsibly, so we have somewhere to put waste. The underlying issue with the HERC, and waste in general, is consumption and the habits we have as Americans. We need to work on that cultural change, and the county is doing this in many ways: trying to get folks to recycle, to compost, to reuse and to reduce. The reusing and reducing parts of the triangle are underemphasized in current consumer choices, and that’s really where we need to see wholesale change.

 Commissioner Greene, let’s imagine a world where you have a day when you’re not thinking about the incinerator, you’re not thinking about immigration and you’re not thinking about transit. You’re thinking about leisure. You have a day off in your district. What is Commissioner Greene doing?




 Oh gosh. Let’s see. My spouse and I are big arts consumers, so I’d definitely throw in something like an exhibit, going to a gallery or seeing a show. We’re big fans of the Out There series at the Walker, which happens in January and February. Highly recommend. So that would be on the list. We’re also ice cream fanatics, so there would definitely be ice cream involved. And I’ll say, at least for myself, we’re not ice cream snobs. It doesn’t need to be the fanciest ice cream, but we like ice cream. And then of course our dog and a couple of friends.




 That sounds like a pretty pleasant itinerary, and you can take a scoop of ice cream 12 months a year. That’s Marion Greene, the Hennepin County commissioner for District 3, who is seeking reelection on Nov. 3. You can find our conversation with her challenger, Abdi Ibrahim, in our September episode. Commissioner Greene, I know you have a very busy schedule. We appreciate you taking some time to chat with City Cast Twin Cities today.




 I’m so glad to be here. That time flew.

Meet Your Candidates: Marion Greene for Hennepin County Commissioner District 3

Clint Combs

Abdihakim Ibrahim for Hennepin County Commissioner District 3

 We’ve been interviewing as many candidates for Hennepin County commissioner as possible to spotlight this impactful but often under-discussed election. Today we’re talking to Abdihakim Ibrahim, who is running for Hennepin County commissioner in District 3 and is challenging incumbent Marion Greene. Ibrahim formerly served on the St. Louis Park School Board. Helping me interview Abdihakim is Clint Combs, a reporter and City Cast contributor. Abdihakim, thank you so much for taking some time out of your busy schedule to chat with City Cast Twin Cities.

 Thank you, City Cast, for having me here today.

 Abdihakim, you’ve done a number of things in the community in St. Louis Park and in other parts of the Twin Cities. I’m curious what made you want to seek election to this office for Hennepin County commissioner.

 Let me give you a background on who Abdihakim is. My name is Abdihakim Ibrahim. I was born and raised in Mogadishu, Somalia, during wartime. When I graduated high school, I got a chance to go to Pakistan, to a city called Lahore, where I did my bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering. My major was electronics and telecommunications. Then I worked for many different multinational companies, including in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates.

In 2014, I immigrated to America for the American Dream. I have a family here, too. I remember it was very cold. As an immigrant coming here, even speaking six languages, it was very challenging for me. I remember a friend took me to find driving lessons for my driver’s test.

Since then, I’ve been involved in the community. I live in St. Louis Park, and as you mentioned, I’ve volunteered and held different positions. I was on the 2020 census committee and a St. Louis Park police committee, and I worked on a couple of school referendums in St. Louis Park. In 2021, I was elected as the first Somali immigrant on the St. Louis Park school board, and I served until 2025. I did one term.

During my time on the school board, I found out how the county commission affects our day-to-day lives. As a former St. Louis Park school board member, I’ve seen firsthand how the county and its decisions affect affordable housing, public safety, mental health, all these things. After more than a decade under the same leadership, many families are still struggling, and we see the problems at HCMC. That’s why I decided to run for Hennepin County commissioner.

 Counties can often be a misunderstood level of government. A lot of people don’t realize how much of an impact county governments have on their communities. What positive impacts do you believe county leaders are best positioned to deliver?

 I will make a tangible impact by delivering results on issues the current commissioner has failed to address. First, I will protect HCMC, not bankrupt it like the current commissioner. HCMC is the number one trauma center in Minnesota, and it needs long-term cost-sharing solutions beyond the current state bailout. At the same time, we cannot continue asking our district to foot the bills and putting financial burdens on District 3, when it’s already unaffordable for so many families, including mine.

Number two is delivering results. That means giving the sheriff’s department the tools they need to do their job and respecting them, while also making sure we protect our immigrant community from harm and that the sheriff stays on budget.

And finally, major projects like the Southwest light rail, the Green Line extension, need to be completed on time and on budget. It was supposed to open in 2018. It’s been nearly a decade now, and the project costs more than $1 billion. The current commissioner, Marion Greene, rubber-stamped overruns for many years. That’s why I’m demanding county-level investigations into the construction delays.




 I want to focus on something we haven’t covered yet, but that City Cast Twin Cities has covered a lot, which is the future of the HERC incinerator. It seems largely agreed that closing the HERC is a priority for everybody, but there are more questions about the timetable. Since that’s a big topic for Hennepin County, where do you land on the timetable for closing the HERC?




 In my first 100 days in office, if I get elected, I will work on closing the HERC before 2040. I want to have a timeline. Transparency is very important, so people get to know the plan. Everyone agrees we need to close the HERC, and everybody acknowledges all these things, but we need to be transparent. We need a timeline so people know what we’re planning. So that’s my stance, and that’s what I’d do in my first 100 days in office if I get elected.




 I want to bore down a little bit on HCMC, because you’ve already mentioned it, and I want to underline how important it is for all of Minnesota. You could get a terrible burn in Duluth, or right next to the Mayo Clinic, and you still might end up at HCMC in Minneapolis. When you say you want to protect HCMC, what does that look like fiscally?




 As I said, it means fighting for cost sharing, so District 3 residents aren’t forced to pay higher taxes to support the hospital and its buildings. It means passing a responsible county budget every year. As you mentioned, if you live in Dakota County or Ramsey County or other counties, it’s the number one trauma center, and everybody comes there. So one of the things I’m going to advocate for at the state level is long-term cost-sharing solutions for HCMC. Because when the current funding runs out, what happens next? Hennepin County residents have to pay for that, and that’s unacceptable.




 Abdihakim, I’m looking at your endorsements here. Tell me about your relationship with state Sen. Ron Latz. I see you secured his endorsement. How did that happen, and when did you first meet him?




 To be honest with you, as an immigrant, when I first came to this country, I didn’t even know my city council. That’s where I started my advocacy. I was a guy who worked nine to five, but I saw a lot of people struggling with housing and property management. I connected with HomeLine and learned about tenants’ rights. Even speaking up was difficult, because people were so scared of retaliation.


I have a very good relationship with everyone in St. Louis Park: elected officials, community leaders. I’m involved in the community at all levels. I don’t remember the specific time I met him, but I will tell you this: I have relationships with everybody who is running, who is elected or who was formerly elected in St. Louis Park, regardless of whether they’re in a position or not.




 We’re going to wrap up relatively soon, but it’s always good to get to know a little about how people who want to represent their communities at the county level live their lives. Imagine you have a day off in Hennepin County. Where can we find Abdihakim? What are you up to?




 I think Minneapolis people are going to get mad. But you’ll be able to find me with my wife and kids at the rec center in St. Louis Park, at the water park, or at a park around St. Louis Park. You’ll also be able to find me at one of my favorite restaurants, an Afghan restaurant called Ariana. It’s in St. Louis Park. Please check it out; they have wonderful Afghan food.


That doesn’t mean I don’t like Minneapolis! Sometimes I show up in Minneapolis at Karmel Mall and other places, and right now my campaign office is located in Lyndale. I like to spend time with my kids. I have three kids: a high schooler, a middle schooler and an elementary schooler. My hands are full, and I’m running a campaign, too.




 That is a lot to handle, even setting aside the campaign. We’ve covered a lot of ground. Abdihakim Ibrahim, you’re running for Hennepin County commissioner for District 3. Thank you for the generosity of your time, and thank you for covering the issues you plan to address if you’re elected. Have a great rest of your day, and thanks for visiting with us here at City Cast.




Meet Your Candidates: Abdihakim Ibrahim for Hennepin County Commissioner District 3

Minneapolis Public Schools Board, At-Large Seats: Candidate Forum

 Today we have three of the candidates for the two at-large seats on the Minneapolis Public Schools board. This is a citywide race that will be decided on November 3. There is also a District 1 seat open, and we plan to have a forum with those candidates next week. Our guests today are Christin Crabtree, Michael Baskins, and Stephanie Johnson, who will be joining us later in the show. Thank you all for being here. We also want to recognize incumbent candidate and board chair Collin Beachy, who was unable to join us today due to travel. His responses to our questions can be found after the interview transcript. Tane, I’m hoping you can get us started.

 Thank you for being here. Obviously, one of the things that is very front of mind for everyone in the district is the transformation plan. The district is no longer proposing to close up to 16 schools; that was taken off the table. But I want to start with a simple yes or no from each of you: Would you have voted for any of the three proposals the district put forward before they were taken off the table? Michael Baskins, I’ll start with you.

 No, I would not have voted for any of the proposals.

 Even if you wouldn’t have voted for any of those proposals, I want to ask about the status quo, which is having to close really big budget gaps three years running. $39 million is the smallest budget gap, and $110 million is the largest in the past three years. The first budget that the newly elected school board would be in charge of is for the 2027–2028 school year. We’ll start with Christin. What is the first thing you would push for in that budget if you were elected?

 Honestly, I would like to see the district continue reviewing the audit findings they’ve had with their finance department. I’d like to see increased oversight and ongoing audit activity, so it’s not just an annual thing. We should be doing that work throughout the school year so we’re preventing findings from happening in the first place. And when findings do happen, we should be resolving them and reviewing processes and procedures to ensure accuracy from our finance department. There have been findings of millions of dollars left on the table over several years, and that’s simply unacceptable.

Beyond that, I would also look at ways to improve our enrollment process. At the student placement office this year, we saw lines around the block at the Davis Center. In the past, there were something like 10 employees in that office. In recent years, there have only been five, and this year four were on leave when school was starting. That’s a predictable annual thing. So we need to make sure we’re resourcing that office well so we’re welcoming our families in. Looking at opportunities like that is really important before we go to the nuclear option of closing 16 schools.

 Michael Baskins, the same question to you. What are your first priorities for the first budget you’d be in charge of?

 One of the things that makes it really hard to talk about the budget is the lack of transparency the district has had about its finances and its struggles. That’s one of the main reasons I’m running for school board: to use the board’s oversight responsibilities to bring to light a lot of the financial issues the district has.

Even after deciding not to close schools, the district has said it still has serious financial issues to address. But when it comes to describing those to the public — what is the long-term impact of not closing these schools? What are the true financial stressors they see coming down the pike? — they’re not being transparent. So at this point, it’s hard to say where the district’s finances are long-term and where cuts could be made to prevent these yearly swings in deficits.

I would also say we’ve seen massive increases in the cost of a lot of our contractual services, including transportation, some of which have gone up nearly 100% over the last five years. So we need to look at those contracts and dig into the details. My job on the school board isn’t necessarily to decide where to cut, but to shine a light on the district’s finances so the public can see the decisions the district is making. For example, the district said it closed a budget gap this year, but a lot of people don’t know how that gap was closed. I don’t think the public is being brought into these yearly financial decisions or understanding their impact on the broader district. So right now it’s to be determined, but we need a lot more oversight of these decisions. That need is very clear from the transformation plan discussions, where the public felt totally blindsided.

 We’re very grateful to welcome Stephanie Johnson, another candidate for the two at-large seats on the Minneapolis Public Schools board. Stephanie, thank you for joining us.

 Stephanie, we’re in the middle of a conversation about changes Minneapolis Public Schools could make to change the status quo and hopefully not end up in the same budget situation it’s been in for the last several years. I’m going to ask all three candidates this, but I’ll start with you. More than half of the district’s buildings are at less than 70% capacity, which by definition is underutilized. Is building underutilization an issue to you? And would consolidation and closures be completely off the table if you were a school board member?

 Yes, it is an issue to me, and no, it would not be off the table. I think it has to be part of the conversation. What’s happening within the buildings is that there’s bare-bones staff. I’m an MPS parent, and I’ve seen it in my own student’s school experience. Three years ago, I took a leave of absence from my faculty position to work for MPS, so I experienced it there as well. At the end of the school year — and this will predictably happen again at the end of this school year — there are position cuts. Individual schools in MPS are having to do so much more with less and less each year. That’s the reality in the buildings. It’s not new or unique to MPS, but it’s a problem.

 Michael Baskins, same question. If you were a school board member, would you take building closures or consolidation off the table?

 I think that would be premature. There are certainly a lot of questions about what ideal student experience the district is shooting for. Unfortunately, in the many public meetings I attended, the district wasn’t able to communicate what that ideal experience is, or what resources aren’t available in certain schools that consolidation would allow. That’s pretty shocking, given they said they spent three years on this plan.

Assuming transformation does allow for better resourcing and smaller class sizes, I’ve spoken with many parents who could get on board with some level of consolidation. But there needs to be a very clear, well-thought-out plan, articulated from a place of: this is the district’s long-term strategy for class size and resourcing. That needs to be what the public sees first. Once there’s buy-in on what the future of MPS looks like, then we can talk about how to achieve it. But the order the school board and administration went through in this process, and the lack of detail and, I would say, professionalism in the plan, has left the public disappointed and has lost the administration a lot of trust.

 Christin Crabtree, I want to give you a chance to answer the same question. If you were elected to the school board, would you take school closures or consolidation off the table?

 I think we need to have all options available to us, but I’d like to see us prioritize other things first. Closing schools has a detrimental impact in such far-reaching ways. While I think we need to keep all options open, I’d want to see ongoing projections on the financial and enrollment implications, with the recognition that there are unseen costs when we close schools. That looks like blight in the community, since there are no plans for those empty buildings right now.

We also know that closing a school directly impacts the kids attending it. Oftentimes, it’s a school in a neighborhood that has already been criminally disinvested in. It has implications for test scores, access to higher education, and increased behavior issues. So while closing schools isn’t something I’d completely take off the table, it’s something we need to do with real intentionality and due diligence. It should never be a choice between doing nothing or closing schools. There’s a whole spectrum of other ways for us to move forward as a community.

 So I’m hearing all three of you say, “Don’t take this off the table at this point.” The way this transformation plan was put forward created a potentially bad choice, because it wasn’t presented well. If you’re elected to the school board, how would you make that plan better? Why should families believe there would be better options than what the district came up with over the last several years of planning, if you were on the board helping shape it? Michael Baskins, I’ll start with you this time.

 I think what we have is a bit of a deficit of leadership in the administration. That means they’re not communicating a vision. Leadership means communicating the vision for the district first. What are the metrics that will make this district successful? What do we see as the future of MPS when it comes to class size, resourcing, and building footprint?

The existing school board didn’t give a clear vision for what the transformation plan metrics should look like. They basically gave the administration carte blanche to come up with some ideas. So it’s a leadership deficit that the school board can fix by requiring clear metrics for all the decisions the administration makes. Why are you laying off all these teachers this year? What metric does that align with in your overall vision for the district? Providing that roadmap is important for the school board.

 Stephanie Johnson, I’ll come to you next.

 It’s complicated. I would agree with a lot of what Michael said — maybe everything, really. A word that’s tossed around a lot is “instability.” That was part of the big outcry from families and community members about potentially closing schools and realigning within the district. But I think it’s important to understand that the instability is already there. It’s already in the buildings and in the entire school system. Based on my own experience and observations, that’s what contributed to the poor communication and poor rollout of these three options a few weeks ago. What was put forth up front was what would happen, but there was no clarity about what it would result in, as many people have mentioned.

Again, from my own experience working within the district not that long ago, there is a lot of turnover. It’s not just families leaving the district. That’s a piece of it, but it’s at every level: staff, teachers, building leadership, district leadership. These things didn’t happen overnight, or within weeks or even a few years. This has happened over a long period of time, and fixing it, or improving it, will also take a great deal of time.

 Christin Crabtree, this question is for you: Why should families believe the next transformation plan, or whatever it’s called, would be better than the last one if you were on the school board?

 Because they will be part of creating it. We need family voices at the table from the get-go. We should not have a small group of people creating a plan and then trying to sell it to our community. I went to all seven transformation listening sessions, and I heard similar themes at every single one. For example, our dual language task force had met and provided multiple ideas to the district on how to strategically improve and grow the program. It’s a very popular program, and I didn’t see those ideas reflected in the transformation plan very deeply. Another thing that came up was an Afrocentric HBCU pathway. We already have programming in our district we can build on to make that a reality and keep people in our district.

And in all of this conversation, what I’m not hearing are the things that are incredible about Minneapolis Public Schools. Both of my kids are MPS graduates, and I’m proud of the district and the way our community comes together to support our schools. We’ve always known our schools are critical to a healthy neighborhood and a healthy city, but we see that more than ever after the year we just had. We can take those connections and relationships and work together to invest in MPS.

That looks like growing dual language so there’s a Northside pathway. A lot of people on the Northside would love to participate, but once they’re in middle or high school, they have to go all the way to Anderson or Roosevelt, which is really far south. Let’s look at this HBCU idea and work with our Black Parent Advisory Council and our educators to make it a reality, because there’s lots of interest. We also have the opportunity to grow early childhood and pre-K. We know that when kids come into MPS at those young ages, they often stay.

You asked earlier about building utilization. If we know 47% of kids eligible to attend Minneapolis Public Schools aren’t here, how do we bring them in? Some of the best people to do that work are the people in our schools every day. We’ve already seen enrollment grow last year and again this year, so let’s be honest about that. And let’s also be honest that closures do not save money. The point of the plan our administration presented, the way they described it, was making better use of the resources we have, and they explained that it does not save money. What wasn’t talked about are the detrimental impacts of those closures on communities and on our kids. So it’s really important that we address these problems honestly with our community, and that we bring our community along and value them as partners.

 I don’t think we can say it doesn’t save money. They just invested over $10 million in a school with about 100 students that they’re now planning to close. There’s a cost to keeping schools open that are nearly empty, and you’re investing millions and millions of dollars into them every year. There are also obviously going to be savings on administrative costs, which many other districts have seen. So it’s just not true.

 Actually, though, we lose students through attrition when we close schools, and that’s a huge cost. According to the district’s own math, it did not save money. We need honest projections with due diligence. I’m not disagreeing, Michael, that it’s a possibility, but we would need honest projections, and I’m not seeing those come from our district right now. We do know that closures lead people to leave MPS, and that creates a cycle: we have fewer resources, so we have to shrink again, and then we have fewer resources, so we shrink again. What does that do to public education? We need people on this board who are going to be huge advocates for public schools and who will do the work of investing in MPS. We don’t solve disinvestment with disinvestment.

 So are you open to actually voting for a closure?

 I never said that. What I said is I want to see the due diligence and the math before we would ever do that. I think it should be the last option.

 What would the math have to look like for you to vote for a closure?

 It would have to show ongoing projections where we see savings over time, and where we’re not going to lose students, because families were brought along in the decision-making. We need to ensure we keep our kids. We’ve seen a national push toward “right-sizing,” where public schools are losing families because of it. We’re also seeing a wild disinvestment in public education at the state and national level. We can’t control that, but we can control our ability to show up and advocate. And to a point you made earlier that I agree with, we haven’t seen leadership do that in a meaningful way. It’s important that we’re organizing and working across jurisdictions — not just saying, “We’ll go to the Legislature,” but being strategic and working with our city and county governments, because we have shared priorities and our work intersects. So I’m not saying that if closure were the solution, we shouldn’t do it. I’m saying we need the data to show it’s a real solution.

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