Minneapolis: Not Liberal Enough?!

The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports that the City of Minneapolis, already “an island of blue in the red sea of the Upper Midwest,” may be about to swerve even more sharply to the left: “In Minneapolis City Council races, so far there’s left, and further left.”

Emboldened by Bernie Sanders’ domination of the city in the presidential caucus and prodded to action by Donald Trump’s election, the left wing in Minneapolis is fielding a slate of candidates for council who would usher in a pronounced progressive shift in city government.

Many of them are uncompromising on a $15 minimum wage, outraged at what they see as inaction on racial economic disparities and insistent that Minneapolis defy the Trump administration by remaining a sanctuary city despite threats to its federal funding. They also want council action on the rising cost of housing and for the city to lead the charge against climate change.

It is, of course, delusional to think that anything the City of Minneapolis does has any effect on the Earth’s climate. The City’s government can, however, impact jobs and economic development within Minneapolis, a fact that neither the left-wing incumbents nor the even more left-wing challengers seem to understand.

The Kennedy report on Minnesota’s economy, published by the Center last May, noted that during the current century the Twin Cities metropolitan area has performed below average, compared with other major metropolitan areas, with respect to both economic growth and employment.

Economic growth:

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Jobs:

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And that’s the metropolitan area as a whole. The City of Minneapolis’s performance is undoubtedly far worse. If residents of Minneapolis want to drive the last businesses and the last jobs out of their city, electing an even more far-left City Council would be an excellent strategy.