This has always been home.
I was born and raised right here in Minneapolis, Ward 12. I went to school here. My family still lives here and has had roots in this ward for over 60 years. I work here, and my son goes to school here too.
These streets raised me. And now I’m stepping up to serve them.
For four years, I served as a Minneapolis Park Board Commissioner, working to ensure our parks and recreation centers responded to real neighborhood needs—not just the agendas of insiders or activists. When it became clear that I could make a greater difference closer to home, I resigned and moved back to my family’s home in Ward 12.
Some people called it a political move. It wasn’t.
This was a return to the block I grew up on, to the neighbors who remember me riding my bike, to the very streets I now walk with my child.
I’m running because I care deeply about what’s happening here. And like many of you, I know we can’t keep going as we are.
A City in Crisis
Let’s be honest: the city feels like it’s unraveling.
Basic services are slipping. The police don’t always respond when we call. Streets go unplowed. Trash overflows. And still, taxes keep rising.
What exactly are we paying for?
Video Credit: “A Precarious State” by Center of the American Experiment
A powerful new documentary, A Precarious State, lays it out in plain terms: our city is in crisis. Violent crime is rising. Homicides alone have surged 43%. Over $5 billion in wealth has left the state. Iconic downtown buildings have lost 60–90% of their value.
That’s a budget hole the size of Lake Nokomis—and neighborhoods like ours are left footing the bill.
You shouldn’t have to be part of a political machine to get your sidewalk fixed. You shouldn’t have to file a complaint just to get a response. And you absolutely shouldn’t be scared to walk your dog after sunset.
City government should work—especially for the people trying to live their lives, raise kids, and run small businesses.
Pragmatism vs. Ideology: The Choice Before Us
Right now, too many City Council members are chasing national ideology instead of solving local problems. The incumbent in this race is backed by a political movement aligned with the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA)—a group that openly supports defunding the police and socializing private industry.
That’s not a smear. That’s their platform.
I offer something different: civic pragmatism. A mindset rooted not in revolution, but in results.
Here’s what that contrast looks like in practice:
Public Safety — Staffing vs. Abolition
My view: Safety is the baseline purpose of city government. We need a fully staffed police force, strong training, accountability, and fast response times.
Their platform: Calls for abolishing police and prisons outright, ending cash bail, and closing jails—with no replacement plan.
The outcome: When you dismantle a system without a viable alternative, you get chaos, not progress. That 43% surge? That’s ideology colliding with reality.
Taxes & Economy — Discipline vs. Expropriation
My view: As a math teacher and MBA in finance, I believe in fiscal discipline, smart budgeting, and respect for the tax base—because working families are already stretched thin.
Their platform: Proposes massive wealth and financial transaction taxes, and even calls for expropriating private land without compensation.
The outcome: Businesses leave. Jobs disappear. The tax base shrinks. And middle-class families are left paying the consequences.
Housing & Development — Incentives vs. Abolitionism
My view: To build affordability and stability, we need more housing starts, support for responsible landlords, and policies that encourage growth.
Their platform: Advocates for abolishing private land ownership, eliminating evictions entirely, and transferring control to collectivist models.
The outcome: When cities punish developers and landlords, housing supply dries up. Investment stalls. Rent goes up. And the people who suffer most? Renters.
The Incumbent’s Playbook (And My Response)
When dysfunction becomes undeniable, here’s what they’ll do:
- Claim the documentary is a smear.
- Say every city is facing the same thing.
- Reframe basic services—like plowing, policing, or fixing potholes—as distractions from “equity work.”
Here’s my response:
I didn’t just read about equity in a manifesto. I lived it.
I’ve spent my career teaching math in Minneapolis Public Schools to immigrant, refugee, and English-learner students—some of the most marginalized kids in our city. Real equity means making sure every kid can grow up safe on their block, with paved roads, clean parks, and fully funded schools.
Equity and competence are not opposites. They go hand in hand.
The Choice We Face
This race isn’t about left vs. right.
It’s about competence vs. collapse.
I’m a math teacher with an MBA in finance. I’ve solved real problems in classrooms, on the Park Board, and across city government. I’ve raised a family here. I know the streets. I know the numbers. And I know we can do better.
I also hold a certificate from Juilliard. That’s right—I bring both the rigor of finance and the creativity of the arts. Frankly, our city government could use more of both.
We don’t need slogans. We need solutions.
We need leadership grounded in reality, not ideology.
So let’s stop the unraveling. Let’s fix what’s broken. Let’s get back to basics.
Let’s begin right here—at home.
— Becka
