Mickey Moore
Mickey Moore (Legal Marijuana Now Party) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Minnesota's 5th Congressional District. He did not appear on the ballot for the general election on November 8, 2022.
Elections in Minneapolis are officially nonpartisan, but the Minneapolis City Charter allows mayoral and city council candidates to choose a party label to appear below their name on the official ballot. Ballotpedia includes candidates' party or principle to best reflect what voters will see on their ballot.[1]
Biography
Mickey Moore was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He attended the University of Minnesota. Moore's career experience includes working as a business owner.[2]
Elections
2021
See also: City elections in Minneapolis, Minnesota (2021)
General election
General election for Minneapolis City Council Ward 9
The ranked-choice voting election was won by Jason Chavez in round 1 .
|
Total votes: 6,666 |
|||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
2020
See also: Minnesota's 5th Congressional District election, 2020
Minnesota's 5th Congressional District election, 2020 (August 11 Democratic primary)
Minnesota's 5th Congressional District election, 2020 (August 11 Republican primary)
General election
General election for U.S. House Minnesota District 5
Incumbent Ilhan Omar defeated Lacy Johnson, Mickey Moore, Toya Woodland, and Ervan Katari Miller in the general election for U.S. House Minnesota District 5 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Ilhan Omar (D) | 64.3 | 255,924 |
 | Lacy Johnson (R) | 25.8 | 102,878 | |
 | Mickey Moore (Legal Marijuana Now Party) | 9.5 | 37,979 | |
 | Toya Woodland (G) (Write-in) | 0.0 | 34 | |
 | Ervan Katari Miller (Independent) (Write-in) | 0.0 | 0 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.4 | 1,448 | ||
| Total votes: 398,263 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Chris Kelley (Independence Party)
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for U.S. House Minnesota District 5
Incumbent Ilhan Omar defeated Antone Melton-Meaux, John Mason, Daniel Patrick McCarthy, and Les Lester in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Minnesota District 5 on August 11, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Ilhan Omar | 58.2 | 103,535 |
 | Antone Melton-Meaux | 38.5 | 68,524 | |
 | John Mason | 1.5 | 2,721 | |
| Daniel Patrick McCarthy | 1.1 | 1,901 | |
 | Les Lester | 0.7 | 1,267 | |
| Total votes: 177,948 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Ervan Katari Miller (D)
- Leila Shukri Adan (D)
- Haji Yussuf (D)
Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. House Minnesota District 5
Lacy Johnson defeated Danielle Stella and Dalia al-Aqidi in the Republican primary for U.S. House Minnesota District 5 on August 11, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Lacy Johnson | 76.6 | 9,188 |
 | Danielle Stella | 18.6 | 2,236 | |
 | Dalia al-Aqidi | 4.7 | 568 | |
| Total votes: 11,992 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Laverne Turner (R)
- Brent Whaley (R)
- Lucia Vogel (R)
- Alley Waterbury (R)
Legal Marijuana Now Party primary election
Legal Marijuana Now Party primary for U.S. House Minnesota District 5
Mickey Moore advanced from the Legal Marijuana Now Party primary for U.S. House Minnesota District 5 on August 11, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Mickey Moore | 100.0 | 940 |
| Total votes: 940 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Campaign themes
2021
Mickey Moore completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2021. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Moore's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
| Collapse all
My name is Mickey Moore. I was born and raised in South Minneapolis. I've lived here all my life and as the son of a single mom, I benefitted from the many programs and resources that this city provided for our youth at that time. As a state high school champion athlete, I was fortunate to receive a full scholarship to the University of Minnesota. I opened my most popular business, The Braid Factory, in 1996 and began our state's professional, natural hair care industry. Now, that industry gainfully employs hundreds of people, including dozens of business owners from our African immigrant community. I've been working to create successful business opportunities for people for over 25 years. People know who I am and I have been incredibly well supported by this community. I am a husband, a father, and a homeowner. As a bi-racial man, married to an Asian immigrant woman, I care about all people and passing along the same opportunities that I've been so lucky to enjoy. I am running to represent the 9th Ward because I believe that now, more than ever, our city needs an attentive, experienced, and professional leader who has a long and proven track record of success in turning significant obstacles into real successes. I know this community and I will work hard for this community, including donating a significant portion of the excessive city council salary to charities, nonprofits, and organizations on the ground doing the work we need to transform people's lives.
Crime is at a crisis level in Minneapolis. Gun violence and other serious crime is gripping our community. We need to do everything in our power to increase our overall Public Safety. This means increasing police resources while simultaneously increasing police accountability and transparency. We need more police and more police resources. But we also need a focus on community policing and hiring people who represent and reflect our communities. People who speak our languages and have our local best interests in mind when they consider how they protect and serve us.
Due to the COVID-19 shutdowns and limitations, and also the civil unrest that began last Summer and in many ways has continued, our business districts and commercial corridors have been devastated. We have a one-time opportunity to utilize federal stimulus and disaster relief funds to help restore and rebuild our businesses, but we must have the right person in place to articulately advocate for what our Ward needs and deserves. My 30 years of successful small business experience will put our Ward's economic development centerstage in our city's short-term plans and priorities.
- The disconnect between residents and elected officials has become a chronic and dangerous problem. I will revolutionize the collaborative partnership between my office and the people we serve by opening a local ward office. Fully-staffed and open everyday, this office will have community members who look like us and speak all of our languages who can assist residents and business owners in accessing city, county, state and federal programs, resources and services. We will employ several strategic tactics which will help us to maintain a new and innovative, wide-open line of communication between the people and city hall.
Because of my 30 years of business experience, 1 of the 3 committee areas upon which I plan to focus is Economic Development. I believe that for decades this city has incentivized high-dollar development to the detriment of small and local businesses and housing communities. Indeed, over the past 10 years, over 95% of all new housing development has been rental development. This is just 1 reason why Minneapolis ranks at the bottom of the entire country when it comes to racial homeownership disparities, What we need to do is shift our priorities 180 degrees and start focusing on transitioning renters into homeownership. This is how we solve our affordable housing crisis, while creating generational wealth at the same time.
As someone who has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars renting and leasing space for my businesses, I know that we need a city that partners with business owners to help them acquire and maintain property ownership. This turns simpy owning a successful business into having transformative wealth. We need to do this with a focus on minority communities and minority business ownership, because those are the demographic groups who have been chronically underserved, relocated and have typically suffer disproportionately from the adverse affects of gentrification.
I would look at all policies with a series of expert questions, diagnoses, and analyses. Do we have ALL of the most advanced and updated information and analysis? Is the information independent and unbiased? Who does this project serve? What is the return on investment as it relates to the entire population? By starting this project, are we limiting our ability to invest in or develop alternative options? Is this a project on which we might be able to create multi-level jurisdictional or even private partnerships? Does this project meet our standards for social and environmental justice? Does this project meet our standards of diversity, equity, and inclusion? Have we heard all the feedback and input from a truly informed community? The answers to questions like this are not complicated nor should finding answers be excessively time-consuming. Only when the answers to all of these (and more) questions are received and positive, can we proceed.
This city has a long history of environmentally unjust policies and as a representative of the most polluted area of the city, I would make a lot of changes. Ward 9 residents suffer from the largest rate of asthma and lead poisoning in our state. This isn't an accident. This is the result of decades of purposeful policy that has resulted in our area being declared a green zone. Yet, despite that declaration, our city. Still, to this day, our city govt. insists on developing, proposing and implementing environmentally unsound and unfriendly policies that disproportionately affect Ward 9 residents. The failure of our city govt. to enthusiastically support the East Phillips Urban Farm Initiative is just 1 example. I would immediately advocate for our new city council to move forward with this project with the full support of the city.
Minneapolis has always needed and will continue to need an effective police department. What we need is more police accountability and a city govt. that supports empowering our police dept. with the authority to discipline and terminate officers for cause. Our current city council and their dangerous messaging of "abolish", "dismantle" and "defund"-ing the police are precisely what caused hundreds of police officers to leave the force. We don't need any undisciplined and irresponsible political grandstanders that prefer to advocate an extremist agenda, even if it means endangering our residents and communities. Especially those communities who are most chronically adversely affected by high crime and violence.
I believe that a responsible and professional city council might be able to craft meaningful and significant reforms that allow our police department to enter a new era of cooperative collaboration with a city and community that needs and respects each other.
Please bear in mind that this particular city council term is only 2 years long, instead of the typical 4 years. Nevertheless, we are missing almost 300 police officers from our previous levels, and more than 500 from levels that independent committee estimates claim are needed for our city. While we can focus on targeting and hiring a more diverse group of potential police officers who are from our community, look like our community and speak the languages of our community, this deficit isn't something we can magically overcome. It will take years to properly reinforce our department, so we have to take other steps in the short-term, that have an effect on our public safety right now.
We need a platform of strategic reforms that will bring our department into line with our new vision of effective actions, and also, community understanding. We need a police department that rebuilds a cooperative partnership with the community they serve, including hiring local community members who reflect our communities and speak our languages, including more minority, female, and immigrant officers. We need a community policing effort that puts police into neighborhoods at the ground level so that people can get to know and understand each other more intimately.
Additionally, we can incorporate private security firms that focus on particular and specific areas of high concern. This has already proven effective in several "hotspots". We need policies that work to help create a better department, not reinforce bad characteristics. So our chief needs the authority to terminate and discipline problem officers. We need a body camera policy, that includes oversight and follow-up, that is both effective and also unbreakable. We need policies that help control the physical interactions the police have with people so that we have less opportunity for problems, both perceived and real. Better policies will automatically limit and eliminate the potential for problematic interactions. Just as ending the practice of traffic stops can reduce or eliminate racial profiling and dangerous police chases that are the direct reaction of fleeing the police.
There are a number of simple, intelligent, and strategic reforms and restructures that we can introduce right away that will go a long way towards helping our community regain trust and appreciation for the work that police officers do. 1.) Re-open old cases of police use of excessive force. 2.) engage our youth in employment opportunities related to cleaning up the city, both repainting property that has been targeted by graffiti, as well as the broken glass/dirty needle problem that plagues many neighborhood streets and alleyways. 3.) Redeploy the foot patrol units that had p[previously seen real success in creating an interactive environment with the public.
I believe that in less than 2 years we can 1.) hire a minimum of an additional 100 officers, with a strong focus on women, minorities, and multiple language speakers. 2.) re-open several police substations. 3.) employ many more portable police cameras as well as fixed CCTV units with increased monitoring. 4) coordinate better and more comprehensive responses and a more appropriate delegation of resources by working collectively with Hennepin County and their mental health units. 5.) Pass a comprehensive reform package that includes but is not limited to the expansion of community oversight and also the elimination of problematic procedures that lead to excessive force interactions.
Many city council members try to sit on every committee possible. I have a different approach. Based on a fair analysis of my personal experience and passions, I will sit on just 3 types of committees. There are multiple committees in these areas, but they can be broken down into just 3 general areas. 1.) Economic Development and Planning. 2.) Civil Rights, Justice and Equity. 3.) Environment, Climate and Green Energy. It is within these 3 areas that I plan to focus my attention and effort for the 9th Ward. Naturally, there are many areas of public policy that are critically important to both myself and the residents of the 9th Ward, but I'm not afraid to admit that I am not a homelessness or a housing expert. As much as I recognize the desperate need for more police and a focus on public safety, and that opinion is shared by the vast majority of the residents of Ward 9, I myself am not a policing expert. I think it's important to point out that although I can effectively advocate for the needs of our ward, but involving myself at the policy level is not the most effective use of my time or energy. It is my true hope and belief that our city is best served by allowing experts to do the expert work that we need to craft and implement the best policies that our city needs to move us forward. I will work and focus on building the relationship and partnership between city hall and the Ward so that everyone feels heard and believes they have a seat at the table.
In Minneapolis, we do not use the boundaries of "Wards" for anything. They do not determine how we spend money, where our kids g to school, what businesses we access, where we shop, who we connect with or how our transit is system is designed. We don't ask each other, "what Ward do you live in?", in fact, the majority of us do not know what Ward WE live in, or at least, what our own Ward boundaries even are. Wards are, in plain fact, the most useless and meaningless physical designation our municipality utilizes. The plain and factual truth is that the only time we hear or use the term "Ward" is when we have a municipal election and we have to figure out what council member we have, and who we want to vote for.
To me, this is what makes our city council system a unique opportunity to create something much more meaningful than what we have done in the past. It is a chance to forge out a special space of importance and significance for our city. A unique set of neighborhoods where 1 person can decide how they want to organize and administer their office. There really aren't many rules or regulations about Wards because, as we said, they aren't used for anything outside of determining city council seats and memberships. So, that means, it's essentially virgin territory, where a person can create their own structure of impact and influence.
This is partly why I plan to do something that no one has done. Open a functional local Ward office where residents can come to access city, county, state or federal resources, right here, in our own community, with no appointment necessary. A fully-staffed location, open every day, where community members who look like us, and speak our languages can assist residents and business owners gather information, or fill out forms to access the programs and services they need to improve their lives, start a business, obtain healthcare, find rental housing, learn about opportunities and connect with local organizations.
I have always described myself as a lifelong pragmatic, progressive Democrat. However, I also consider myself to be nonpartisan, unbiased and extremely practical. I think these are the most important qualities I possess that will aid me in the position I seek. As a city council member, you must not only work with 12 other council members, and a mayor, you must also represent an entire Ward of unique residents, business owners and other interested and associated parties. Ward 9 has large business entities like Target, Cub Foods, Children's and Abbott hospitals, the Global Market building. We also have a plethora of nonprofits and organizations working within our Ward to service their own missions and goals. It will take balance and perspective to approach all the critical issues we face here with a uniformed mentality. As a professional business leader for 3 decades, I have the rel world experience to handle all issues and circumstances with a steady and calm demeanor. I understand ethical practicality and the common sense judgment of a disciplined executive. The same skills that allowed me to navigate a successful business through multiple generations of clientele, locations, and technologies, will serve me well as a city council member dealing with peers, staff and govt. leadership.
As a Ward representative, I believe that each city council member is tasked with 4 basic ideals. 1.) Being an accessible, accountable and transparent conduit between city govt. and the residents and business owners they serve. Making sure that everyone, voter, and on-voter alike, is given all the necessary information in a fair and deliberate manner so that people can have the highest level of understanding about every issue. 2.) Working with people to comprehend the issues that we face. We cannot just post information. We must also fairly and articulately interpret that information. Much of what city govt. crafts is complex and purposefully convoluted. So we must also serve as translators, in both a real and figurative sense. Making crystal clear what our various policies and procedures really say and do. 3.) We must always do that due diligence to determine how people feel about issues and policies, taking the necessary time to listen, survey, and poll people about what they want, whether or not they agree, what they're hoping to accomplish, and how accurately you, as the city council member, are truly understanding their issues and concerns. 4.) Appropriately and responsibly representing the attitudes and feelings of your Ward (again, not just the people who vote, or the people who vote for you, but rather, your entire population) to the city govt. and council.
I firmly and steadfastly believe that City Council members do not and should not represent themselves, or the ideas that in which they believe, but rather, the they should solely represent the interests of the people they serve. This means, from time to time, they may be forced to vote for, or advocate for a position with which they do not agree. I believe that this core principle is both at the heart of the responsibility of a city council member, and also why our city residents and voters are so discouraged by the performance of our city govt.
As the son of a single mom, non-school days were always a complication. This also meant I would go to a string of different Summer camps from soon after the school year ended, to right before it started again. Boys Club, Big Brothers, Boy Scouts, YMCA, Pillsbury House, and others, all had Summer camp sessions typically lasting between 10-14 days each. All Summer long I would go to one after another, so that my mother would be free to work and attend school. All of these camps ended at age 13, which meant that when I turned 14, I would be eligible to actually work at a camp. Which I did. At age 14, I became a Counselor-in-Training at the Boy's Club Camp in Mound Minnesota. I received $300 for each 10-day session (there were 5 throughout the Summer) but more importantly, it provided housing and food for the duration of the Summer. As one of the most experienced staff members, (having attended that particular camp for each of the previous 7 years) I was a valuable and competent assistant. Many of the counselors had never been there before, didn't know all the practices, traditions, and protocols, or didn't possess the requisite skills required to teach or train the campers. (horse riding, archery, canoeing, fishing, swimming, and many others...) Although the experience was, by its nature, short-lived, it was an extremely rewarding opportunity and set a stage for me to develop a work ethic that would stay with me. Working with others, training and teaching young people, taking orders as a low-level employee and operating outside of my own home for an extended period of time are all useful skills that, at age 14, served me well as I worked to secure more and better employment opportunities throughout my youth. It also instilled in me a closer understanding and value of our inner-city programs and services that provide our most at-risk youth a meaningful and uplifting alternative to the normal and complicated difficulties they face.
My favorite book is probably still The Souls Of Black Folks. It's been my favorite for almost 35 years. As some people know, it was the tragic and horrific murder of George Floyd that compelled me to enter politics last Summer. On the day it happened, there was a quote by W.E.B. DuBois that immediately rang through my head on that day...
"Daily the Negro is coming more and more to look upon law and justice, not as protecting safeguards, but as sources of humiliation and oppression. The laws are made by men who have little interest in him; they are executed by men who have absolutely no motive for treating the black people with courtesy or consideration; and, finally, the accused law-breaker is tried, not by his peers, but too often by men who would rather punish ten innocent Negroes than let one guilty one escape.”
The morning after George Floyd was killed, I was in the Secretary of State's office registering as a candidate for U.S. Congress.
I believe that previous experience of any type can be both beneficial or detrimental. What matters most is the character of the person and the motivation behind why they are seeking public office. there are positive and righteous motivations, like doing good and wanting to help people. If a person has previous experience that has led them to feel compelled to be guided by these positive motives, then those experiences will undoubtedly be useful in assisting them achieve their goals.
However, if a person is motivated by other reasons, greed, power, the fulfillment of their own personal political ambitions. Then their own personal experiences, be they in govt. politics, or any other field, will certainly be employed in a cause for concern and negative outcomes. we see examples of both all the time.
The bottom line is, whatever a person's background, be it in business, politics, or philanthropy, what will determine their effectiveness will be their own personal character and the motivations behind why they are seeking to become a public servant. For myself, I can state without any equivocation that I am motivated solely by my love for this city, this community and my desire to see people receive the same opportunities to fulfill their highest possible potential in life. We cannot control outside forces or circumstances beyond our control. But, as leaders, we have an obligation to manage the circumstances that are within our control to the best of our ability in a fair, transparent and accountable manner. That's what I seek to accomplish as the next city council member in the 9th Ward of Minneapolis.
I want to start out by explaining that I have been a business owner for over 30 years. This means I understand how to take an idea and turn it into a functional and successful reality. This involves not just understanding how every component must work together, but also, having the comprehensive ability and coordination to amass experts and delegate authority to people to accomplish shared goals. A business owner must take the personal responsibility of investing in the idea of something, and then making it work, not just for themself, but for the people who rely on those products or services, as well as the individual employees and staff members who are relying upon the overall success of the operation to provide them with gainful employment. It comes with a lot of responsibility, stress, and risk. Most businesses fail. It takes a lot of combinations of factors to make businesses succeed, and possessing the strength of will to not only have a successful business but to remain successful over the course of several decades, while also battling against the State agencies and departments that are trying to prevent your success, is a truly remarkable accomplishment.
Now, being a successful city council member takes having a lot of real-world experience, like traveling around the world, living in a foreign country, having a family, and owning a home. It's useful to already have a lot of experience being in charge of other people and working with large groups of staff. Working well with peers and others especially people with whom you do not always agree. You need to be book smart and able to think on your feet. You need to be extremely articulate in advocating not only for those issues you care about but also those issues about which you are fighting on someone else's behalf. Most of all you have to be prepared to accept that you are representing the needs and desires of others, not yourself, and your personal feelings may not always be a priority.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
Note: Community Questions were submitted by the public and chosen for inclusion by a volunteer advisory board. The chosen questions were modified by staff to adhere to Ballotpedia’s neutrality standards. To learn more about Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection Expansion Project, click here.
Campaign website
- Click here to view an archived version of Moore's campaign website.
2020
Mickey Moore completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Moore's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
| Collapse all
200 words is simply not enough space to aptly explain who I am. I would invite everyone to check out our website for more complete details. (www.usrepmoore.com) The most important thing to remember is that I am NOT a Republican or a Democrat. I am real person, not a politician, born and raised in the 5th district and intend to provide accurate, honorable and professional representation. I accept NO money. I am not obligated to ANY party. I have NO personal political ambitions or plans for the future. I intend to be the voice for EVERY man, woman and child in my district. NOT just the people who vote for me. NOT just the people who claim to be in my party. NOT just the voters who share my beliefs. EVERYONE.
The time has come when we must END this bad idea of electing partisan, hack politicians and start electing our own people. People who cannot be corrupted into continuing the gridlock of partisan extremism. People who work for actual change and real reform, even when that includes compromise or sacrifice. We cannot continue to do the same thing, year after year, election after election, and then magically expect different results. We have to start doing something different, and that starts now...in the 5th district, with my election to congress.
- I am Not a partisan politician. I represent the people. Not myself. Not my party. Not my financial contributor and big money donors. You, the people.
- I plan on using my position as a community leader, to actually lead within my community. Rather than sit in Washington D.C. accomplishing nothing, I will work daily to influence and directly impact the 5th district of Minnesota.
- I have NO political future. My election is merely a temporary fix to an existing problem of bad and corrupt representation. We will immediately work together to find a long-term, appropriate and truly transformative candidate.
While I care deeply about critical issues of our time; Police and Social Justice Reform, Healthcare, Immigration, Economic Advancement for the Underserved Populations, Affordable Housing and Homelessness, etc. Our true enemy is the continuing ineffective nature of partisan politics. Without changing the system itself, we'll never be able to effectively approach and address our most important national problems. By electing more people from outside the system, it forces people to realistically change the way in which congress deals with elections, and subsequently each other. This naturally causes a break in the gridlock, and people automatically begin working across party lines.
My election will spark a new national effort to elect people without expensive campaigning. Without major political endorsements. Without celebrity or self-funding extremism. It will allow regular, everyday, average Americans to understand that there is an important place for them within the political system, not just outside looking in. But inside, working to connect all people in a cooperative effort to accomplish what we need to progress and prosper.
As the single son of a single mother, I can't begin a list like this with anyone else but my mom. A classic peace-loving liberal, she could be a poster child for good-heartedness. She graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Detroit, but immediately joined the Peace Corps to serve 3 years in a small Ethiopian village. Her attitude towards other people exemplifies ideals like tolerance, equality and justice. She has worked with, served on and personally founded non-profit organizations her whole life. She's a marcher, a protester, and a life-long govt. worker. She's one of those rare people who actually lives her life based on her principles. Turning down lucrative offers to work in the private sector because she felt that applying her knowledge and expertise to help the govt. accomplish its needs was more important. Not just talking the talk, but actually walking the walk. I've honestly never met anyone like her.
Anyone can be influenced by amazing people throughout history. Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr. , Nelson Mandela, King Bhumibol of Thailand. But here are some other people whom I've met and I've taken a special notice to how honorable they are. I think it's important to make a note of them...
Alan Page is a man I knew ever since I went to kindergarten and 1st grade with his daughter, Georgianna. My godmother has a large family and 2 of her 8 children worked for (interned or clerked for) Mr. Page when he retired from sports and became a judge. So, I knew him as a popular sports hero, and also as a important member of the justice system.
Gary Hines lived across the alley from my Godmother house, and we would have occasion to see him, at his house or at our house. Long before he became a popular leader of the Grammy-award winning musical group, he was someone who used his talent and influence to help young people in the neighborhood foster and enrich their own abilities.
Interestingly, there are several books about King Bhumibol Adulyadej, which sum up the philosophy of my representation. A Life's Work by Nicholas Grossman, and The King Never Smiles: A Biography of Thailand's Bhumibol Adulyadej by Paul M. Handley are both well rounded biographies of a man who dedicated his life to the betterment of his people. Most people in America have never heard of this king, though he was one of the longest reigning kings in the world.
The Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B. DuBois is a great illustration of lasting cultural issues that all Americans would benefit from understanding. These understanding are a fundamental part of my approach to dealing with people and addressing what they need. A similar understand can be advanced by reading James Baldwin. Books like The Fire Next Time are often more enlightening than entire college careers. the same can said of poetry of Langston Hughes.
Because my "political philosophy" is so closely linked to an understanding of people, I would also recommend the Prophet by Khalil Gibran.
Honor, integrity and incorruptibility. These are all parts of the same character, and the single most critical component of a trustworthy representative. Once elected, a representative can do one of 2 things. accurately and responsibly represent the people of their district, or do everything they can to maintain their position and power. 1 person cannot do both things. A representative who commits themselves to their people must rely completely on people's understanding that commitment to get re-elected. Unfortunately, very few representatives are willing to do that. Most sell out the people for assurances and guarantees that they will be re-elected through other means, whether that's fund raising, or lobbyist organizations, bog money donors, corporate backing, etc.
So, finding someone who will be committed to the ideals of NO money, NO party allegiance and NO personal ambition for their own future is almost impossible. Very rare and unique position to take in politics and very few have ever done it.
I cannot be corrupted. I accept no money, and won't ever allow money to influence anything I do or any decision I make.
Right now, as a freshman representative, the most important duty is to lead your district. While the actual responsibilities of holding federal office are specific, the most critical issues vary from district to district. In the 5th district, we suffer from a lack of leadership. So,m as an elected official, my more important responsibility will be to lead...period. Whatever that calls for. If that means using the position as a platform to influence local issues, or whether that means, lobbying Congress for federal funds to mitigate some disaster.
Equal and fair representation of every person within your district is an important basic rule. Not everyone is a voter. Not everyone will vote for you. Not everyone is a part of the same party you are a part of, but none of that matters once you become elected. You are personally responsible for ALL the people. The voters, the non-voters, the partisan followers, the non-supporters, the children, the elderly...everyone. So whatever issues people in your district have, regardless of whether or not they are technically in your jurisdiction as a federal politician, are your responsibility to become involved with. As a leader you must take the concerns of your constituents and advance them, in whatever manner is available to you.
Let me be specific, if there is an issue with a school, something weather related, a church, a business, a city zoning restriction, a healthcare issue, a police matter, etc. Whatever. It doesn't make difference if it is a national problem, a statewide problem, a local problem, a global problem. If it's a problem which affects the people in the 5th district, I will be front and center bringing their issues to the attention of whomever is best suited and equipped to help resolve it. I hand out my own personal phone number to everyone I meet, because I want people to recognize that my representation will be personal and direct. That should be the responsibility of every leader.
I would 2 accomplish 2 things.
1.) Very specifically, I'd like to help the 5th district find the perfect candidate for congress. I believe that there's a young, qualified, enthusiastic and intelligent person out there prepared to commit their life for the betterment of the district. Because of the nature of congress, it's important to have a young person who can make a long-term commitment t the position so that they can rise through the ranks and establish themselves as an important leader in the house.
2.) I'd like to inspire people all over the country who are NOT a part of the Democratic or Republican establishment to run and win. This one change would have such long-lasting affect in our system it's hard to qualify. Creating pressure from outside the 2 parties would force everyone to work together to accomplish everything congress must do. Because the 2 major parties are currently so polarized and equal, we wouldn't need hundreds of outsiders, just a few dozen to make a big difference in anyone's ability to process legislation.
I was about 7 when the American celebration of our bi-centennial occurred. I would say that is probably the earliest big event. While there was some culmination around the 4th of July, it really lasted the whole year. It was a theme throughout the entire school year. It was marked with big parades and events at different times and included in every other celebration that happened. Every sports league, every game, every effort was tagged with the idea that it was a special year. The patriotism that the nation felt and expressed has always stayed with me . While we see sparks and specific occasions of that same attitude now, nothing we have done since can compare to that feeling we shared at that time. Not 9/11, not the Olympic games, not any military action. People who didn't live through that point in time have no accurate reference for that level of solidarity and community. Part of it was the fact that it was the 70's, which was already a time of peace and understanding, and a re-commitment to our founding values of equality and brotherhood, but there was also something else involved. A considerable and significant portion of the population saw it as a time to start again, with the whole, "one nation, conceived in liberty" kind of ideals that had been lost and pushed aside for various reasons.
Over time, I've seen how much singular events that occur when we are young can manifest themselves in the attitudes we take with us throughout our lives. Sadly, these can often be events of tragedy. The challenger explosion, 9/11, wars in the Middle East, assassinations of important leaders, riots in your city, and so on. I consider myself lucky be born when I was and to have such a positive incident as the most important marker of my young life.
As a poor kid in the inner city, I worked often and early. When I was 13, I worked as a counselor-in-training at the Boys and Girls club Summer Camp. The work essentially meant 24/7 attention. I received $50 for each of the 10 day sessions. The following Summer, at age 14, I worked as a golf caddie at Minikahda golf club. Starting at $8 for carrying 1 bag. eventually, I would receive $10 a bag, and be allowed to carry 2 bags at a time.
I credit these early positions for instilling in me the value of hard work and the importance of finding a business where a hard worked can truly be properly rewarded for their efforts. Growing up, I always wanted to be rich. To make a lot of money. I've been lucky throughout my life and had many successes. Not many people can retire before they're 40. But, at the same time, I've had my share of struggles, and I wouldn't claim to have had anything easy. And being rich isn't at all the same thing as being financially secure. Of the 2 concepts, having security is far and away the more important and fulfilling position to be in.
I'm an avid book reader, and I read all kinds. I love the action novels, Tom Clancy, Vince Flynn, Lee Child, but they don't mean anything or stay with me. They're strictly for entertainment purposes. I love biographies, but the best ones are always the longest ones. It took me like, 4 years to finish the Winston Churchill chronicles, the Lats Lion. I read poetry, historical books about Africa and slavery. I love the complete works of Shakespeare, including the Sonnets. I would be remiss if I didn't include Tolkien, and C.S. Lewis,
So, I guess if I had to pick a favorite, I'd say Sir Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's complete Sherlock Holmes. (and I mean, the real complete version, with over 50 stories...)
Why...? I guess, because, Holmes is so dark and smart. I've always admired him. As a kid, I dressed up as Sherlock Holmes for 4 or 5 straight years for Halloween. (It would seem ungrateful and disingenuous to abandon him now...)
I don't know his name, but the guy from Quantum Leap would be pretty fun life. Bouncing through time, setting right the various wrongs of the world.
My daughter is 10 years old, so the only songs we listen to with regularity are from Disney movies. like most parents, we went through a Frozen phase, a Moana phase, a Book of Life phase, a Coco phase. Although lately, she's been singing the theme from 9-5.
As a person of color born in the 60's in a state that was 95% white, everything is a struggle. I've struggled with racism and inequality throughout my life. In school, by law enforcement, as a job seeker, as a business owner, as a home buyer, as a political candidate. Even I recognize that I have been uniquely gifted to persevere, but at the same time, the necessity of perseverance is in itself, a constant sign of the unfair treatment that is expected and demanded of people.
Any process that can scientifically proven as unbiased, impartial, and completely fair. If some independent body can guarantee a non-partisan, apolitical method to divide the population in to voting groups, that would be one of the biggest positive changes that could ever occur in our system.
The U.S. House of Representatives is an interesting case study in the difference between theory and reality. As a system, its operation in unique and has a lot of potential. The problem is that it has been manipulated in to a 2-party system that thrives on gridlock and ineffectiveness. People have been conditioned to accept 2-parties and the parties are happy to be the only players in the game.
We all know that there is still a lot of pomp and circumstance included in the appearance and operation of the House. Much of it, old-fashioned and totally unnecessary. In theory, the representative process is a great way to include many voices from different areas equally. But in practice, that isn't what happens. In theory, congress has the authority to oversee and regulate. In practice, their oversight is contained and limited, and their regulations lack enforcement. In theory, the 2 year term limit forces people to maintain support from their constituents. In reality, the 2-year term limit effectively causes Representatives to be in constant campaign mode, keeping them from making any decisions which might appear politically controversial.
So the question isn't just what qualities does the House possess, but how those qualities can be interpreted through the real-world system we are actually operating.
What's most important is that representatives have a large a varied cross section of experiences and expertise. While it's important for some people to have political experience, it doesn't make sense for that to be the only experience that all representatives have. We need people from govt., healthcare education, legal services, entertainment, foreign service workers, business owners, religion, manufacturing, law enforcement, agriculture, construction, finance and every other sector of the economy and society.
Just like it's important to have people from all races, religions, and genders, it benefits all of us to have people from all sectors of the economy. We shouldn't put any special emphasis or importance on any particular type of experience, but rather value the diversity of experience that should be a very natural and respected part of the institution.
Partisan extremism as a result of our broken electoral system. Because of the manner in which larger, federal elections occur, we have been regulated to only a small subset of the population who are qualified to be included in these elections .rather than getting a cross section of the population, we get only a small minority group of elites and hand-picked party faithful. These people are obligated to their respective parties for getting them elected and do not dare oppose their party for any principle. Many of them have convinced themselves that they alone have some answer or solution to solve some critical problem. Others are convinced that the party they represent is the savior of our nation, and that if only that party had power and control, changes would miraculously transform the nation into "a more perfect union". Still others allow themselves to become tools of various lobbyist groups or corporate financial supporters who only want to accomplish their own selfish goals.
The secondary effects of failure to properly represent the people is that they revolt and rebel. The longer the politicians ignore the will of the people, the more that energy builds up and whenever we have critical incidents (like the George Floyd killing) we'll see explosive public reaction. Too many leaders cannot address the people directly, because they know they are most responsible for their failure to act, or in some cases, the problems themselves.
I would want to lend my direct experience to committees that make the most sense. So, committees related to business regulations, minority issues, social justice reforms, and immigration. i would turn down assignment to any committee that I felt was a misapplication of my talent or expertise. (example, the agriculture committee is an important position, especially for Minnesota, but the reality is, I know nothing about farming...) It would make the most sense for me to apply what I know to those committees which can benefit from my assistance. Not, the other way around.
It's not the term limits, but the conditions under which elections are being held. While we have proven that quality leaders have no trouble maintaining their support, we have also proven that elections are being exceedingly controlled by just 2 parties. If we could do something about the manner in which people are elected, then 2 years is fine. If we cannot change the way big money is corrupting our elections process, forcing so many districts to feel like they are in a "lesser of 2 evils" option, then we need to do something about terms and other conditions that are causing so many problems in the system.
Gerrymandered districts have poisoned the people's ability to choose there own candidate. Multi-million dollar campaigns have turned representatives into full-time fund raisers. At this point, our nation would be better served to have a term limit that meant after you've served your time, you're out forever.
Again, it's not the term limits, but the many other conditions that have caused a serious breakdown in our system. We have gerrymandered districts that guarantee the election of a particular party's candidate. The cost of running a campaign continues to grow exponentially. People feel less and less included in the system at every level, especially an the level of becoming an actual candidate. None of these critical problems are helpful. They are all extremely harmful in our effort to pursue fair and equal representation.
I would definitely put myself out there to be a part of the leadership. All my life, I've always been recognized as the captain of the team. Wherever I go, people generally force me to be in charge. So, I would be happy to continue that same type of effort. There are already some good and reasonable people involved and I would only want to fit in where I was needed. where there was already some lack or vacancy.
I would certainly join the Congressional Black Caucus, and also offer to be involved in the leadership of that organization.
Martin Olav Sabo and Don Fraser were both political icons of my youth. Both served admirably as representatives in the 5th district, and I wouldn't have to go outside of our own district history to find totally reasonable models for fairness, honor, integrity, and commitment to hard work.
There are some current representatives, such a Hakeem Jeffries, Karen Bass, Veronica Escobar, and others, whom I've admired from a distance, but I would have to get to know them more personally and intimately before I could know for certain if they possessed the sort of character I would use as a model.
Well, I come from a district that is currently embroiled in real turmoil. the killing of George Floyd by the police is front and center in the minds of many. The protests, riots, and violent aftermath of the killing is an ongoing struggle for the city, the residents and people who treat the city as their place of work, or entertainment. So let me answer the question by explaining how and why I understand my community better than others.
While I was born and raise in the 5th district, it wasn't until opened The Braid Factory when I began to understand people in a much deeper and more intimate way. Hair braiding is a process that can take hours and hours to complete. The average adult female client spends about 5 1/2 hours in our salon per visit. Over the last 25 years, we have serviced over 150,000 customers. This means, over the course of many, many years, I have had the honor to engage in very real and intimate conversations with women, men and even kids from my community. We've eaten, we've talked, we've stayed in contact over the course of time. Kids have grown up, and are now bringing their own children in to the salon. What I'm trying to say about Braid Factory clients is that they are real people, whom we've served over and over again for a long time, and with whom we have become extremely close and comfortable. We have a symbiotic relationship and so when I say that I have my finger on the pulse of my community, it means I've been intimately connected with a specific client base for over a generation. They've developed a trust in me, and I've developed a complete understanding of them.
I hear personal, touching, memorable and impactful stories from these people on a daily basis. It is the inspiration from my customers that caused me to run for Congress on their behalf.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
See also
2021 Elections
External links
|
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ Minneapolis Elections & Voter Services, "FAQ: Can I list a political party affiliation or principle?", accessed August 16, 2021
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on August 27, 2021
| |||||||||
