Will the Council Swing? We Look at Key Council Races w/ Robin Garwood
On election night, will we see the progressive wing of the council increase to a majority of 8 members, or drop to a minority of 5? With three open seats and three incumbents in real contests, there is a lot at stake. We look at how policy divisions have played out under the current council to provide a sense of what could change if elections swing the balance. And we go race-by-race through the six wards where we see a real contest, to evaluate the candidates, their support, and the positions and framing they lead with.
We recorded this episode on June 25, 2025.
Don't forget to check out Robin's art as part of the current Minnesota Book Arts show, and Cam's columns in Southside Pride
Production notes
Jesse added musical cues, let us know if you hate them! Also it started raining for a bit in the middle of the episode (better than the leaf blower last time).
Further reading
News
Vetoes and Divided Votes
- Jacob Frey's 2024 veto record
- Josh Martin's 2022-2023 Divided Votes Tracker
- Josh Martin's 2024-2025 Divided Votes Trakcer
- Josh Martin on themes in 2022 Divided Votes
Random Candidate Info
(not going to include all the candidate websites here: those are easy to find :)
- Shelley Madore podcast interview
- Ward 2 No DFL Endorsement
- Robin Wonsley's platform on public safety
- Sahan Journal overview of Ward 5 candidates
- Ward 7 DFL endorsement goes to Shaffer
- Jamison Whiting's Interview on Spiced Up Civics: the audio is kind of amazingly bad, but it's a fun interview