Patch Candidate Profile: Linea Palmisano For Minneapolis Council

MINNEAPOLIS — This fall, Minneapolis residents will vote in several important local elections. Among the offices on the ballot is the mayor and city council seats, as well as the Minneapolis Park Board. Early voting in Minneapolis has already started.

Linea Palmisano is running for Minneapolis City Council in Ward 13.

Patch asked candidates to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles over the coming weeks.

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Are you running for office in Minneapolis? Contact William Bornhoft at william.bornhoft@patch.com for information on being featured in a candidate profile and submitting campaign announcements to Patch.

Age (as of Election Day): 45

Position sought: Minneapolis City Council Ward 13

Party Affiliation: Democratic Farmer Labor (DFL endorsed)

Family: I live with my family in the Linden Hills neighborhood. My husband, Matthew, is "that British guy" around the neighbourhood. Our 10 year old, Charlie, is a fifth grader at Lake Harriet Upper, thrilled to be in-person learning, and is far more coordinated than his parents. Oliver is four, doesn't have a bashful bone in his little body and idolizes his brother. We love getting outside and are often found running around many of our city's trails and parks.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government? No.

Education:

• Certificate of NonProfit Management- University of St. Thomas
• MBA- University of Minnesota, Carlson School of Management
• Bachelor of Science Pre-Med- University of Notre Dame

Occupation: 13th Ward City Council Member, 7 years

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office: 13th Ward City Council Member

Why are you seeking elective office?

Minneapolis is at a critical moment and I believe I can be of the most help in guiding our city into a more equitable, safe and healthy future.

The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

The most pressing issue facing our city is how we move forward with transforming public safety. Mine is a "both/and" approach that recognizes the need for adequately staffed law enforcement in our city and the transformational change it will take to get that enforcement to where we want it to be, and also investments in other types of response when people need assistance. I also believe we need long-term investment in violence prevention.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

For the past seven years I have advocated for progressive and pragmatic change at City Hall. My continued voice for the 13th Ward will center on advancing government accountability, combatting economic inequity and continued transformation of our public safety system. I believe my deep knowledge, consistent presence and depth of relationships both in community and at City Hall, will be particularly important as we look forward to recovering from a global pandemic and civil unrest and move forward to create a more equitable and more modern city.

How do you think local officials are performing in responding to the coronavirus? What if anything would you have done differently?

We always can learn from the past and looking back there are some things we did particularly well as a city- for example, our Executive Order mandates were timely, clear, and fully warranted). There are other things I wish we had been able to figure out sooner- for example, structurally rebalancing the entire city budget due to projected shortfalls was a challenge to do with just five months left in the year. Had we gotten to this earlier, we would have had more flexibility (but less knowledge about what those impacts would be).

Government procurement and dispersal processes are slow, and as much as we worked to speed up the rate of getting out recovery funds in direct aid to people and businesses in immediate need, this could have been more helpful if we could have sped it up.

Overall, these were completely unchartered waters and I am grateful at how much we were able to change quickly to continue to deliver our city services to the people of Minneapolis.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

Aside from the issues described above, my continued voice for the 13th Ward will center on advancing government accountability, combatting economic inequity (particularly around housing) and advancing climate resiliency for Minneapolis.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

My private sector background and deep involvement in our community for many years have prepared me for this role, and my life has prepared me for the intensity and constant presence that this job requires.

I have used my position as Audit Chair to advocate and accomplish real police reform initiatives such as how we respond to domestic abuse calls, records management, body worn camera compliance, mental health co-responder pilot development, and much more. In my role as Budget Chair, I have worked to expand opportunities for people to get involved in our budget process and help all voices be heard. I've also pushed hard for budget reform to continue our city's legacy of responsible fiscal management.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

Valerie Jarrett, former Senior Advisor to President Obama, while in Minneapolis a few years ago: "You will take a lot of heat for the privilege of serving. There's a lot of (stuff) that comes at you, and you need to take the long view. Don't be distracted by the shiny object."

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

Learn more about my candidate positions through my campaign website's "My Vision" page. Or simply reach out- I spend quite a bit of time just meeting neighbors where they are at, whether at a forum or just a one-on-one time that suits you. Attend a monthly neighborhood organization meeting as a way to grow our connection between neighbors, ask questions and hear my regular legislative updates as well!