Star Tribune Editorial Board's 2023 endorsements for Minneapolis City Council, collected

Opinion editor's note: Editorials represent the opinions of the Star Tribune Editorial Board, which operates independently from the newsroom.

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As Minneapolis holds an election that technically revisits all 13 seats on the City Council — some competitive, several not — voters will not find the city in finest form.

The most basic guarantee a municipal government can make is public safety — the security that allows residents to go about their lives and livelihoods. It's a serious weakness in Minneapolis. While the city as a whole is not the hellscape envisioned by some who don't live there or visit, there are many areas where social disorder threatens livability. The Police Department is woefully understaffed, part of the fallout of the murder of George Floyd by an officer, the subsequent riots, the ill-defined "defund the police" movement that is gone but not forgotten, the more legitimate but challenging work to rebalance the hard and soft aspects of public safety, and the federal and state consent decrees under which this work must proceed.

Another set of problems is brought on by a shortage of affordable housing, despite progress on that front. That, along with unwelcome trends in drug addiction, has manifested in unauthorized encampments of people who lack a permanent place to live. The encampments are spilling into parts of the city where they haven't existed previously.

The city's responsibility is not necessarily to build all of the necessary housing but to provide the conditions under which private investors can and will. Unfortunately, Minneapolis still flirts with the possibility of having a strict rent control cap, like that already enacted to detrimental effect in neighboring St. Paul, which would restrain the housing market in the long run.

Minneapolis is riven by these issues, with political dividing lines between young and old, economically advantaged wards and disadvantaged ones, and, in particular, the pragmatic and progressive wings on the council. In Minneapolis, liberal politics are a matter of degree. Allowing for wiggle room, it can be said that the pragmatists align more with the DFL Party and the progressives with the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA).

Those selected in an election that began with mail-in and in-person balloting Sept. 22 and ends at traditional polling places Nov. 7 will serve two-year terms. They must continue to adapt to the strong-mayor form of government that voters approved in a city charter change in 2021.

Each election season, we members of the Star Tribune Editorial Board collectively make endorsements in key races within our coverage area. We invite candidates who are mounting a serious campaign and are in a competitive race to meet with us (and by proxy, the electorate). We're sorry to report that several candidates, specifically those on the progressive wing, declined to do so this year. Those decisions not only forgo possible endorsement but also the opportunity to move the needle of opinion. They're self-defeating.

We're also disappointed this year in the candidate recruitment efforts of the DFL Party. As the longtime standard-bearer in the city, the party must be able to field and endorse qualified candidates in each ward.

Despite this, voters are asked to make decisions on their ballots, giving a preferred order if they wish under the city's ranked-choice voting system. (For guidance on this system, see tinyurl.com/rcv-mpls.) So without further fuss — and, yes, this has been more preamble than we would've wished necessary — here's the landscape for the first three Minneapolis wards.

Incumbent City Council Member Elliott Payne, a DFLer seeking his second term, is generally aligned with the progressive wing of the council (elliottpayne.org). He supports a strict 3% cap on annual rent increases, funding for alternative responses for public safety needs and "bold climate action." He declined to seek the Editorial Board's endorsement and therefore does not receive it, even though he's the realistic choice for voters in the ward.

Payne faces Edwin Fruit, a member of the Socialist Workers Party (which is not to be confused with the DSA). Fruit said in an interview with Socialist News and Views that his primary goal in running is visibility for his party's message. That message, on issues across the board, is that no constructive change is possible without the upheaval of capitalism. It's not a useful framework for problem-solving, and it's not city-focused.

Incumbent City Council Member Robin Wonsley, a Democratic Socialist active on the council's progressive wing, is running unopposed for her second term (robinformpls.com). Earlier this fall she leveled unsupported accusations of corrupt behavior by Mayor Jacob Frey and failed to either recant or back them up with evidence. We would have preferred to see a substantive challenge to her re-election.

The Third Ward is competitive in the arena of ideas and is one of the wards that, if it shifted, could alter the balance of power on the council. We do not believe it should shift, though. Incumbent Michael Rainville, a DFLer, receives our endorsement for election to a second term on the council (rainvilleward3.org).

Rainville, who worked in the hospitality industry before joining the council, is among the group of pragmatists who have held a majority on the council up to this point. He's a lifelong resident of the area he represents and describes himself as someone who gets things done. He recognizes the likelihood of unintended consequences with rent control and believes in the benefit of a fully staffed Police Department amid reforms. In 2022, he made poorly received comments about young Somalis following public disorder surrounding July 4th celebrations; he subsequently apologized. While we believe he's well-supported in the ward, his challenge going forward is to convey to younger and more politically restless residents that his approach to governing is up to the needs of an evolving city.

He's opposed by Marcus Mills, a self-described idea hunter (mills4millcity.org), small-business owner and active member of commissions and committees in the ward. Mills is a DFLer but leans decidedly toward the progressive side of key issues, favoring the proposed strict 3% cap on rent increases, believing the lower current number of active police officers could be sufficient, and promoting the idea of centers where those addicted to drugs can use them in a supported environment, away from the public sphere (which Rainville notes amounts to government-sanctioned drug use). To his credit, Mills sees his stances as working in conjunction with broader reforms. Yet they retain the hopeful nature of progressivism that sometimes can fail to account for real-world repercussions. In different times we might find him a welcome presence on the City Council, yet too much is at stake in this election.

The Fourth Ward covers the northwesternmost corner of the city with the Mississippi River as its eastern border. Its racially diverse residents tend to have higher rates of unemployment and poverty and are most concerned about the city addressing livability issues, public safety, policing, jobs and economic development.

North Siders have been well served by first-term incumbent LaTrisha Vetaw, who merits re-election (latrishaforward4.com). Vetaw was a voice of reason during her four years on the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board and has maintained that quality as a City Council member. Her major focus has and will continue to be on the basics that make the city a place where people want to live and do business. So, she and her office spend considerable time responding to concerns about things like illegal dumping, street and alley plowing, littering and problem properties.

While on the council, she has stood firmly against a 3% rent control limit, against allowing homeless encampments indefinitely, and in favor of funding police officers at the authorized levels. As chair of the council's Public Health and Safety Committee, she's been part of bringing new leadership to the Minneapolis Police Department and is regularly working with the department on reforms and recruitment.

Vetaw has outlined her pragmatic approach on a couple of city issues — rebuilding MPD's Third Precinct and rent control — in well-argued commentaries to the Star Tribune.

The incumbent has the DFL endorsement and a deep understanding of how government works and what it takes to get things done. She helped secure more than $1 million in funding for safety efforts in her ward, including improved lighting and partnerships to reduce violent crime. And in her next term she vows to continue work on economic development, bringing more jobs to her ward and expanding affordable housing.

A former community clinic health policy director, Vetaw knows the community well and has worked successfully to reduce youth smoking and sponsor food drives for seniors. And she told editorial writers that she'll put her public health know-how to work to combat the opioid crisis.

Challenger Marvina Haynes works with a cleaning service and told editorial writers that the city has not responded to her requests for subsidized housing in a timely manner (marvinahaynesward4.com). She seems eager to work for North Side community but has little knowledge about management or city operations.

Also running are Angela Williams and perennial candidate Leslie Davis (angelawilliamsforward4.com, lesliedavis.org). Both were invited but did not participate in Star Tribune Editorial Board interviews.

Three candidates are running to represent north-central Minneapolis' Fifth Ward neighborhoods. None earned the Editorial Board's endorsement. Our thoughts on each:

Incumbent Jeremiah Ellison, an artist, is running again (jeremiahforward5.com). He was first elected in 2017. While he declined an invitation to interview with the Editorial Board, he participated in a Fifth Ward League of Women Voters' forum, and his knowledgeable answers reflected his years of experience. We also applaud his focus on increasing homeownership.

Our concerns stem from policy differences. He was one of the council members who called for disbanding the city's Police Department after the 2020 murder of George Floyd. That background isn't helpful as the city grapples with hiring difficulties amid concerningly low police staffing levels and the need for sweeping reforms.

The council would be better served by moderate voices focusing on local issues, not trying to right global injustice from Minneapolis, which is what Ellison appears most passionate about. Community concerns continue about Ellison's constituent service, though his campaign points out that he's held "office hours for constituents every Saturday for these past three years."

Victor Martinez, a pastor at an Assemblies of God church, is Ellison's strongest challenger, with two commendable signature issues: improving constituent services and attracting new businesses after the closure of two key North Side retailers earlier this year (victor4citycouncil.com).

Martinez's opposition to rent control is also the right call given scant evidence that it works. In addition, he supports more funding for police and grasps how critical crime control is for constituents' well-being and economic growth.

Concerns include whether Martinez is a good fit for this ward given his leadership within a religious denomination known for conservative views. Questions also linger about delegate irregularities earlier this year and a dispute that led a local DFL leader to seek and win a temporary restraining order against Martinez, claiming that she was harassed by his supporters after he shared her contact information.

Martinez told an editorial writer that he'll be vindicated as this is further adjudicated and claimed that some local politicians don't like him, so they've "weaponized" the court system.

Also on the ballot is Phillip Peterson, a baker at Lund's (phillip4the5thorg.godaddysites.com). He's a likable political newcomer who would strengthen a future candidacy by acquiring additional community and volunteer service.

Implementing the sweeping police reforms required after damning state and federal investigations is one of the most daunting challenges ahead for Minneapolis' elected leaders.

In the Sixth Ward, candidate Kayseh Magan stands out above three other contenders because of the uniquely balanced perspective he would bring to office at this critical moment (kaysehmagan.com).

Magan, who aims to unseat incumbent Jamal Osman (jamalosman.org), has worked in corrections and as a fraud investigator for the Minnesota Attorney General's Office. That experience will inform decisionmaking as the city continues to navigate the reforms required after the Minnesota Department of Human Rights and the U.S. Department of Justice detailed longstanding discriminatory policing.

But Magan also understands what it's like to be on the receiving end of disturbing public safety practices. In 2022, Fairview Health Services apologized to Magan after he accused its security of racial profiling. The city must strike a balance to control crime while respecting individual rights. Magan's lived experience would be invaluable in calibrating this.

Magan proposes a responsible approach to rent control, one that would allow exceptions for inflation and new construction. He also advocates robust enforcement of housing codes and for striking a sensible balance on homeless encampments — connecting people in need with services but also heeding nearby neighbors' concerns about crime and drugs.

Osman, who also is Somali American, was elected in a 2020 special election and earned the Editorial Board's endorsement in the 2021 regular election. He tends to be a swing vote, a welcome contrast to stridently progressive colleagues. A notable achievement: advocating successfully for allowing all five Muslim daily calls to prayer to be broadcast in the city year-round.

Osman's family, however, is entangled in the Feeding Our Future fraud investigation. On Oct. 18, a lawsuit filed by the Minnesota Attorney General Office accused Osman's wife of creating a nonprofit for the "purpose of directing funds to herself, her family members and her co-conspirators." Another nonprofit that Osman incorporated and left is also under scrutiny. Neither Osman nor his wife have been charged with any crimes, but the household nexus is troubling.

Also running are Guy Gaskin and Tiger Worku (tigerfor6.com). Gaskin, a Republican, did not respond to an interview request and was lackluster at a recent voter forum.

Worku, who said he works at a hospital front desk, is a polished speaker, but his 2021 resignation from the Seward Neighborhood Group, along with allegations of delegate irregularities in this race, give pause.

Veteran Council Member Lisa Goodman is retiring from city service after representing this district for 26 years. She's been the go-to council member for the area that includes downtown West, Bryn Mawr, Cedar-Isles-Dean, Loring Park and East Isles.

Three candidates are vying to replace her. While all of them express commitment to public service and generally agree with the Star Tribune Editorial Board's positions on major issues, the best of the group is Scott Graham (scottformpls.com). In our view, he has the best combination of experience, reasoned positions, leadership skills and history of collaboration to provide the balance the council needs now.

Professionally, Graham owns a real estate firm, has been a landlord and has served on the board of a community housing group. Active in DFL politics for 25 years, he's been involved in numerous candidate campaigns and held several leadership positions within the party. He has worked collaboratively with factions within the party and says he would do the same on the council to "seek consensus where we can find it and principled compromise where we can't."

He wisely objects to rent control caps because, he says, they often hurt the people they seek to protect. The better way to make housing more affordable is through subsidies for low-income renters, programs like the city's Stable Homes, Stable Schools program (mphaonline.org/stablehomes) that helps prevent evictions, and creating and maintaining more housing with state and federal assistance.

Counting himself among "supporters" of the Minneapolis Police Department, he says that backing comes with "high expectations" for police work to be performed respectfully without brutality, warrior attitudes or poor discipline for offending cops. He would also prioritize revitalizing downtown and Uptown to help rebuild trust in safely navigating our urban core.

Minneapolis native Katie Cashman is also a strong contender (katieforcouncil.org). She is a project manager for an environmental advocacy group and has both local and global experience as a policy advocate, nonprofit leader and community organizer. As a student, she studied in both the U.S. and Europe and worked at the U.N. for three years on environmental and social infrastructure in cities around the world. We appreciate Cashman's work with nonprofits and her wealth of knowledge and passion on climate and environmental issues. However, we think Graham's more extensive business experience and direct involvement in city issues give him an edge.

The third candidate, Kenneth Foxworth, says his candidacy is about one word — safety (kennethfoxworthforward7minneap.godaddysites.com). He works for Delta Air Lines, has been active in Black Caucus DFL politics and has spent much of his 40-year career working at the college level to offer sports and other opportunities to the BIPOC and disabled communities. He seems genuinely interested in community service but has not campaigned as actively as the other candidates.

City Council President Andrea Jenkins told editorial writers in her endorsement interview that she's "really tried to be a person who bridges the gaps." She paused. "Or the chasms."

Chasms may best describe the division between a hard-left City Council minority, with many backed by the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), and a slender majority of more moderate, albeit progressive, members. Jenkins leads that bloc, and returning her to represent the Eighth Ward would help maintain a more productive balance of power to City Hall (andrea-jenkins.com).

Jenkins' leadership hasn't been flawless. She showed poor judgment by being one of nine council members who, in the wake of the murder of George Floyd, stood on a stage flanked by a big "DEFUND POLICE" sign, sending the wrong message when good officers are needed more than ever. Generally supportive of Minneapolis' mayor, police chief and commissioner of public safety, Jenkins now says, "It's not about defunding the police, it's more, in my mind, refunding investment in underserved communities."

Doing so certainly can help address some of the chronic conditions contributing to the crime challenge and the homeless encampments increasingly seen in the ward. Overall, growing homelessness is "one of the most pernicious issues in American life right now," Jenkins accurately said.

While Jenkins has mostly backed the imperative to clear encampments, she proposes investing $18.5 million in an affordable-housing trust fund.

The unhoused population across the city is one of the main motivations for Terry White, who presents a strong alternative for those seeking change on the council (betterminneapolis.com). White said the city "isn't taking the problem seriously enough" — for the housed and unhoused alike, the latter of which are "prey to people who seek to exploit the most vulnerable in our society." He's willing to up the investment ante to $30 million for an emergency fund for housing solutions.

White, a DFLer, said he would seek to be an "independent voice" on the council and is not an insider nor a politician, but a "health care executive who knows how to get things done," which seems like a correct assessment from this impressive candidate.

Other candidates include Robert Sullentrop, a reasonable Republican focused on public safety (bobsullentropforcouncil.com), and the DFL- and DSA-endorsed candidate Soren Stevenson, who initially accepted and then declined an endorsement interview (sorenstevenson.org).

Daniel Orban is a self-described "normal, average person" (danorban.github.io). But, as he explained to members of the Star Tribune Editorial Board, his kids couldn't go out and play in the backyard this summer due to the threat of crime, including from the many encampments of unhoused residents in his ward. So Orban, who works in the education sector, decided to try to do something about it. "I'm not a politician per se," Orban said. But "you have to try and fix it in some way," which in this case means "actually running for office."

Running as an outsider without endorsements may seem quixotic, especially against incumbent Jason Chavez, who is endorsed by the DFL, the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), and several labor and political organizations (jasonchavez.org). But Orban's practical, compassionate approach to both homeowners and the unhoused, in the case of encampments, is the correct one. That approach and his sensible attitude toward matters like rebuilding the Third Police precinct in its current location, in order to expedite the permanent return of a badly needed police presence in the area, make him the best candidate to represent the Ninth Ward.

Orban's not just concerned about how his family is experiencing the neighborhood dangers. How is it compassionate, he asked, to allow the encampments to stand and just provide Narcan to those who overdose? Many of the unhoused need "an intense amount of help," he said, adding that he believes the city should be more aggressive about delivering more mental health, addiction and housing solutions — and to acknowledge how dangerous the encampments are to those who live in them.

Ninth Ward residents deserve solutions, and the current council — including Chavez, who's aligned with a far-left faction of the council that's routinely, even reflexively, hostile to Mayor Jacob Frey and the thin majority of relatively more moderate council members — has not provided them. Chavez hasn't provided answers either, declining an interview with the Editorial Board.

A high-intensity City Council race has unfolded in the high-intensity 10th Ward of south Minneapolis, a densely populated urban enclave encompassing Uptown and adjacent neighborhoods.

Incumbent Aisha Chughtai carries endorsements from both the DFL and the Democratic Socialists of America, but she declined to seek the Star Tribune Editorial Board's endorsement or to interview with editorial writers (aishaforward10.com). She explained in an email that the Editorial Board had made clear its "disagreement with my agenda."

While the Editorial Board would have valued exploring Chughtai's views, it is true that her positions on key city issues often differ from ours. She told the Star Tribune voter guide that she favors a strict rent control regime, opposes removal of homeless encampments and sees no need for additional funding for police.

Challenger Nasri Warsame, a Somali immigrant and aspiring police officer, regrettably became known to the public mainly through a well-publicized fracas at the 10th Ward DFL endorsing convention last spring (nasriwarsame.com). The party assigned blame for the confusing and embarrassing disorder to Warsame's supporters and expelled him. He has apologized forthrightly for any misbehavior among his purported backers.

Meanwhile, as a candidate, Warsame is clear, well-informed and focused intently on the increased crime he says is plaguing his ward (the 10th Ward leads the city in car thefts and carjackings so far this year, and ranks second in robberies). He wants to see increased police funding directed to hiring minority officers. He opposes rigid rent control.

Bruce Dachis is a longtime real estate investor and developer and small-business owner in the Uptown area (brucedachis.com). He was part of a lawsuit several years ago aimed at blocking efforts to replace the Police Department, and he is emphatic that it is the crime and disorder and resulting economic damage in his part of his part of town that have moved him to seek office for the first time in an effort to bring change.

Dachis is direct, plain-spoken and pragmatic. Every issue ultimately concerns public safety, he says. Police in his view need more funding, more reform and more support. He would push a major effort to fight the opioid crisis and with it the homelessness crisis. He opposes rent control and other policies that make building and owning affordable housing more difficult. He calls for more attention to roads and parking and more support for small businesses, particularly in the Uptown area where so many have closed in recent difficult years.

Also on the ballot is Greg Kline, an information security analyst who declined to seek the newspaper's endorsement.

The Editorial Board recommends Bruce Dachis. His energy, sensible views on the issues, deep community roots and hands-on understanding of business realities in Minneapolis would be a uniquely valuable addition to the council.

Residents of the south-central 11th Ward in Minneapolis are well represented by City Council Member Emily Koski, who earns the Star Tribune Editorial Board's endorsement for a second term (emilykoskiformpls.com.) Elected with our backing in 2021, Koski has deepened her understanding of key issues and policymaking processes in two years, becoming something of a bridge builder as well as a leading pragmatic voice on key choices facing city leaders.

DFL-endorsed, Koski is a champion of affordable housing, including its development in the 11th Ward, where single-family homes dominate. But she opposes rigid rent control, arguing that abundant evidence shows it to be ineffective and counterproductive. She calls for efforts to address the underlying causes of homelessness and provide safe and stable housing for all, but says allowing homeless encampments to remain is not a solution.

Koski calls for increased investment in the Minneapolis Police Department as it works to achieve reform, replace the lost Third Precinct station and continue reducing crime. But she emphasizes the simultaneous need for broader public safety services providing comprehensive behavioral and preventive efforts.

Koski is upbeat and energized, long active in community affairs and organizations, and a familiar presence among the residents, neighborhoods and business owners in the 11th Ward. She sees a fulfilling opportunity in the new strong-mayor governance structures put in place in City Hall in recent years, a chance for council members to play a key and better-defined role in charting a new course for Minneapolis. She resists the image of a council divided between ideological factions, promising to consider issues on their merits and forge alliances wherever they serve the common good.

Also seeking the 11th Ward seat is Gabrielle Prosser of the Socialist Workers Party. A baker and union activist, Prosser is an ardent advocate for working-class solidarity and organization, calling for working people to fight for their common class interests and end the capitalist system. She has few specific positions on current city issues, although she opposes calls to defund or abolish the police.

Three candidates stepped up in the race to succeed three-term Council Member Andrew Johnson in this southeastern Minneapolis ward when he decided not to run for re-election. The winner will take the seat earlier than other elected candidates because Johnson is leaving the position early to take another job.

Of the choices, foundation fundraiser Luther Ranheim stands out as the best fit for the ward and the council (lutherforward12.com). Ranheim grew up on the South Side and has three decades of experience with financial services, social services, arts organizations and community volunteering. His experience raising money and understanding budgets is a plus. Ranheim told editorial writers that he believes in "progressive but pragmatic governing" — not grandstanding.

On rent control, he rightly opposes a strict 3% rent control cap with no exceptions because it would work against the significant progress Minneapolis has made on maintaining and developing affordable housing.

Ranheim is endorsed by several current and former DFL elected officials, including Mayor Jacob Frey and Hennepin County Sheriff Dawanna Witt. And he counts Engage Minneapolis, a group of citizens concerned about council politics, among his supporters.

He takes a sensible approach to the problem of homeless encampments, arguing that the city shouldn't allow them because of the dangers they pose but must also find ways to provide more dignified shelter. He also favors increasing the Minneapolis Police Department's budget, including enough to bring the sworn force up to a minimum of 731.

Also running are DFL- and Democratic Socialists of America-endorsed Aurin Chowdhury, who has been a community organizer and policy aide to two City Council members, and Nancy Ford, owner of a repair shop in the ward (aurinchowdhury.org, nancyforward12.com).

Chowdhury has a well-organized campaign and knows the inner workings of city government. She has done some impressive work on climate issues. She has not committed to a particular percentage but believes the city should have a rent stabilization policy. During the campaign, she has said she supports deep police reforms and funding for 731 sworn officers; however, some of her past social media posts called for fewer officers and reducing the police budget.

Ford also knows city issues well and says that affordable housing, crime and the opioid and fentanyl crisis are top concerns in the ward. She opposes rent control, supports adding police officers and would be a good second choice after Ranheim.

Three-term incumbent City Council Member Linea Palmisano is running for re-election to continue to serve the southwestern corner of Minneapolis (lineapalmisano.org). With the departures of two veteran council members — and depending upon the outcomes in other races — Palmisano could end up being the most experienced member of the council. That could be especially valuable if the governing body has a majority of members with two years or less of service.

As council vice president, Palmisano has provided steady, thoughtful leadership on a range of issues. Throughout her tenure, she's wisely pressed for police reforms and was among only three council members who in mid-2020 did not sign onto a pledge to begin "defunding and dismantling" the Police Department.

One of the hardest-working council members, Palmisano does her homework and is well-informed on issues that come before the council. She has taken the lead to put stronger auditing procedures in place for city programs and worked on council ethics policies.

Palmisano has sometimes stood alone or with a council minority against votes that would take the city and council in the wrong direction. She has DFL endorsement as well as support from a variety of unions and community groups and individuals.

Challenger Kate Mortenson is a business owner and part of the family that operates the Mortenson construction and development company (katemortensonforcitycouncil.org). She was the CEO of the host committee for the NCAA Men's Final Four to Minneapolis. She said that effort demonstrated her ability to tap relationships across the business, nonprofit and philanthropic sectors to participate in government solutions.

Mortenson describes herself as a moderate Democrat who opposes strict rent control and believes police need more resources. She is highly critical of Palmisano and city leadership generally for producing and tolerating "mediocre" city operations. She says she would do more to make the city safe and its infrastructure sound.

Substitute teacher Bob "Again" Carney Jr. is running as a Republican who appears to agree with the incumbent on several issues. If elected, he says, oddly, that he will not take the oath of office and would allow Palmisano keep the seat. Carney told editorial writers that said he'd publicly share his opinions and would be a "a real bridge between the Republican Party and Minneapolis."

Neither challenger made a strong case to replace the incumbent. Also running is Zach Metzger (zachforthepeople.com), a legislative aide who did not participate.

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For more on the Nov. 7 elections, see the Star Tribune newsroom's voter guides for Minneapolis and St. Paul. Editorial Board endorsements in St. Paul City Council races are collected here. Our recommendation for approval of St. Paul's ballot question on a 1% sales tax increase to fund street repair can be found here. The Editorial Board operates separately from the newsroom, and no news editors or reporters were involved in the endorsement process.