Cam Winton

Age: 34

Occupation + experience: Senior Counsel at Duke Energy.

Big ideas: Hire 100-plus police officers using savings from consolidating city and county back-office services. Believes City Hall should focus more on providing core services — police, fire and roads —than "bells and whistles."

Big accomplishment: As vice president and general counsel of Outland Energy Services, he worked to build the company into a leading provider of wind-turbine maintenance services. He then helped sell the company to Duke, avoiding layoffs.

Weakness/baggage: Is a Republican, running as an independent, in a city where DFLers dominate local, state and congressional politics.

Personal: Married to Emily Pryor Winton, an associate at Dorsey & Whitney law firm. They have two children and live in the Fulton neighborhood.

Supporters that matter: Former Target CEO Bob Ulrich, former DFL congressional candidate Ashwin Madia, and independent Stephen Imholte, who managed Tom Horner's 2010 bid for governor.

Quotable moment: "I'm the only one in the race saying these things because I'm the only candidate in the race not coming from any power structure."

Ideas for growing jobs/population: Says the city should more effectively deliver essential services, such as road paving and plowing, and make the streets safer. To grow businesses, wants to shift more of the permitting process online.

Suggested cuts/efficiencies: One of the only candidates who has made spending cuts a core part of their platform. Wants to stop spending on bike infrastructure and opposes investment in streetcars, saying, "They are cool, they are shiny, but is that a reason to spend millions of dollars?"

Website: wintonformayor.org