The jockeying has begun ahead of next year's mayoral election in Minneapolis.
With R.T. Rybak still mulling whether he'll seek a fourth term, one City Council member has thrown her hat in the ring if he chooses to step aside at the end of his term in 2013.
Betsy Hodges, the council's budget chair, filed campaign finance paperwork this week with Hennepin County announcing her intentions to run for the city's top post.
"I want the city to keep running well," said Hodges, who represents the southwest corner of Minneapolis. "I want us to build a great city of the future."
Hodges says she won't run, however, if Rybak decides to seek another term. Rybak has said he'll decide before Jan. 1 -- some have speculated he could land a spot in Washington. Hodges said Rybak knows of her intentions, but she has no information about his plans for the future.
"R.T. is a good mayor," Hodges said. "If he chose to serve again, I would respect that."
Before joining the council, Hodges served as a development director for nonprofits, most recently the Minnesota Justice Foundation. In July 2011, she married Gary Cunningham, who represents Minneapolis on the Metropolitan Council.
As budget chair for nearly three years, Hodges has had the high-profile but difficult task of shepherding the budget through the council. "It's given me a first-hand working knowledge of how the city works," Hodges said.
