Opinion | Why Omar Fateh is the best choice for Minneapolis mayor

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Minneapolis, let me tell you what I know about Omar Fateh.

I served alongside Fateh in the Minnesota Senate. From the very first conversation we had, I saw in him a determined and tenacious leader who refused to give up in the face of hardship or setbacks. He frequently reminded us of our duty to our constituents and the obligation to work harder to fulfill our campaign promises: to work harder for all of you.

Fateh came to the Senate determined to represent the voice of working people. He proposed to guarantee minimum wages for Uber and Lyft drivers who were getting poverty wages, to provide University of Minnesota graduate students with stronger union protections, and to make college in Minnesota not just affordable but free.

I supported these ideas, but I didn’t believe we could convince the majority of our peers to vote for all of these proposals. Fateh worked with determination and strategy on every one of these policies, and today they are the law for all Minnesotans.

He took on billion-dollar Silicon Valley corporations like Uber and Lyft, who were threatening to hold our state hostage, and won. Today, every driver in the state earns a living wage and has better protections.

Fateh wants to bring his political insight and tenacity to Minneapolis, and I believe our city needs his strength and political intuition to move us forward. He wants to build a safe Minneapolis where people can afford to live, raise their families, and start businesses. A place where seniors can keep their homes and age in place, and where all of us despite ability can access every corner of our city.

He wants to raise the minimum wage to $20 by 2028, listen to the voters and pass rent stabilization while still exempting new construction, and protect renters from eviction. These are real, tangible changes that can ensure families are not forced to choose between paying rent and putting food on the table.

Fateh believes public safety comes from care, not crackdowns. He secured $19 million for Minneapolis for public safety, which has remained untouched by the current administration. He will put those resources to work to implement consent decrees, diversify 911 responses and clear case backlogs.

I served with Fateh, have seen how relentless he is and know he is the type of leader we need at City Hall. He doesn’t flinch, he doesn’t fold and he doesn’t forget who he’s working for: You.