Readers Write: Ranked-choice voting, Ward 7 race, Minneapolis mayor’s race, St. Paul mayor’s race

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Some critics claim ranked-choice voting is confusing, but the real confusion is in their math (“Where does Mpls. mayoral election stand?”).

Your first-choice vote might represent 100% of what you want in a candidate. Your second choice might only represent 80% of what you want. But isn’t 80% better than 0%?

For too long, voters have been told to throw away their votes if they can’t get 100% of what they want. That all-or-nothing thinking is precisely what led our country into hyperpolarization, where compromise is seen as betrayal and anyone who disagrees with you on one issue becomes the enemy.

Ranked-choice voting recognizes a basic truth: Governance requires coalition-building and compromise. It gives voters permission to express nuanced preferences instead of forcing them into binary choices between “perfect” and “terrible.”

Holly Kragthorpe Shirley, Minneapolis

Cashman means well, but there’s a persistent disconnect between what she says and how she votes. At a recent candidates’ forum, she claimed “full responsibility” for the two-year Hennepin Avenue reconstruction project, taking credit for saving the trees and preserving parking through “flex” bus lanes.

The truth is that the trees were saved in early 2023, nearly a year before she took office, thanks to collaboration among neighbors, Minneapolis Public Works and her opponent, Park Board Commissioner Elizabeth Shaffer. Parking was preserved in June 2022, when Mayor Jacob Frey vetoed 24/7 bus lanes — also before Cashman’s tenure.

Cashman describes herself as a moderate, yet she votes almost 80% of the time with the City Council’s Democratic Socialist members, often opposing reforms backed by the mayor and Police Chief Brian O’Hara.

Climate change is real, but so are political smoke screens. Voters deserve leaders grounded in facts, and whose votes match their earnest campaign rhetoric.

Susan Lenfestey, Minneapolis

There are two strong candidates for the Ward 7 City Council race, Katie Cashman, the incumbent, and her opponent, Elizabeth Shaffer, a Parks and Recreation commissioner. This time, voters need to look beyond lawn signs, campaign funding, online marketing and focus on candidate skill sets and reputation among the City Council, to ensure policy is implemented in the next four years.

Cashman has proven an effective policymaker by successfully co-sponsoring policy with each of the 12 other council members. During council committee meetings, Cashman is always exquisitely prepared, asks the salient questions and is a budget hawk. Regrettably, even if Shaffer were to assume office this minute, the council majority will unwind her every move and, at best, her efforts will be frustrated.

Cashman’s experience and ability to work with all council members is why it’s important to retain her. Her opponent has worked with a budget that’s small in comparison to that of the City Council’s $2 billion budget. And her opponent’s department, the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board, does not operate in a deficit, whereas the 2026 Council faces a $94 million shortfall. Cashman’s partnering skills are fine-tuned, and she is deserving of another term.

Toby Brill, Minneapolis

The Minnesota Star Tribune has long been one of my most-trusted news sources, but I was disappointed by the way the Oct. 24 article titled “The fierce urgency of Mpls. mayoral candidate Omar Fateh” downplayed Fateh’s record of opposing LGBTQ+ rights.

Equally glaring is that fact that the most newsworthy point was buried many paragraphs deep: In a previous political race, he publicly opposed not only a ban on gender-based employment discrimination but also a measure to educate kids on gender identity and sexuality.

Given the extent to which he’s relied on the queer community for support, this information is outrageous and deserves prominent coverage, perhaps with a headline like “Omar Fateh opposed LGBTQ+ workplace protection and education Policies” or “Mayoral candidates’ records widely varied on LGBTQ+ issues.”

It’s critical that voters know about Fateh’s poor record on these issues before walking into the polls on Tuesday. They may also be interested in learning more about DeWayne Davis’ work as an out-and-proud clergyman or Mayor Jacob Frey’s key role in Minnesota’s 2012 fight for marriage equality as they decide whom to rank.

With so much vitriol directed toward us from MAGA, members of Minneapolis’ LGBTQ+ community deserve to assess for ourselves whether our next mayor is an authentic advocate for our rights or simply a calculating opportunist who will sell us out if/when it becomes politically advantageous to do so.

Patrick Lynch, Minneapolis

Former City Council Member Steve Cramer identifies himself in a recent letter as “a longtime participant in political and civic affairs,” and I probably also qualify. Cramer characterizes Minneapolis mayoral candidates Jazz Hampton, DeWayne Davis and Omar Fateh as “misleading us and cheapening their own campaigns” by campaigning together, because the men have policy differences. But what Cramer sees darkly I see as collaborative; the three have acknowledged differences yet found common interests. Isn’t that what we want in public officials, rather than a zero-sum candidate like Frey, who has no legislative or Hennepin County commissioner endorsements? Hampton, Davis or Fateh would make a better mayor than the incumbent, and their campaigns reflect that truth. Unlike Cramer, I’ll be ranking all three.

David Brauer, Minneapolis

St. Paul firefighters met for our monthly union meeting in early October, and the mayor’s race was top of mind. As one of the city’s largest public employee unions, we know that whoever leads St. Paul has a direct impact on our work and on the safety of our residents.

As president of IAFF Local 21, representing the firefighters, EMTs and paramedics of the St. Paul Fire Department, I work with city leaders every day to make sure their vision for public safety matches the realities of those who respond to 911 calls. That alignment doesn’t always come easily, but honest, regular dialogue is how a city gets stronger. When communication breaks down, workers and residents both lose.

During our endorsement process, we met with both Mayor Melvin Carter and state Rep. Kaohly Her. Carter acknowledged that he hasn’t always sought input from our members before making big decisions. Her, meanwhile, has a proven record of collaboration with labor. As a state representative, she worked with the Minnesota Professional Fire Fighters to strengthen and protect public employee pensions. She also brought clear ideas for how we can work together to improve fire and EMS services across the city.