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The Star Tribune has recently published opinion pieces from Minneapolis residents. Steve Sefton, a 23-year resident, wrote he is leaving because of a lack of safety (Opinion Exchange, May 8). Em Cassel, a resident of seven years, wrote that she is happy with the city's progressive values (counterpoint, May 15). Pam Costain, a resident of 50 years, said that she is staying but sees a city in decline (counterpoint, May 30).
I get asked a lot if it is time to leave. Mostly these people remember Murderapolis, porn theaters, houses of prostitution, boarded up buildings — they remember what Minneapolis used to be. And fear we are going back.
The census reported the city's estimated population in 2020 as 429,988. It reported an estimated population of 425,115 as of July 1, 2023, a decline of 1.1%. This is notable because at the same time, the city was adding housing.
One of the biggest reasons to choose Minneapolis is a short commute, as Minneapolis has about 18% of the region's jobs. Working from home means many now commute only a few days a week, diminishing this strategic advantage. Minneapolis has also just been losing jobs. Since 2019, jobs declined 4% and payroll declined 8%, when adjusted for inflation. These data come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages and the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development.
Another strategic advantage of living in a core city was quick access to not only jobs but shopping and amenities. In a bid to make us Amsterdam or Manhattan, the city is remaking the roadways for bikes, walking and transit. Now the streets are filled with cars in made-up congestion, making it hard to get to jobs and businesses, taking away this strategic advantage, too.
Crime is up — or down, depending on who you talk to. The far left will tell you crime is down because they count from the peak of the pandemic. Moderates will tell you crime is up because they count from before the pandemic. The truth is there is no single measure for "crime," and most "crime" numbers are influenced by the lack of police. What I do see a growing resignation that being a victim of crime is the cost of living in the city, and nothing will be done if you are harmed.
From 2023 to 2024, the value of property in the city declined over $2 billion dollars or 3.1%. Ownership housing values declined 1.3%, rental property values declined 9.5% and commercial property values declined 8.8%, according to the Minneapolis city assessor. If you are a working schmuck like me and have most of your wealth invested in your home, alarm bells should be ringing.
I own about the average house and pay $560 a month in taxes and fees to live in this city. Even if the city, school board and county did not take one dollar more from me, I would be facing a double-digit tax increase because of the dramatic drop in commercial and rental property values. On top of that, the school board has a $100 million deficit, the county did an almost 10% increase last year, and the city is projecting a 6% increase, before the far-left City Council starts adding programs. It is possible I will see tax increases next year starting with the number "2″.
We elected a new City Council in January. Was council members' first action to address any of these trends? Nope. They are pursuing the national far-left agenda of those that got them elected. Their first action was a hugely divisive vote on a war half a globe away. Next, they almost put 10,000 people out of work to pursue a national fight with Uber. About the only local thing they did was refusing bonuses to retain hardworking cops. City Council Member Emily Koski's innovation was a program to better explain the city's tangle of regulations to small-business owners ("The kind of thinking it takes to help Minneapolis bounce back," Opinion Exchange, May 24).
I believe Minneapolis can be a great city. But the data says we sit on a cusp — we can tip one way or the other. Which direction will we go? A lot of the answer falls to our political leadership. We are five months into the City Council's two-year term, and so for, we have not seen any real ideas for addressing the substantial issues facing our city. And that should worry anyone who loves this city.
Carol Becker, of Minneapolis, is a college professor and data analyst. For 16 years she was a member of the Minneapolis Board of Estimate and Taxation.
