Name: Tamir Nolley
Office Sought: 6th ward City Council
Full Mailing Address: 2323 Garfield Ave. S #10
Home Phone: (612) 872-4188
Work Phone: (612) 247-9002
email: tamir@nolleytrolley.org
Qualifications and Background:
a) List your public service
experience (local, state and federal government, military, civic organizations,
non-profit organizations, philanthropic efforts, faith communities, etc.)
If
elected, this would be my first time holding public office, and for all
practical purposes, my first experience in the public sector. I have experience working in the Public
Schools with developmentally disabled children. I have volunteered as a summer program director at Powderhorn
park and I am a member of a group known as Communities United Against Police
Brutality.
b) List private sector
business experience/employment experience.
I
am a Taxi Driver and I have some management experience in that industry. Most of my experience is as a musician and
an author of short stories. I believe that my experience as a taxi
operator is very relevant to this campaign because the city has enacted
policies that make it difficult for the cab drivers to do thier jobs safely and
without harassment.
c) List professional and
educational background.
I
have attended the Minneapolis Community College Human Services program, The
University of Arizona special education program, and the University of MN.
d) List campaign and
political party experience.
I
have very little campaign experience. I
briefly volunteered as a door knoker and Spanish translator for Karen Clark,
and organizations dedicated to ending the drug war. Except for three people, none of the people in this campaign have
been politically active before. The
result of this has been that we have a focused message of bringing people in to
the process.
e) Any other relevant experience?
I
think being a musician and a performer has been very helpful in this. I was a member of a band called “the Beads”
for a year and we played for crowds in the thousands.
f) Please volunteer any background
information that could embarrass the Independence Party or yourself. (This may be given verbally to two screening
committee members or 5th CD party officers.)
I
have a twisted sense of humor and tend to tell very corny jokes and make puns
that sometimes don’t make sense. Many
people have said that this is embarrassing.
g) Do you have the support
of your significant other?
I
have the enthusiastic support of both my girlfriend and my seven year old son. I would not be running for office without that
support.
h) Will you run as an
Independence Party candidate?
if another party, what party?
If allowed what party or
political philosophy will you indicate on the ballot?
I
will list myself as the Independence Party candidate, however, I intend to seek
the endorsement of the Grassroots Party and list that endorsement in my
literature. I believe that a sitting
council member with that endorsement
would send a strong message of reform to local government agencies.
(Enclose: campaign
literature, Resume, News releases)
see
web site, http://www.nolleytrolley.org
Page 2, campaign commitment,
plans and budget
1. How many hours a week do you expect to put in campaigning?
I plan
to put in at least 4 to 5 hours a day door knocking or appearing at other
campaign events. I also plan on setting
aside time for myself and my family.
2. How many doors need to be
knocked on daily?
This
depends on the number of volunteers we have.
Ideally about 40, but we should take it precinct by precinct.
3. How many lawn signs do
you expect to put up?
As
many as I can, at least 500. We also plan putting out bumper stickers and
sending “gorillagrams” to people.
4. How many literature
drops/mailings do you plan to do?
We
haven’t worked this out yet. I think we’ll
do a few weeks of concentrated lit drops and sending gorillagrams to
people. The gorilla is the symbol of
this campaign and the more people see it the better.
5. How many volunteers will
you need? How many do you have now?
As
of this questionnaire we have about twenty, but more keep joining every day,
and some move on to do other things
6. How much money do you
expect to raise, how much have you raised so far?
So
far we’ve raised about $800, although we’ve spent on flyers and some management
costs. We plan to raise as much as we
can, but the philosophy of the “gorilla campaign” is that you don’t need to
raise x amount to get elected, it’s the way you campaign and the message you
put out. We plan on raising money at
several planned fund-raisers. Several
bands have already committed to those fund-raisers. Also door knocking and some calling will help put money in the
account.
7. How do you expect to
raise the funds?
Refer
to last answer
8. How much is your campaign
budget?
We
try to spend only what we need and so far that’s worked
9. What forms of media
advertising do you plan to use?
I
have an active membership at MTN so we plan to do a half hour show on cable
access. I plan to campaign actively at
the fund-raisers we have set up. We have bought advertisements in two community
papers and intend to advertise in more. Also, a friend of mine affiliated with the Grassroots Party has
some radio time left at the cities 97 he said he’d be willing to donate to this
campaign. Beyond that, I’m open to any
suggestions.
10. What community events, fairs, parades, etc.
do you plan to attend?
I
plan on attending the both mayday parades (May 1st Peavey Park to Peavey Plaza,
and May 6th, Powderhorn Park) Unfortunately the IP convention conflicts with
the Cinch de Mayo festival on Lake Street, but I plan to make it to as much of
that as I can. I’ll be at the Lyn-Lake
festival and the Uptown Art Fair as well as several block parties this summer.
11. How many registered
voters are in your district?
Appox.
27,000, but the new census figures show the ward population to be close to 32,000.
12. What are your
expectations of the Independence Party in this campaign?
There
are two dedicated IP members on this campaign and they have proven at times to
be the backbones of this campaign. I
would also like some input, constructive criticism, help in organizing community
forums, perhaps a little help with fundraising and any volunteers the IP can spare.
13. Have you registered your
campaign yet?
Yes
we have.
14. Name and phone number of
your campaign manager:
Laverne
Turner, (612) 722-3312
15. Name and phone number of
your campaign treasurer:
Cynthia
Aguirre, (612) 722-3312
Page 3 city policy questions:
1. Do you believe that the city has an infrastructure crisis
(sewers, roads, waterworks, bridges,)
and if so what would you do to correct it?
This
month I spent $500 on replacing the front end in my van, mostly because of poor
road conditions. I think there is a
current infrastructure crisis with in regards to roads, however as this is
often caused by our whether conditions. I’m not sure of a good way to solve it, but other cities in this region
address this by investing in the quality of construction. Generally the thicker the concrete bed the
more durable. Perhaps we build fewer
new roads in the metro area and invest
more in the quality and upkeep of the ones we have. Answers also lie in increasing the mass
transit options such as light rail and increased bus service. As for light rail, it must be done in such a
way so that it doesn’t tear down trees, homes and force an undue cost on small
locally owned businesses. The Hiawatha
line did precisely that and the Phillips neighborhood is feeling it’s community
being torn apart. I also think that
Minneapolis should develop a municipal energy policy based on renewable power
sources so that we’re ready in the event of an energy crisis similar to the one
in California. This potentially could
be our most damaging infrastructure crisis.
2. Do you believe that city
government has shown a good balance maintaining and serving the various
neighborhoods around the city? Please
comment.
No,
I do not. I believe that the Phillips,
Little Earth and Cedar-Riverside neighborhoods have been isolated and neglected
by the city in favor of projects that mostly serve large business
interests. Supposedly, millions in NRP
money has been given to these neighborhoods, but the residents are still desperate
and the neighborhoods are still impoverished.
There needs to be a focused effort to improve the economy and the self
sufficiency of these neighborhoods.
Many people have attempted to do this, but businesses that do serve
these residents such as the Hard Times cafe, the Free Store, and the Dollar
King, find themselves victims of MCDA and city harassment because those in
power don’t like the way their customers “look.”
3. Rank each of the
following as a priority mission of city government (as distinct from school or
county government,) using a scale of 1 as most important to 10 as least
important.
Maintain Physical Infrastructure
(roads, sewers, water supply, etc.) 1
Provide social and
educational services to immigrants. 5
Police and fire protection. 3.
Keeping city streets clear
(plowed) and all neighborhoods clean. 6
Providing education and
recreation programs for youth. 4
Providing social services
for victims of abuse, poverty or unemployment. 5
Maintain economic viability
by attracting/retaining businesses. 5
Disclaimer: I do place a very high priority on immigrant
services, however I feel that educational and social services is primarily the
responsibility of the county, state and school board. On the city council I would push for the appointment of more
immigrants to city agencies, and for more access to health care for
immigrants. I do think that snow plowing
and street sweeping are important city responsibilities, and alone I would have
placed them higher on the priority list, however, I feel that keeping litter off of the sidewalks and yards are
primarily the responsibility of neighborhood residents.
4. There have been many
opinions expresses the past several years about the Minneapolis Police
department, on issues related to police shootings of civilians, racial
profiling, the handling of protests, a perceived attitude of disrespect for the
community, and a concern about inadequate training and supervision. What are your opinions about the current
condition of the Minneapolis Police Department? Please comment.
This
issue has been the number one item on my agenda, and the question comes at a
very sensitive time in our political consciousness given the Cincinnati riots
and the recent Supreme Court decision allowing the police to stop anyone for
any perceived violation. I have personally
experienced harassment by both the Minneapolis police and the Transit Police to
an excessive degree, and the Park Police to a more limited degree. I have seen our police brutalize people who
were exercising their constitutional right to protest during the ISAG
demonstrations. I am good friends with members of Sisters Camelot, an
organization which had it’s headquarters invaded and members brutalized. I’m close to members of the Hard Times
collective, which I believe was politically targeted by the police. I’ve also seen them harass parents with
small children and break an 90 year old man’s cane so “it couldn’t be used as a
weapon.” I am also enraged by the
murders of Barbara Schneider and Abuka Sanders. Ms. Schneider was a member of my mother’s synagogue and Mr.
Sanders was a well known community activist.
I am convinced that this police department is out of control, and the
two CODEFOR meetings I’ve attended have failed to convince me otherwise. I think the best answer is a charter
amendment to create a board of police commissioners, elected precinct by precinct
who would be responsible for the administrative oversight of those precincts. This would give the community some
administrative control over the MPD.
Beyond that I think it’s more important than ever that we elect someone
that would enact city policies that would protect us from cavalier treatment by
the police.
5. The availability of
affordable housing is a concern in Minneapolis. What is your opinion of past city efforts in this regard, such as
housing inspections, crime control, subsidized housing development, and the Hollman
agreement? Going forward, what do you
believe the city should be doing, if anything, about availability of housing.
In
regards to housing, repealing some of the zoning ordinances that prohibit
residential homes in commercial areas would be a good first step. Also repealing ordinances that limit the
number of people that can live in a dwelling would be a good temporary
step. We should encourage the construction
of new housing that is architecturally and ecologically built to last for generations,
and consider targeted property tax reduction for property owners that maintain
their property and rent at affordable rates.
I support putting out a “Renter’s Bill of Rights” that nails down the
rights a renter can expect from his or her landlord. I’m also open to a “Landlord’s Bill of Rights.” As for the housing inspector, my general
philosophy is that regulatory licensing inspectors should have something of a background
in the agency they are supposed to be regulating. I believe that the Taxi inspector should be a taxi driver, owner/operator
or someone with experience in that field.
The same goes for people appointed to the arts commission, the civilian
review authority, and certainly the housing inspector. As for the Hollman agreement; it was another
broken promise to poor and low income people in the near north
neighborhood. The housing that was
destroyed has never been replaced, and the Garbage incinerator that has been
built since has made the area almost unlivable. I would never sell out my constituents in such a cruel way.
6. Do you feel the city’s debt load is too high? If so, what would you do about it? Also, what is your position on the use of
tax increment financing (TIF)?
I
think the city made some extremely poor financial decisions starting with the
LSGI episode on Nicollet Mall. The
Kondirator was also an example of that poor decision making. Both of these decisions contributed to a debt
load that now puts us an danger of loosing our AAA credit rating. We have to be very careful with what we
spend our money on, the financial decisions
we make and with whom we’re dealing. We
need to involve our community in that decision making process. As
to the use of TIF, it’s a tool that could potentially have some positive
effects if the money were used in the correct way, such as finding the NRP, but
I don’t trust that it would be used in a way that would benefit our neighborhoods
or effect real “bread and butter” issues. I think we should stay away from using
TIF for the time being.
7. What are some of the
important issues specific to your ward or the city of Minneapolis, and what is
your position on them?
One
issue that has arisen for the sixth ward is the effect that the light rail
business will have on the Phillips and Cedar-Riverside neighborhoods. The city, through the MCDA or through the
Minneapolis Police have targeted the Free Store on 15th and Franklin, the
Dollar King on 11th and Franklin and the Hard Times Cafe on Cedar and
Riverside, mostly to “make the Franklin Corridor more conducive to light rail
business,” in other words, gentrify the area.
This city has shown a hostility to the poor, the immigrants, and the
counter culture, and I intend to stand with them in their struggle to keep
their businesses viable and be treated with respect. I believe that this issue is important for any small business
owner because this is an example of the government telling a business owner how
to run his or her business and who their customers should be. The loss of these places would potentially devastate
these neighborhoods economically and this is unacceptable.