If Katie Cashman had to sum up her first term as Ward 7’s councilmember in one word, it would be productive. 

Cashman had big shoes to fill after she won the Ward 7 seat vacated by Lisa Goodman, who retired at the beginning of 2024 after 26 years. One of the first things that Cashman did when she took office was grow Ward 7’s newsletter by about 1,000 subscribers through door knocking. That newsletter has become an effective way for Cashman to share weekly updates on what she’s working on at City Hall and where she's been in the community.

In fact, Cashman says there was more legislative action in the first seven months of 2024 than the entire 2022-2023 term, according to the City Clerk. Cashman wants to continue building on that momentum through a second term, which would span four years rather than two.

Cashman, the youngest of seven kids, moved with her family to Northeast Minneapolis when she was 15. She is now a Loring Heights renter who lives with her dog, Hazel, an energetic mutt.

Downtown Voices editor Brianna Kelly sat down with Cashman on Jan. 23 at Coco in the Grain Exchange Building to take stock of her first term and hear her hopes for a second.

This is the fifth and final installment of Downtown Voices’ interviews with Ward 3 and 7 candidates. Questions for candidates are based on responses to an internal reader survey conducted earlier this year. 

The following conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

Brianna Kelly: What's the biggest issue facing Ward 7 today, and how are you working to address it?

Katie Cashman: I think Ward 7 has three main issues. 

Public safety continues to be a daily stress and hardship, even though we are starting to get on the right track. But public safety is subjective. It means different things to different people, and I've been challenging folks to share with me what they consider to be safe. What does it mean to them? For some people, it's the number of police officers. For some people, it's the amount of response, the time that it takes from calling the police to when someone gets there. For others, it's a feeling of safety on the sidewalk. And that's really qualitative, right? 

BK: That was the question in your newsletter this week, right?

KC: Yes, and it’s really interesting to read people’s responses. 

I want safety for all, not just safety according to one person's definition of safety. That’s why I really believe in a comprehensive public safety system that has police response and other first responders as well, including the behavioral crisis response and violence prevention services. We need to continue to build out and legitimize that system with evidence, data, transparency, accountability. 

The second issue that's most important to Ward 7 is affordable housing and homelessness. There are really diverse housing types across the ward, but we do still have segregation in our housing system, some very high-income areas and some areas of concentrated poverty. That’s why mixed levels of housing in all neighborhoods is so important to me, so we don’t have rich neighborhoods and poor neighborhoods, but rather livable neighborhoods for people of all backgrounds across the board.

The third one is commercial corridor revitalization. I mean, retail has changed so much since the pandemic and because of online shopping. I don’t think we’ve fully reckoned with the future of retail. I do know that some people are doing great studies. Actually, the Downtown Council is doing an inventory of all the retail spaces downtown and their specs, like square footage, location in the skyway or ground floor, etcetera. It will help to see what types of businesses are attracted to different retail spaces. I think that matchmaking will be really important. 

Also, supporting the long-term businesses that we do have, and the new businesses that are trying to open, helping them get their permits and their licenses from the City– it's a very lengthy process. President (Elliott) Payne opened up the liquor license ordinance, and I'm collaborating with him on getting feedback from restaurants on their process of getting a liquor license, so we can figure out how we can make that easier for them from start to finish. That's one thing that we'll be working on this year.

BK: Are there any other ways the City can support small businesses, especially those struggling with road construction?

KC: There was a budget amendment to fund a zero-interest loan program for businesses impacted by construction. I think that’s worth exploring because construction projects are not going to end; our infrastructure will always need to be upgraded and improved. If this loan program gets piloted this year, it would teach us how to best cover some of the losses that businesses have to endure. 

Then I think that there's more that we can do around marketing and events. We have this great Open Streets program, so let's build on that. Open Streets is very, very beneficial to the businesses nearby. So, the City can help play a role in attracting people to areas through street closures and events.

BK: How should the City address homelessness? What’s working and not working with the current approach?

KC: There are many approaches needed on this issue, but my number one approach is funding and establishing supportive housing in shelter spaces. We need more shelter spaces. We need more low-barrier supportive housing options. In the Business, Housing & Zoning Committee, we have approved many new shelters in various neighborhoods throughout the city, and there's always push back from the neighbors who live nearby. 

It's understandable that people are hesitant to want to live near a shelter, but at the same time, we need this resource so that people are not sleeping and living outside, because that is incredibly dangerous for them. Encampments are dangerous for the residents nearby. We have seen murders and fires. It’s unacceptable. So, we need to be providing indoor housing options for people, and that means funding, siting, and collaboration across levels of government.

BK: If you were re-elected, what would be your priority for the term?

KC: Restoring pride in Minneapolis. It’s my New Year’s resolution, to help people feel proud of their city. You know, we’ve been through a lot in the past few years, and I think people want to champion Minneapolis, but they are still reckoning with all of our shortcomings. Feeling proud of our city and our progress and our comeback should be genuine.

BK: Why are you the best person to continue leading Ward 7?

‍KC: I have deep roots in this city. I'm incredibly energetic and ready to take on the issues that we face. I'm a very compassionate and open-minded person, so I approach challenges with thoughtfulness and an open heart, and I'm always looking to find solutions.

Local democracy is more important than ever right now. We’re gearing up to defend human rights. We are on the front lines of that work, and I do not take that lightly. I'm very clear-eyed in my resolve to stand up for all people and not to compromise on those values in the face of this administration. We’re gonna need fighters in this era, with conviction, with a spine. I'm talking to people who are very scared right now, trans folks, immigrants… all people are very scared, so you want them to know that we have their back.

Downtown Voices also interviewed Paula Chesley, who’s running against Cashman for the Ward 7 seat. Our election tracker is keeping tabs on everyone in the mayoral and City Council races.