Northeast Minneapolis is represented in the Minnesota Legislature by District 60A, which includes Minneapolis Ward 1 and precincts 1-4 in Ward 3. Sydney Jordan was first elected to the Minnesota House in 2020 in a special election after the death of longtime Rep. Diane Loeffler. She has lived in several Northeast neighborhoods, and currently resides in Northeast Park. Challenger Mary Holmberg lives in the Marshall Terrace neighborhood.
Mary Holmberg
Republican
https://maryholmberg.com/
Tell us about your background: I’m a lifelong metro area Minnesota resident and a graduate of the University of Minnesota. I was a soccer mom in the ’90s, involved with Scouts, sports and PTA organizations. In recent years, I completed the Master Water Stewards program through the Mississippi Watershed Management Organization, Class of 2016 and Master Recycler program through Hennepin County, Class of 2018.
How long have you lived in Northeast Minneapolis? 12 years
Why do you want to represent Northeast in the Legislature? Like many Minneapolis residents, the riots of 2020 confirmed a nagging skepticism about the local authorities. Thankfully, my business was not burned down and the local police precinct was not abandoned, but my faith and perception of the local and state government entities will never be the same. I came to realize that summer that Minneapolis was certainly on a bad path, whether by design or incompetence. There was no more denying what was going on in this state right before all of our eyes. Participation of all those who don’t agree with the hard left’s agenda is mandatory to correct the course of this state and get Minneapolis, Minnesota, off the front pages worldwide for the insanity going on here. I will put common sense to work on day one.
If elected, what would you like to accomplish? Expose and impartially prosecute the obscene fraud by nonprofits [such as Feeding Our Future]. Reel in the gluttonous, needless spending passed by the leftists’ slim majority during the 2024 session. Make school choice a reality for everyone. Allow a taxpayer-funded education to be a wise move for academic success.
Sydney Jordan
Incumbent
Democrat
https://www.sydneyjordan.org/
Tell us about your background: I grew up in Illinois, received a B.A. in political science and global studies from the University of Minnesota. I am the state director of the Campaign to Save the Boundary Waters.
How long have you lived in Northeast Minneapolis? I’ve lived in several neighborhoods. I’ve been in Northeast Park since 2019.
What have you learned since you were first elected as representative? If you don’t learn anything at the Legislature, you’re not doing your job, and after being there before, during and after COVID, I’ve learned a lot. I’ve come to understand what Diane knew, that public health is the intersection of everything we work on — education, finance, labor, the environment — they all have an intersection with public health.
What legislation are you particularly proud of? I’m proud of what we did in the last biennium to provide universal school meals. We’ve made gains in regulations regarding plastic packaging, trying to reduce dependence on plastics.
If you’re reelected, what’s on your agenda for Northeast Minneapolis? How to replace the HERC [Hennepin Energy Recovery Center] in a way that doesn’t just shift waste from one place to another. We want clean air, clean water. There will be bonding bills for Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) lines. We’ll have the H and F lines here. Another is funding for East Side Neighborhood Services to provide a senior community service employment program, which provides work readiness training and support to low-income adults aged 55 and older and expanding a nursing assistant training program.
Editor’s note: Minneapolis Elections & Voter Services, 980 E. Hennepin Ave., is open for early in-person voting through Monday, Nov. 4. Details at https://vote.minneapolismn.gov/voters/vote-early-in-person/. To vote by mail, apply at minneapolisabsentee@minneapolismn.gov at least seven days before Election Day. Completed ballots must be mailed far enough in advance to be counted on Election Day or dropped off at the center until 8 p.m. on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 5. Polls will be open 7 a.m.-8 p.m. To find your polling place, visit https://pollfinder.sos.mn.gov/.