Ewald Consulting’s Government Relations Team offers our condolences to the Ewald family on the passing of Ewald Consulting’s founder, Douglas Ewald. Doug had an infectious personality, loving heart, and business savvy. He will be missed.
Frontline Worker Pay Working Group
The Frontline Worker Pay Working Group met for the final time and was unable to reach a compromise on which frontline workers should get pandemic pay bonus checks. The panel voted instead to send both a GOP plan and the DFL plan back to the full Legislature.
The group met a dozen times with the goal of sending a plan to the legislature for approval in a September special session. It now appears unlikely that action will be taken on distributing $250 million in bonus checks until the legislature reconvenes in late January 2022.
COVID-19 Vaccination Expansion
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has officially recommended vaccinating children ages 5 through 11.
The Pfizer vaccine for children 5 to 11 years of age is the first pediatric COVID-19 vaccine authorized for use in this country. The vaccine is one-third of the dose of the adult vaccine and children will get two injections given 21 days (about three weeks) apart.
Gov. Tim Walz said on Nov. 3 that health care providers and others will begin vaccinating 5- to 11-year-old children this week, now that the Pfizer coronavirus shot has received federal authorization.
Rep. Alice Housman Not Seeking Reelection
Rep. Alice Hausman (DFL-Falcon Heights) has announced she will not seek reelection in 2022.
First elected in a 1989 special election, she has been a key player in capital investment, environment, transportation, and most recently, housing. Since 2019, she has chaired the House Housing Finance and Policy Division.
Minneapolis and St. Paul Election Results
Minneapolis and St. Paul utilize ranked-choice voting for their mayoral, city council, and park board elections. The system allows voters to choose up to three candidates and rank them in their preferred order. If a voter’s first choice is eliminated during vote tabulation, their second-choice candidate gets their vote. If that candidate is later eliminated, their third choice gets their vote. Rounds of tabulation continue until one candidate reaches 50 percent of the vote and is declared the winner.
On Nov. 3, incumbent Mayor Jacob Frey was declared the winner of the Minneapolis mayoral race. The incumbent mayor received the most first-choice votes, but needed the additional ranked choice tabulation before being declared the winner.
Voters in Minneapolis rejected a proposed amendment to the city charter that would have eliminated the city's police department and replaced it with a public safety agency. The charter amendment was drafted in response to calls to defund or dismantle the Minneapolis Police Department following the murder of George Floyd in May 2020. The question was defeated 56 percent to 44 percent.
St. Paul voters re-elected Mayor Melvin Carter. St. Paul also utilizes ranked-choice voting, but Carter received 62 percent of the vote on the first ballot, so it was not necessary to move to voters’ second choices.
Voters in Minneapolis and St. Paul also approved giving city officials the authority to implement rent control ordinances.
They Said It...
“If frontline workers performed like legislators, Minnesotans would be in terrible shape right now in this pandemic.” – Rep. Ryan Winkler (DFL-Golden Valley) on the Frontline Worker Pay Working Group’s inability to reach an agreement
