4 leading Minneapolis mayoral candidates debate policies, vision

Minneapolis mayoral candidates square off in debate

The four leading candidates in the Minneapolis mayoral race squared off in a debate Monday night. FOX 9's Soyoung Kim was there as the voters hit the polls next week.

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - As the last full week of campaigning gets underway, four leading candidates bidding for Minneapolis mayor in the November election faced off on Monday at Minnesota Public Radio headquarters in St. Paul.

Voters hear from candidates

What they're saying:

With just over a week to go until election day, more voters are paying attention. And they got another chance to hear from four of the top candidates. This is how they described what type of leader they plan to be.

 "Collaborative and pragmatic," said Jazz Hampton, Minneapolis mayoral candidate.

"Earnest and compassionate," said Mayor Jacob Frey, incumbent.

"Bold and partnership," said Omar Fateh, Minneapolis mayoral candidate.

"Visionary and collaborative," said Reverend DeWayne Davis, Minneapolis mayoral candidate.

The debate 

The backstory:

Incumbent Mayor Jacob Frey and three of his strongest challengers took the stage in this nearly hour-long event Monday afternoon.

There were a few tense moments between Frey and state Sen. Omar Fateh, who Frey called his "primary challenger."

Two serious candidates, Reverend DeWayne Davis and attorney Jazz Hampton also took part in this debate.

There are 15 candidates in this race. It is a ranked-choice election, so voters are asked to select three candidates in order of preference. 

Frey calls out competitors

At one point during the debate, Frey called out the three candidates for forming a coalition against him.

What they're saying:

The debate included a lightning round of questions on public safety, gun violence, housing, downtown development, city revenue, and property taxes.

It culminated with each candidate sharing their vision for the city.

"The partnership with our public schools is critical. We have a program called Stable Home Stable Schools, which has successfully housed over 6,700 kids in our Minneapolis public school system and beyond. But we can make sure that this partnership goes even further," said Frey.

 "We have to figure out how do we make all of this work for everybody here, not only to save ourselves in this sense, but also to forecast to the country what's possible and what we know we can be," said Davis.

 "It includes having an ambitious youth agenda supporting our kids, making sure we have youth jobs and having youth programing. It includes ending poverty wages in the city of Minneapolis forever. We can make that happen," said Fateh.

 "I'm excited to do that work, and that is my big vision partnering with Hennepin County to make more buildings open to before-and-after school programs, ensuring that it's financially viable. Also, driving down crime in the process," said Hampton.

What you can do:

Minneapolis voters can cast their ballot for mayor by 8 p.m. next Tuesday, Nov. 4.