Betsy Hodges

Elizabeth A. "Betsy" Hodges (born September 7, 1969) is an American politician who served as the 47th mayor of Minneapolis. A member of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, she represented Ward 13 on the Minneapolis City Council from January 2006 until January 2014. Hodges was reelected to the city council in the 2009 Minneapolis municipal elections.

Betsy Hodges
47th Mayor of Minneapolis
In office
January 2, 2014 – January 2, 2018
Preceded byR. T. Rybak
Succeeded byJacob Frey
Member of the Minneapolis City Council from the 13th Ward
In office
January 1, 2006 – January 2, 2014
Preceded byBarret Lane
Succeeded byLinea Palmisano[1]
Personal details
Born (1969-09-07) September 7, 1969
Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic-Farmer-Labor
Spouse(s)Gary Cunningham
ResidenceMinneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.
Alma materBryn Mawr College (BA)
University of Wisconsin (MA)

Hodges won the 2013 Minneapolis mayoral election[2] and was inaugurated on January 2, 2014. She ran for reelection in 2017, but lost to Jacob Frey, and left office on January 2, 2018.

Early life and education

Hodges grew up in Wayzata, Minnesota. She graduated from Wayzata High School in 1987. After graduating from Bryn Mawr College in 1991, she attended the University of Wisconsin–Madison, graduating in 1998 with a master's degree in sociology.

Career

Hodges moved to southwest Minneapolis in 1998 and was the development director for the Minneapolis-based nonprofit Progressive Minnesota for a few years before serving on the staff of Hennepin County Commissioner Gail Dorfman. Hodges returned to fundraising work in 2003, working for the Minnesota Justice Foundation.

Hodges served on the Linden Hills Community Council from 2000 to 2005 and as co-chair of the council from 2003 to 2005. In November 2005, Hodges was elected to represent Ward 13 on the Minneapolis City Council, defeating Lisa McDonald.

From January 2006 until she became mayor in January 2014, Hodges represented Ward 13. She was the chair of the council's Intergovernmental Relations Committee, a position that lobbies for the city at the State Capitol,[3] and chaired the Ways and Means Committee,[4] which oversaw a budget of $1.2 billion in 2013.[5] In 2011, Hodges was the council's point person on a pension-reform package.[6] In 2012, she was one of six council members to vote against a controversial new stadium for the Minnesota Vikings.[2] In 2013, Hodges ran for Minneapolis mayor against a field of 34 other candidates. Her platform emphasized economic and educational equality, municipal management efficiency, and infrastructure investment.[7]

Hodges was named a 2014 Aspen Institute Rodel Fellow.[8]

Hodges was also on the Board of Estimation and Taxation and spent four years on the Youth Coordinating Board.

Hodges met with Pope Francis on July 21, 2015. She joined eight other leaders from US cities and mayors from cities from around the world. They were invited to discuss climate change and human trafficking.[9]

Hodges ran for reelection as mayor[10] in the 2017 election and was eliminated in the fifth and final round of voting, finishing third among the five candidates who made it to the second round.[11]

In 2020, Hodges published a widely read and [12]discussed editorial in The New York Times.

See also
  • List of mayors of the largest 50 US cities

References
  1. "Results of the Minneapolis mayoral, council elections". Star Tribune.
  2. Roper, Eric (November 29, 2012) "Hodges plans run for Mpls. mayor.", Star Tribune.
  3. (June 23, 2012) "Hodges elected to lead League of Cities." Star Tribune
  4. Brandt, Steve (January 5, 2010) "Rybak sworn in again; Johnson to head City Council." Star Tribune.
  5. "2013 Council Adopted Budget".
  6. Brandt, Steve (November 9, 2011) "Minneapolis pension merger nets disputed payouts." Star Tribune.
  7. "Issues - Hodges for Mayor". Hodges for Mayor. Archived from the original on 2013-11-09. Retrieved 2013-11-06.
  8. "Rodel Fellowships in Public Leadership". The Aspen Institute. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  9. Golden, Eric (10 July 2015). "Minneapolis mayor invited to meet with pope on climate change". StarTribune. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
  10. "Hodges announces re-election bid as mayor of Minneapolis". Star Tribune. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  11. "2017 Mayor Election Results - Minneapolis Elections & Voter Services". vote.minneapolismn.gov. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  12. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/09/opinion/minneapolis-hodges-racism.html. Missing or empty |title= (help)
Political offices
Preceded by
R. T. Rybak		 Mayor of Minneapolis
2014-2018		 Succeeded by
Jacob Frey
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