BECKA THOMPSON

Want the city of my birth the best city in the world for children, the arts and the environment. It's going backwards right now, but we'll get there.

[BECKA THOMPSON @realBeckaT]

Let’s clear this up once and for all.

I was born at a hospital in the Cedar Riverside neighborhood. I learned to swim at Lake Harriet, played golf at Hiawatha, went to the U of M, and yes, I was raised in Ward 12.

My family laid roots in this community (ward 12) over the course of the last 70 years. The house I grew up in was sold to dear church friends who still live there, and my mom’s best friend — a friendship that’s lasted since 1979 — still calls Ward 12 home. My uncle lives near Brackett Park, where my aunt — at 80 years old — was out defending her neighbors during the burning, and that week cost her her life. No 30-day election law will ever change any of that.

And while we’re on the topic of Minneapolis, I’d love to share that my great-great-grandfather settled his family here in 1880…  Isn’t it okay to care about this city, its children, its businesses, its financial picture and its future? It seems incredible to me that those who continuously attack me are themselves unmoved by the children at risk, the neighborhoods unmoored and the families priced out of their homes.

I love serving on the Park  Board and have done so with dignity and respect for my neighbors. I won’t betray their trust by stepping down before I absolutely am required to.

So here’s what is going to happen: I’m staying in my neighborhood in North Minneapolis through the school year, and I’ll be moving into Ward 12 before the start of the 2025-26 school year. That’s not about politics — it’s about keeping my promise to my son and myself.

People want to accuse me of “moving in to run.” Fine. But where’s that same energy for Council Member Chowdhury, who did exactly that — and, by all accounts, still doesn’t actually live here? Meanwhile, I’m here daily, volunteering in our parks, supporting local churches, and showing up for my community. Where is she?

The reality is, no one knows. And it seems clear that CM Chowdhury could live absolutely anywhere and still not care about the plight of the city.
That’s why countless residents came to me in the last year and said, with a pleading in their eyes, “Becka, can you please come back?”

And I said “yes”.

Why? Because I’m not here for a title. I’m here because I care about this city, I care about its residents, I care about its children and its businesses. I care about its survival. I always have and I always will. And I’m not going anywhere.

I’m not sure what else needs to be said.

[BECKA THOMPSON @realBeckaT]

Behind the Headlines https://t.co/N31dSlLC9n

[BECKA THOMPSON @realBeckaT]

https://t.co/yKGKxLxVz6 The truth the council doesn't want you to hear.

[BECKA THOMPSON @realBeckaT]

Welp—didn’t expect a simple joke about my own name to cause such a stir.

Just for the record: when Ms. Chowdhury and I met, she introduced herself a similar way referencing her heritage—it was funny, memorable, and human. I genuinely found her charming. In the moment you’re referencing, I was making a similar joke. That’s it. No conspiracy, no malice—just a play on names.

Now, if you’re saying she can joke about her name, but I can’t joke about mine… well, that’s an interesting double standard. Aren’t we all allowed to take some pride in who we are, where we come from, and how we show up?

"Thompson" is the definition of a Minnesota name. That’s the joke. One I’ve told more times than I can count—across schools, boardrooms, and barbecues. Across cities coast to coast.

Sorry your jaw dropped. Happens a lot. Usually after people realize how much personality, humor, and expertise I pack into such a wildly common last name.

Best of luck and I'm sorry to see your shop is closing. Games, cards and movies are some of the best things of life. I also see you've literally got transformers. They're more than meets the eye, don't you agree?

[Paul Zenisek @pzenisek]

@realBeckaT My jaw dropped at the caucus when you spoke to our group 12-1 - your response when someone in the crowd asked your name and you said “Thompson - a good Scandinavian name!” That’s the things my neighbors talked about afterwards, we couldn’t believe it.

[BECKA THOMPSON @realBeckaT]

Looks like Councilmember Aurin Chowdhury finally realized voters are reading my emails—and they know they’ve got a better option.

So now she’s scrambling to look serious about the 3rd Precinct—five years too late.
That's cute.

Let’s be clear:

🔹 She was Jason Chavez’s top aide since 2021.
Whatever he’s done, she’s done right alongside him.
🔹 She branded herself a police abolitionist (Axios, 10/27/23)…
Then quietly deleted those tweets and claimed she now supports funding MPD to legal minimums (Star Tribune, 10/16/23). (but has she? ...no)
🔹 She advised Chavez to vote to block reopening the 3rd Precinct at 3000 Minnehaha—despite 44% of residents supporting its return (Star Tribune, 8/16/23).
🔹 She and Chavez used delay tactics for years, holding the community’s trauma hostage to extract concessions from the mayor.

Now, with an election looming, she’s in cleanup mode.
But voters remember.
And this year—they won't be fooled again.

'Minnesota nice' doesn’t mean 'Minnesota dumb'.

Ward 12 is done playing games.
Vote 4 Becka.

[BECKA THOMPSON @realBeckaT]

I appreciate my opponent’s humor. I actually like Aurin—she’s charming and kind-hearted. She has a bright future... in something else.

The Overly Confident Turkey endorsed her. I didn’t seek his endorsement—and here’s why.

I’ve been around long enough to know what happens when too many turkeys run the coop. Strutting, pecking, and no flight. Somehow, the grain always goes missing. It’s like Animal Farm—the loudest voices are busy protecting their own power, while the real problems go unaddressed.

Aurin’s campaign has racked up endorsements from all the usual barnyard suspects—some loud, some flashy, and a few more concerned with their own place at the table than solving real problems. Some still shaking off scandals like feathers in the wind.

So no—I didn’t ask the Overly Confident Turkey for his endorsement. I knew from the start I’d be running a different kind of campaign.

Instead, I’m proud to be endorsed by:

🧠 Logic
📊 Statistics
✏️ Occam’s Razor
🧮 Mathematics
📚 Basic Economics
📒 Accounting
🧭 Ethics
🪞 Accountability
📜 The Minneapolis City Charter

…and hundreds of high schoolers who passed Algebra because I showed up when others didn’t.

While my opponent’s coalition looks like a parade of opportunists with a lot to protect, my team is made up of the residents of Ward 12, looking to help their neighbors.

When the time comes, you know what to do:
Vote 4 Becka

City Council.
Less gobbling. More grounding.
Things that actually add up.

[BECKA THOMPSON @realBeckaT]

https://t.co/v5fcblS97s

I will confess, I am struggling to process this right now. Caucus just ended and I got online to comment on that when a friend shared this with me...

It is so bizarre when a profound trauma early in your life gets revisited publicly... and in this regard, very publicly.

I don't ever expect to see a dime. Money will never give me back what was taken and I'm sure my friends in the 'Toback group' would agree with me.
If you don't know my story it was in Vice and the L.A. Times...

Ugh... I'm shaking right now. I don't know I'll ever get rid of the haunting memories of being in this man's apartment and all the steps it took to get me there.

I was on twitter at the time the news first broke of women accusing him. All I did then is post #metoo and within minutes @GlennWhipp was contacting me.

There is something earth shattering about a young woman losing trust in the world. When it is your world, and you have to read about it in Variety or the LA times or see Robert Downey Jr. take selfies with the man, it wears on your psyche. I will never be able to property explain what this did to the trajectory of my life.

I was just a young woman buying a hot dog when a famous director came up to me...
If you think sexual assault always involves a boogey man and that women are stupid, you're dead wrong. Some predators stalk their prey for months... grooming, until the exact moment... and they don't care.

I try to live my life with forgiveness. And I do, But it is hard to with this man. It is very hard.

Pray for me today.

Other than that caucus went well. :) #ward12 #Minneapolis

[BECKA THOMPSON @realBeckaT]

My friend got me a 'reality translator' for Christmas and when we ran this message of 'Minneapolis for the Many' through, here is what came out:

"Progressive Budget" – A masterpiece of performative spending with zero real-world improvements. We had more earmarks than Congress!

"Rideshare Ordinance" – A botched regulation so bad the state and governor had to step in and fix it because we nearly killed the industry for the entire state!

"Renters Right to Know" – Because knowing you’re being priced out of your home makes eviction so much easier to handle.

"30-Day Pre-Eviction Notice" – Because skyrocketing property taxes and endless regulations have made housing unaffordable, but sure—give landlords one more hoop to jump through before they still have to evict tenants. Progress!

"Carbon Fees on Major Polluters" – A feel-good tax that won’t clean the air—but will push the last remaining businesses out of the city. Because who needs jobs when you have virtue signaling?

"Resolution to Shut Down HERC" – A symbolic gesture against a facility the city doesn’t even control. Might as well pass a resolution to ban snow days!

"Encampment Removal Reporting" – More reports, more meetings, more emails—still no real solutions for homelessness. But at least there’s paperwork!

"S. Mpls and Lake St Safety Centers" – A glorified office pretending to solve the city’s skyrocketing crime problem!

"Saving Agate Shelter and AVIVO Village" – Agate Shelter closed anyway, but don’t let reality get in the way of a good self-congratulatory bullet point!

"Restored Funding to Public Safety Workers" – Revisiting their own disastrous defunding policies by shifting money to friends and acting like they just saved Christmas! Classic.

If failure is the plan, they’re executing it perfectly. If you want something better,
https://t.co/d9BBb4kToM

[BECKA THOMPSON @realBeckaT]

It’s honestly difficult to understand how anyone can believe the current Minneapolis City Council is doing a good job.

Let’s take a moment to reflect: our city is facing a serious financial crisis. We’re teetering on the edge of bankruptcy, holding onto our bonding rating by the skin of our teeth. Downtown is struggling, and property taxes are climbing at an alarming rate. Many residents are falling behind on their property tax payments, putting them at risk of losing their homes, with little relief in sight—especially when state agencies, which are also grappling with financial challenges, are unlikely to help.

And this doesn't even begin to address our profound challenges in public safety and the fact that multiple spaces in the city are still empty lots five years after the uprising.

And yet, at the same time, I’ve seen activists online cheering on this state of affairs. 😲

It raises the question: are they completely out of touch with reality, or simply ignorant to the situation?

We must be cautious not to let our “Minnesota nice” turn into a kind of naivety that prevents us from addressing the real issues facing our city. Our city will perish with that sort of head in the sand rhetoric.

If you want real leadership?

https://t.co/trFpf8DwY6

[BECKA THOMPSON @realBeckaT]

Minneapolis, in so many ways, has lost its sense of humor. And sure, failed and ridiculous policies aren’t exactly funny, but if we don’t reclaim some shared levity, we’re all just going to get swallowed up by outrage and despair... we've lived it for many years now, haven't we?

Politics, at its core, is about figuring out how to ‘get along.’ That’s the whole job. It’s an acknowledgment that we don’t live on our own private islands, despite how some might want to. These conversations get intense, and that’s ok! Passion is good. Passion for your values is just another form of love.

But there’s a line. The moment passion turns into hatred for the people who don’t share your exact strategy for ‘getting along,’ we’ve lost the plot.

Look, governing isn’t new. People have been figuring out how to share responsibilities since the beginning of time—some better than others. What makes democracy different is that its entire premise is a balancing act: to allow every individual as much freedom as possible without destroying the group. As Franklin put it, ‘We’ve given you a republic… if you can keep it.’ Implicit is that it takes work.

Let’s be honest—some elected officials love to put on a show. The grandstanding, the dramatic speeches, the endless ‘fighting for the people.’ But when the policy is bad, it’s not hard work—it’s just spinning wheels, wasted energy and a whole lot of movement that gets us nowhere. Good policy doesn’t need theatrics. It just works.

We already know what that looks like. So, is it so bad to make the case with a little humor? I don’t think so.

Every day is a gift. And I know this part because I’ve come close to losing my own more than once: Life itself is a gift.

So as we fight for a better future, let’s not forget to live in the present, too. It's why I always fight for children, their future is today.

~Wonder Woman (... aka 'Becka'😉)

[BECKA THOMPSON @realBeckaT]

Some folks keep repeating the same tired critique: “Becka doesn’t actually live in Ward 12.”

Let’s break this down:

I grew up in Ward 12. My roots here run deep.
I’m 100% within the legal timeframe to move there and run, per Minnesota election law.
My opponent? She moved in to run—tipped off by political insiders who wanted to hand her the seat.

What they don’t want to talk about:

Three murders in an encampment on her watch.
Businesses shutting down left and right.
Zero leadership on major issues—kicking the can on the 3rd Precinct, George Floyd Square, and child trafficking.
No real-world experience—never held a job outside government.
And by the way… she has a place in Ward 12, but she spends a lot of time outside the city with her boyfriend. 👀

But sure, let’s make “she has a rented apartment on 46th Street” the one and only qualification to be on the Minneapolis City Council. That makes total sense.

Look, Superman wasn’t even from Earth, but that didn’t stop him from saving the world. Batman left Gotham to train in Nepal before coming home to fight for his city.

🦸‍♀️ Every hero has an origin story. You want to critique mine? Fine. But my vision and leadership will change your life for the better—no matter what path I had to walk to get here.

Vote 4 Becka.

https://t.co/KIoDKiWCnS

[BECKA THOMPSON @realBeckaT]

Great cities don't happen by accident - https://t.co/WWaaJRmWxo

[BECKA THOMPSON @realBeckaT]

For all the “All Are Welcome Here” signs in Minneapolis yards, it’s clear some groups mean “all… except you.” The dark money socialist group "Minneapolis for the Many" finally said the quiet part out loud: “When we say ALL, we don’t really mean ALL.”

I don’t have to agree with the MAGA movement to believe its supporters deserve to be treated with dignity. Many are working-class Americans frustrated with a system that has left them behind. Some are lifelong conservatives. Others are new to politics, looking for something different. And as new data shows, more Black and Hispanic voters are shifting toward conservative values.

By declaring “MAGA has no place in Minneapolis,” Minneapolis for the Many isn’t just being exclusionary—it’s being racist. Their divisive rhetoric doesn’t make our city stronger; it deepens the very divides we need to bridge.

And beyond that, how tone-deaf can they be? Minneapolis for the Many seems determined to categorize anyone disaffected with the current trajectory of the DFL as MAGA. Do they not realize that, nationally, Democrats have a 27% approval rating? If you ask me, it’s due to this exact kind of inflammatory rhetoric. People are tired of being dismissed and demonized instead of listened to.

I’ve been labeled in this dehumanizing way—dismissed with shorthand names, as if a political buzzword could possibly encapsulate who I am. I know how derivative and shallow it can feel. And I refuse to treat my fellow residents the same way.

We don’t need more political name-calling. We need leadership focused on results—safer streets, thriving businesses, and a city where everyone has a place. Minneapolis can’t afford to keep playing ideological games while families struggle and businesses close.

If we want to restore our city’s financial success and bring it back to the beautiful, vibrant place it can be, we need ALL of our residents—not just the ones who pass a political purity test.

Real leaders reject all bigotry. You can be a leader or a bigot, but not both. Looks like Minneapolis for the Many has chosen its side.

[BECKA THOMPSON @realBeckaT]

Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I rest my case. 😅

[BECKA THOMPSON @realBeckaT]

I've spent my life standing up to bullies, and I won't stop now.

Lately, I've been the target of relentless attacks, slander, fake websites targeting my child, and now this: criticism for pointing out the misuse of city funds for a religious event. Instead of addressing the facts, some resort to mocking and gaslighting, twisting civil liberties and the separation of church and state to justify the indefensible.
It's exhausting.

The people of Ward 12 know this feeling all too well. They've been silenced, doxxed, and ignored. Their homes have been broken into, their cars stolen, and their children put at risk. I stand with them because I know what its like to be bullied and shouted down for simply speaking the truth.

This isn't about winning arguments. It's about protecting people who deserve better. And I won't back down.

If @aurinmpls 's priority is hosting an Iftar at City Hall rather than addressing the real problems residents are facing, that is a serious concern. The fact that her surrogates would rather attack me than focus on solving those problems speaks volumes.

I’ve spent my life protecting people from bullies, and I’ve learned something along the way: bullies are paper tigers, empty and fragile. Beneath the bravado are scared children, terrified of a world where actions have consequences. I do feel pity for them, but I won’t back down.

[BECKA THOMPSON @realBeckaT]

Had a great time meeting neighbors this morning at Lynette Minneapolis. Something that was asked repeatedly was (of course) "Why are you running?"
I realize that I say this many times but it bears repeating many times. I said, "here is my elevator pitch, if we're going up the IDS tower." 😀 :

I get recruited quite often, and have been for the past two years, to be a leader of independent schools, all over the nation. My experience in athletics, the arts and academics makes me (in the words of the search firms) 'very desirable'. In addition, my time as a leader in structures like the Minneapolis Park Board and my MBA in finance help me understand, see and solve problems inside of systems.

The point? I could easily leave Minneapolis and be 'just fine' as a person and professional. I have friends all over the country. I would, personally, be JUST FINE.

So, then, why stay? is the question asked next- (we've crossed above the crystal court)- I'm STAYING and I'm fighting for my hometown because I have lived elsewhere and I know how great Minneapolis is and can be again. Abandoning my home with my friends and memories, my family and my background is not an option for me. Period.

I often think of The Lord of The Rings: There are so many great quotes and metaphors that can encircle a lifetime of service from that one brilliant story. A quote from that story that comes to me in hard times is this, "I swear to you, I will not let the White City fall, nor our people fail."

You also might be thinking that a grass roots campaign against a well oiled national machine doesn't stand much hope, but Gandalf has that covered: "There never was much hope. Just a fool's hope."

So, to finally stop the elevator, here is the final pitch. Why am I running for the Minneapolis City Council?

Because I believe that there are good things in this city, and they're worth fighting for.

Join me.
https://t.co/fMtJsw5sNB

#minneapolis #minneapoliscity #minneapoliscitycouncil #vote4becka

[BECKA THOMPSON @realBeckaT]

https://t.co/ZR7OJPhYvm

Apparently, my opponent has never heard of 'separation of church and state'.
Yikes.

(P.S. for those also rusty on civics- its the FIRST amendment)

[BECKA THOMPSON @realBeckaT]

It’s time to confront the elephant in the room:
The drug trade in Minneapolis is out of control.
Yes, this is a national issue—but that’s no excuse for inaction. I’ve seen firsthand how deep and far-reaching this crisis is. When it starts impacting children who should be safe in school, we have failed as a city.

Let’s be honest: the encampments in Minneapolis are not about housing. They are hubs for drug trafficking, trapping addicts in a cycle of suffering while protecting dealers. Allowing this to continue is not compassion—it’s abandonment.

On top of that, child sex trafficking, massive sanitation hazards, and the city’s refusal to enforce basic codes have turned this into a full-blown humanitarian crisis. That we’ve allowed this for over seven years without real consequences is unacceptable.

It’s time for an all-hands-on-deck approach to end the encampments, shut down open-air drug markets, and take back our city.