Minneapolis City Council Member Emily Koski Announces Mayoral Run
On Wednesday, Minneapolis City Council Member Emily Koski officially announced her bid for mayor.
Koski is in her second term as a council member after being elected in 2021 and again last year.
During her time on the council, Koski has prioritized public health, safety, workers' rights and affordable housing, among other topics.
Koski is a lifelong resident of Ward 11 in South Central Minneapolis, which she represents in her role on the Council. She describes herself as a park-league coach and a mother of Minneapolis Public School students.
According to her profile on the City’s website, “Koski’s professional experience includes owning and operating a small business, working in the corporate world, and consulting.”
Koski has long criticized Mayor Frey’s time leadership. During her campaign announcement she reiterated, "Over the last four years, I've had the front-row seat to this mayor's tenure. I've witnessed firsthand his inability to work with your City Council and his absence at so many tables — whether that be with local organizations and advocacy groups, our county, state or federal governments.”
Koski continued, “His focus on creating conflict, turning every issue, every problem, into Us vs. Them; building division, not solutions; and his failure to lead us through our toughest challenges. We can and we must do better."
Koski is following in her father, Al Hofstede’s, footsteps with her mayoral run. Hofestede was a Minneapolis City Council Member before he ran for Mayor of Minneapolis and won. He held the position for two terms.
It is worth noting that Hofstede’s terms were bookended by Mayor Charles Stenvig, a former Minneapolis police officer who pushed a “law and order” platform and laid the foundation for many of the systemic policing issues the city has since faced.
As for Koski’s mayoral run. Mayor Frey’s office released a statement of their own on Wednesday, accusing her of flip-flopping on her values.
"Over the last two years on the Minneapolis City Council, Emily Koski has changed her position on everything from paying police officers more to regulating Uber and Lyft.”
The statement continued, "Minneapolis voters deserve a clear vision and Mayor Frey will continue to outline his. In the meantime, we look forward to seeing what the Council Member stands for in this election cycle."
On her newly launched campaign website Koski states, “We need a strong, unifying leader to move us forward. That is why I am proud and honored to announce that I am running to be the next Mayor of the City of Minneapolis.
I believe that together, we can build a Minneapolis that reflects the very best of who we are and what we stand for—a City that’s strong, united, and thriving.”
