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Hodges Fires Back After Being Named One Of The U.S.'s Worst Mayors

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges says she welcomes the attack from President Donald Trump's "cronies" at the New York Observer after the online newspaper named her this week as one of the three worst mayors in the country.

The article, published on Tuesday, said Hodges has alienated Minneapolitans on both the left and the center, and it predicts she'll face tough competition in the upcoming election. The list ranks her just below Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and above New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio.

While author Arick Wierson says Hodges "appears to genuinely want better" for Minneapolis, he slams her for clumsily managing the Nicollet Mall makeover, the city's response to the Jamar Clark protests, and her "Charmin-soft approach" to the office.

Immediately, Hodges fired back, saying, "Well, I got Trump's attention."

In a statement, her office criticized the Observer article, noting that until recently the newspaper was run by Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner. Since he started working at the White House, the Observer was sold to the Kushner family trust.

The mayor said that the article was a direct response to her recent speech in which she called for Minneapolis to come together in opposition to Trump's agenda.

"When Trump's cronies are the people attacking you, you know you've done something right," the mayor said in the statement, adding that her city is on the "front lines" of the resistance against president's policies.

The Mayoral Race

Running against Hodges in the mayoral race are State Rep. Raymond Dehn, City Council Member Jacob Frey, former head of the Minneapolis NAACP Nekima Levy-Pounds, and filmmaker Aswar Rahman.

Key issues in the election to be the city's minimum wage, racial equity and crime/policing.

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