Clint Conner Files for Mayoral Run in Minneapolis
MINNEAPOLIS – Embattled Mayor Jacob Frey has a new challenger, as Minneapolis attorney and Lowry Hill resident Clint Conner filed papers to run in the November 2, 2021 election.
Conner, 47, opened his campaign with a salvo against incumbent Mayor Jacob Frey proclaiming that, “the truth about Minneapolis is our streets are not safe and so many are denied justice. We believe Minneapolis can have both – safe streets and justice for all.”
“Our city – all of it – is suffering under the failed leadership of Mayor Jacob Frey,” said Conner. “Four years after he ran on a platform of strengthening community-police relations, things have spiraled out of control. Violence is skyrocketing. Our children are being killed by bullets.”
Conner, while a newcomer to electoral politics, is no stranger to political activism, having helped lead hundreds of Election Protection hotline volunteers the past two federal elections to ensure every voter’s right to cast a ballot was protected.
A former attorney at Dorsey & Whitney, Conner’s work on behalf of low-income tenants has been recognized by the Chief Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court, the City of Minneapolis, and the Volunteer Lawyers Network.
Conner worked recently alongside the late former Vice President Walter Mondale on the fight against the Trump Administration’s attempt to eliminate funding for the Legal Services Corporation (a federal nonprofit that helps to provide high-quality legal assistance to nearly 2 million Americans, including 45,000 Minnesotans).
In 2020, he received Dorsey & Whitney’s Scales of Justice Award for helping to persuade the Minnesota Supreme Court to recognize for the first time a common-law prohibition on retaliatory evictions against tenants who complain about substandard living conditions.
In a city besieged with protests following last year’s murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin, Conner also took aim at Mayor Frey’s failure to lead the city in crisis. “We must create a public safety environment that learns and evolves from past and present wrongs. We must create a culture where dedication to service and ‘doing the right thing’ are the standards for our law enforcement officers. We must create an environment where good police succeed,” continued Conner. “This starts with investigating the roots of injustice and restoring our city to one where fairness and equality are the norm. We must end the criminalization of poverty and focus good police on preventing violent crimes.”
“We believe in a Minneapolis that shines brightest when we work together. Where good people, safe streets, and accessible justice are what define us.”