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City Cast Twin Cities

Sean McPherson

We’ve been putting a spotlight on the West 7th neighborhood in St. Paul this month so we’ve crafted some fun questions that rely on your knowledge of our capital city. Good luck to you!

Roseanne Pereira

This beloved, family-owned establishment in Northeast has been around since 1973. From spinach pies to pints or quarts of what I consider the best tabbouleh in town (my desert island food, people!), 

 has many affordable picnics and cabin weekend options. In the mood for meat pies filled with pine nuts, ground beef, and lamb, or smoky baba ganoush and pita? Hot tip: their stuffed grape leaves include ground lamb in addition to rice - mwha! So good.

Whenever I’m in the Highland Park neighborhood of St. Paul, I seem to leave 

 with to-go containers of two items – their traditional creamy coleslaw (a guarded family recipe), and their potato salad that’s bright (egg yolks must be involved!) and has notes of mustard and pickle juice. The chunky texture and mix of flavors hits the spot, truly. It’s no wonder, as 

 for decades. The deli’s been around since 1949. With an array of bagels, sliced meats, and in-house baked bread, discover your own picnic go-to to-gos next time you visit.

If I really wanted to impress someone, I would fill my picnic basket with 

,” an artisan elixir made with elderblossom syrup. Add sparkling water or one of the liquors recommended by owner, Mo Kotb, for a refreshing summer drink. (The former Tilia bartender knows his stuff.) Dervish Mazza spreads are familiar, but with a surprising twist, like 

, which takes the fire-roasted eggplant of classic baba ganoush and mixes it with the flavors of tahini, sweet-tart pomegranate, and chermoula herbs. One of my favorites (and a Dervish Mazza bestseller) is 

, where hummus meets Thai chili and sun dried tomato. Here’s a recipe for an 

) that prioritizes personal, engaging service. The friendly staff offers recipes and samples, and they sell dried fruits such as unsulfured apricots, a wide variety of nuts, dates, Middle Eastern pastries, and oh so many olives. You’ll likely discover something you’ve never tasted before. The last time I was there I learned about how the inner kernels of apricots (a sweet, almond-like seed) are eaten as snacks - and of course I was given one to try.

Labor Day weekend will be here before you know it, so let’s eat well on our summer get-togethers while we can.

Easy Minnesota Picnic Delights - Savory Pies, Dips, Salads

Easy Picnic Delights - Savory Pies, Dips, Salads

Keep It Local

Sign up for Keep It Local from City Cast Twin Cities

On a recent trip to Maryland and Virginia, I was bowled over by the treats in Asian bakeries there. This made me want to see what I could find in the Twin Cities. Luckily, I discovered 

 in St. Paul. The light-filled cafe with wooden beams and hanging vines was so enticing that I sat down for some piping hot congee with ginger chicken for lunch and got most of the buns to-go.

Zao’s bakery case includes red bean steam buns, taro twists, and many other delights. If you are uninitiated to the standard offerings at Asian bakeries, check out this 

video on 14 buns you need to try at a Chinese bakery

Responding by email, owner and baker William Ratsamy said the cafe is a family bakery in every sense. “Everything from the recipes (my mom's culinary experience) to the ingredients (from my brother's grocery store) to the design of the space (my architectural background) came from within our family.”

Ratsamy’s recommendations for a first visit are to try “a sesame ball, char siu pork bun, congee and our homemade soymilk. This would fill up your tray nicely. This includes something fried, something baked, something from our kitchen, and a homemade drink that you really can't get anywhere else.”

I can vouch for the slightly, but not-too sweet homemade soy milk which I tried after my congee along with a 

. This is a soft milk bread shaped like an oval, sliced down the middle and filled with buttery whipped cream, then dusted with coconut flakes. In other words, a bun of dreams.

Ratsamy says Zao’s best-sellers are the Spicy Chicken Curry Bun (that has a curry filling), the Pork Steam Bun (minced pork, an egg, and Chinese sausage surrounded by soft white bread), Sesame Balls (chewy, crunchy, nutty, sweet), and Ham Sui Gok (a glutinous fried dumpling).

Many of the baked goods in the case are easy grab-and-go items for a picnic, and for this purpose, Ratsamy’s top recommendation is the 

. It’s a hot dog wrapped in milk bread and arranged into a flower shape before baking. The result is an easy, pull-apart, soft treat that’s pleasing for both adults and kids. (You pull off the “petals”!) My picnic pick? A wilder-looking 

The light-filled cafe was so enticing that I sat down for some piping hot congee with ginger chicken for lunch and got most of the buns to-go.

St. Paul's Zao Bakery + Cafe - Hot Dog Flower Bun, Anyone?

Zao Bakery + Cafe - Hot Dog Flower Bun, Anyone?

Winter Keefer

I recently found the lunchbox of my dreams.

It’s the cutest blue, red, and yellow little zip-up with a perfect cutlery pocket inside. As much as I wanted to gatekeep this find, I’m sharing it with all of you because your kids probably need it more than I do.

So here’s how you get it: If you head to the back corner of 

 in downtown Robbinsdale, you’ll find this lunchbox in a small but mighty children’s section of the store.

Carefully curated by Golden Age Design co-owner Kara Kurth, the store’s selection of children’s items includes high-quality, Montessori-inspired toys and school items. “The kids section was something that we've always really liked to pour into because happy kids make happy parents,” Kurth said.

The space includes items like wooden and plush toys, storage containers, and notebooks for “tiny hopes and dreams.” A parent herself, Kurth said her goal is to foster children’s imaginations and encourage play. “We really believe in them and don’t want their magic to disappear,” she said of the children in her life.

Kurth also thinks about the experience of parents and grandparents of children shopping in the store. Many of the items sold harken back to the days before technology dominated children’s entertainment. For adults, “it's like this passing of the torch – they're excited to share something that maybe they played with when they were little.” 

Kurth emphasizes quality in addition to cultivating whimsy and nostalgia through her collection. Instead of buying pencils, erasers, and scissors from a big-box store that might last only a few months, she hopes her store can offer ethically-made and sustainably-sourced items that last years.

As she looks to the future, Kurth hopes her children will one day pass down items from her store to their own children. “We think those lessons are really important for kids – buying slower, buying quality items so you can use it for a lifetime.”

Carefully curated by co-owner Kara Kurth, the store’s selection of children’s items includes high-quality, Montessori-inspired toys and school items.

Robbinsdale's Golden Age Design Offers Generational Keepsakes

Golden Age Design Offers Generational Keepsakes 

Greetings and happy back-to-school shopping season!

 Do you want to shop local, but you don’t know where to go other than the big-box stores? Do you have a long list of school supplies that’s stressing you out and burning a hole on your kitchen counter? Don’t you worry, City Cast has a list of local shops that will have you and your kids covered this school year.

This St. Paul hidden gem is the perfect place to find school supplies on a budget. The store inside 

 in St. Paul is filled with an assortment of donated and recycled art supplies and materials. I’m talking 20-cent folders, 50-cent notebooks and 25-cent to $2 binders. There’s a whole bin of tape dispensers for $1 each. If your kid has a science project, this is the place to go for construction paper, popsicle sticks, egg cartons, bottle caps, paint – whatever catches your fancy.

This women-owned, women-run children's boutique in Edina has been dressing Twin Cities tykes since 1999. Offering a wide variety for babies to tweens, 

 boasts on its website its “classic, preppy styles you won't find anywhere else in the Twin Cities.” The store believes shopping for kids should be a joyful, in-person experience and offers the merchandise to match.

Looking to find quality designer resale on a budget? Look no further. At 

 in south Minneapolis, you can shop for your kids while trading in the clothes they outgrew last year. The store opened in 1981 as the Twin Cities' first maternity consignment store, so it’s always had kids and parents in mind offering brand-name items without the luxury price tag.

With its new downtown Minneapolis brick-and-mortar storefront, 

 is ready to welcome you in to peruse its collection of children's wear. The family-run store started as an online-only boutique and “grew from a desire to offer clothing that feels comfortable, meaningful, and right for everyday life,” according to its website. It opened its store front earlier this year and this is your perfect opportunity to check it out!

The store inside ArtStart & ArtScraps ReUse Center in St. Paul is filled with an assortment of donated and recycled art supplies and materials.

Back to School Shopping in St. Paul

Back to School Shopping 

Here’s where you can find children’s books for the kids in your life or nurture your own inner child!

Once, during a major time crunch, I stopped by 

 for a child’s gift. In under 10 minutes, an employee had found the ideal gift with my parameters in mind, placed an order to have the books shipped, and rang up my sale. Red Balloon’s service is unbelievably strong – I’ve even had booksellers email me book ideas. The store hosts a number of 

 that meets this Tuesday, where kids ages 8-16 can meet to write and draw together.

 while eating lunch at Brasa in Northeast Minneapolis. The shop carries mostly used and rare books, which means there’s ample opportunity to rediscover books you may have forgotten you loved. On my last visit, the children’s section included classics like Shel Silverstein’s 

as well as Dr. Seuss books, but there was also plenty of manga, graphic novels, and young adult series.

Are you science-minded? If so, check out 

, which in addition to literary and genre fiction, curates STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math)-focused nonfiction for both kids and adults. The shop also hosts special 

 with speakers who are scientists, engineers, makers, and more. In October, The Thinking Spot in collaboration with The Bakken Museum will present the 

This beloved, Linden Hills bookstore for children and young adults values experiential learning and play. In addition to books, 

 also has animals. These have included chinchillas, doves, ferrets, rats – even a tarantula. You can see current critters 

. Want to hear something wild? Tom Braun, one of the shop’s co-founders who passed away in 2018, 

Bookstores for Kids at Heart in the Twin Cities Metro

Bookstores for Kids at Heart

When Rachael Ostrom saw a “For Lease” sign at the former Micawber’s Books space in St. Anthony Park at Milton Square, she felt like the stars were aligning. Ostrom had worked in marketing at Aveda for 25 years and was ready for a change. Micawber’s had been a bookstore she took her kids (now, college-aged) to, and she’d considered it a magical place. The result of her momentous decision is 

Walking into the space, you’ll likely soon see that 

 has its own magic. So much thought has been put into the details. In addition to a tea station, reading nooks, and a big tree mural, there’s a treehouse

 the shop, which Ostrom bought online. A man had initially made it for his son, and Ostrom’s own father installed it in the shop. There are used books in the treehouse for kids to read and a free library in the front of the store among the foliage. Ostrom says pretty much every day she works, she sees her vision for the store realized. “Right now, there’s a mom and kid in the treehouse reading stories,” she points out.

75% of new titles at the shop are written by women. This is intentional. Ostrom was inspired by a 

 about how men weren’t reading books by female authors. Free bookmarks by the register cite one of the article’s statistics, that only 19% of top-selling books by female authors were read by men, but 45% of top-selling books by male authors were read by women. 

Let’s work together to read more women authors and amplify their voices

, the shop’s bookmark states. The store also sells wares from women’s small businesses, like 

The space is not just a shop of her own; it's a family affair. Ostrom’s sister is a kindergarten teacher who weighs in on children’s books. Her daughter helped design the store logo. Ostrom says the store is split in half with her niece, Peyton Taylor, who is the store’s assistant manager and the buyer for the young adult and fantasy sections. Ostrom’s half includes classics and historical fiction. (Incidentally, the two both praise 

 a book that combines fantasy and historical fiction).

A designated middle grade section is rare for a bookstore that isn’t solely a children’s bookstore. But there's a robust section here, even broken down by genre. (If, like me, you didn’t know what middle grade was, it’s the bridge between children and young adults, often for kids ages 8-12).

One consistently top-selling children’s book in the store is 

 but Ostrom is quick to point out books by local authors that are also popular, such as 

 offering reading ideas (see them listed online 

), such as reading a translated novel, a genre you’ve never read before, or a book about nature. The August 19

 includes an end-of-summer sweepstakes. The party is just one example of how 

 is more than a place to buy books. As the store’s website says, “it’s a living, breathing space where stories take root, worlds expand, and community grows.”

When Rachael Ostrom saw a “For Lease” sign at the former Micawber’s Books space in St. Anthony Park, she felt like the stars were aligning.

St. Anthony Park's Acorn Bookshop: Discover the Magic

Acorn Bookshop: Discover the Magic

Indoor rock climbing, sound healing, Feldenkrais? Try a new practice this month.

 is a wellness studio in Minneapolis that specializes in sound healing. Here’s how it's described on the studio’s website, “As a form of energy medicine and vibrational therapy, sound healing recognizes that every living being carries its own frequency and vibration. Through this practice, we can harness these frequencies to restore balance, strengthen, and create new pathways through the body and nervous system.” The studio offers 

. The intention is to offer unique experiences that you’ll cherish. I still remember one I attended that included 

Founded by Jaqui Howard in order to create “a safe and inclusive space for women of color to practice and thrive,” 

 to improve flexibility, strength, and overall well-being. Some people think you can’t break a sweat doing 

, but these classes are for sure challenging, as I learned in a recent Spyce mat pilates class. In addition to pilates essentials, the studio offers classes incorporating sculpting and cardio.

With locations in Bloomington, Minneapolis, and Saint Paul, 

 offers newcomers and experienced climbers alike a variety of indoor climbing opportunities. Artificial walls, colored plastic holds, and a controlled climate allow people to practice skills like bouldering, top-roping, and auto-belaying, all while forming a community based on a shared passion. Here’s a 

 if you want some amazing views of their climbing walls. Lessons, clinics, and kid 

, a somatic practice developed in the 1940s by Moshé Feldenkrais after he suffered a severe knee injury. Through this method practitioners rewire neural pathways by bringing 

awareness to specific isolated movements and body parts. Classes are sloooooow and many are conducted entirely lying down. Counter to the prevailing American fitness ethos, participants are encouraged to 

 push themselves to their limit. The results are phenomenal. After each class, you move with greater ease and efficiency. If there’s a movement that you cannot yet do, you 

yourself doing it. Moshé Feldenkrais believed imagination was a more powerful force than raw willpower and regained his own mobility through these methods. Practitioner 

offers in-person sessions at East Lake Aikido in Minneapolis’s Longfellow neighborhood, or 

Indoor rock climbing, sound healing, or Feldenkrais? Try a new wellness practice this month in the Twin Cities.

How to Be Well this August in the Twin Cities

How to Be Well this August

, a studio in the Eat Street part of Minneapolis’s Whittier neighborhood. At my first class, the person on the mat next to me told me that this was a great place, “a real community.” Maybe that helped me keep an open mind. “

, I like the plants,” I replied, admiring the lush, well-cared for plants that bordered the room we were in.

Many teachers at Yess have a master's in public health, are bodyworkers, or have decades worth of experience in community organizing. Lucia Yess, the studio’s founder, initially thought she would be a social worker or therapist, but after attending a yoga teacher training in South Korea, where she was living at the time, a new vision emerged.

She cherished the authentic connections people had in the South Korean yoga studio where she practiced. “People hugged with greetings and departures, they ate meals together, they shared stories, books, and laughter as well as tears,” she 

writes of the experience on Yess Yoga’s blog

. “This is what I can bring to the world,” she thought. The intention was for the studio to be a third space for all, focusing on inclusivity and authenticity.

When Metro Surge was at its peak in Minneapolis, Yess saw her initial mission realized as the yoga studio community responded by collecting supplies for a neighboring clinic, raising thousands of dollars to supply the health providers with blood pressure cuffs, phones, diapers/wipes, contact solution, menstrual supplies, and more. “We wanted to ensure our neighbors received support and stayed healthy during this trying time. Additionally, we added a drop-in sliding scale option which made Yess Yoga classes more accessible.”

What really wowed me about Yess were its 

 - all based on teachers’ personal interests. These include qigong, yin (highly recommend!), restorative, and curvy, where “people of all shapes, sizes and abilities” can practice in a supportive and body positive environment. Later in August there’s even yoga accompanied by live cello. I realized I didn’t hate 

 include group singing, family yoga, sound baths, acupuncture, and more. New students who want to check the space out can try unlimited yoga for a week for $25. There’s also an ongoing 

Far from my past experiences of yoga teachers that seemed to exalt rigidity and perfectionism, Lucia Yess is a teacher who can laugh at herself. “We foster light-hearted and authentic connections between self, each other, and the universe at large,” she says. (And they do.)

Many teachers at Yess have a master's in public health, are bodyworkers, or have decades worth of experience in community organizing.

Yess Yoga - Community in Practice in Minneapolis

Yess Yoga - Community in Practice

We’ve been spotlighting on the West 7th neighborhood in St. Paul this month so we’ve crafted some questions that rely on your knowledge of our capital city.

Do You Know Saint Paul?

Twin City Guides

Anna Weggel

Tiffany Bui

Adam Sage

 We'd like to welcome Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan, who is running for U.S. Senate. The primary is today, and this primary competition between Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan and Representative Angie Craig has been very heated and very expensive – if you've been trying to watch TV without running into these two, you have failed. Lieutenant Governor, thank you so much for joining us on City Cast Twin Cities on this very busy day for you. We appreciate your time.

 Now, Peggy Flanagan, you're no stranger to representing Minnesota – you've been the Lieutenant Governor – but I want to ask: how would your work as an elected official in the Senate most tangibly impact the community you live in?

 Sure. Well, I'd say a couple things. I'm running to make sure that people can afford the lives they want to live. I grew up in the community of St. Louis Park – it's where I still live with my family – and I grew up on the margins. I was a kid who carried a box of commodity cheese under my arm like a football. Section 8 paid the rent. SNAP is what kept food on the table for my family, and I'm alive because of Medicaid.

But what I also watched was my mom being a badass. She worked incredibly hard, and she went back to school – she got her certificate in phlebotomy, and we like to tease her and say she became a professional vampire. But I remember watching her walk across that stage and feeling like I was walking across it too, because I knew how incredibly hard she worked, for me and for herself. So that's what I'm bringing into this race – knowing what it feels like to stretch $20 through the end of the month, and fighting against the status quo.

I think the root of it – and Sean, you mentioned it – all of these ads, this is the most expensive Senate primary in Minnesota's history. $20 million has come against us so far: crypto, AI, tech billionaires, health insurance companies, AIPAC, and all these special interests. I'm not taking a dime of corporate PAC money because I want to be beholden only to Minnesotans. I share that with you because I think that's the root of so many things we don't have access to – like a healthcare system that works for everybody, housing, childcare, all of these pieces. As folks are struggling to afford their lives, the people at the very top are doing quite well, and that's a frustration many people share. I'm going to fight for the many and not for the money. That's what I plan to bring to D.C.

 And you talk in your own personal narrative – obviously there are a lot of ways government programs helped you and your family be more resilient and stronger, and we've seen a lot of that support fall away. A lot of what you needed and received at that time isn't as available now. I assume we're in agreement that we want stronger, more resilient communities. What can you do to make communities more resilient from your vantage point as an elected official?

 Sure, I'd say a couple things. I want to make sure that the way we've campaigned – we've done over 300 events in 112 communities – should also be the way that I govern, by being in relationship with Minnesotans, making sure folks feel like, "Oh, we know her, she represents us." That's why I'm fighting for Medicare for All. I think it's completely outrageous that I talk to families with $16,000 deductibles, who are paying 500 bucks for a med check, who are deciding whether to cover just the kids, or just mom. Our healthcare plan right now is basically to pray that nobody gets sick. Our time has come where folks no longer need to just pay for health insurance, but should actually be able to receive health care.

I'd like to get rid of prior authorization, because I don't think some person behind a desk – or worse, an AI bot – should determine whether or not you get the lifesaving healthcare your doctor prescribed. I want universal childcare capped at 7% of your income as a family. Childcare is the backbone of the economy, and incidentally, there are only four moms with kids under 18 serving in the U.S. Senate – and boy, can't you tell from the outcomes we're getting right now.

So those are some of the issues. I co-chaired the campaign to raise the minimum wage in this state when I led the Children's Defense Fund. At the time, folks said, "You're too ambitious, you're asking for too much" – to raise it and index it to inflation. But we passed that law, and over the last decade, people have seen their wages increase. Meanwhile, the federal minimum wage hasn't increased in 17 years – it's still $7.25, which is completely impossible. I want us to raise the national minimum wage.

I also fought hard – I was one of the co-founders of Minnesotans for Paid Family and Medical Leave, back when my kid was still portable on my hip. We built that coalition, we organized for it, and it passed and was implemented this year – 75,000 people have now taken advantage of this program to bond with a new baby, care for a sick loved one, or care for themselves. That matters, and we need a national paid leave policy.

And after the year we've had, we need to rip ICE apart and hold this Trump administration accountable for the terror, chaos, and loss of life they've caused here in Minnesota. I think folks have heard me use the term "avenge" – and what that really means is that the $240 billion that's been given to ICE and CBP, while we've watched health care being taken from people and food being taken off the table to fund this lawless agency, along with trillions of dollars in tax cuts for people who don't need them – enough. This is madness, and we can do better.

 Now, Lieutenant Governor Flanagan, even if these things ring true with somebody, there might be a fear that if we send someone who's really on the Medicare for All bandwagon to D.C., we're sending them to a Republican-majority Senate. Are you going to be stuck on the sidelines because you can't reach across the aisle? Realistically, you're the more progressive candidate, and the candidate with less of a track record reaching across the aisle, at least in my reckoning. So I'm trying to understand: might someone with your values be wasted on a Senate that isn't ready to work on these things because it's controlled by Republicans?

 I would say – I think we have the opportunity to take back the House and the Senate, but as you mentioned, the Trump administration will also be there moving forward, at least for the next two years. But I'm proud of the work I've been able to do with folks across the aisle. When I was at the Children's Defense Fund, I sometimes got a lot of grief from my DFL friends serving in the legislature, because they'd say, "Hey, how come you didn't ask me to author this bill?" And I'd say, "Well, Republicans are in the majority, and I can't wait two years or four years for healthy babies and healthy birth outcomes for kids and their moms." So finding that common ground is important to me.

When I served in the legislature during one term, there were only two bills from DFLers in the House that got across the finish line – one of them was mine, because I'm pretty intentional about building relationships. Regardless of my occupation, I'm an organizer, and finding common ground – my job on day one in the U.S. Senate is to schedule 99 cups of coffee with my colleagues and find places where we can work together.

I'm going to push for Medicare for All, because frankly it's what people deserve. But along the way – banning prior authorization is at the top of my list, and that has bipartisan support; I actually think we can get that done. And things like making sure Congress lives up to its end of the bargain and funds special education – the commitment was always 40% under IDEA, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, and they've never met that commitment. That also has bipartisan support and is worth fighting for, for our public schools and for kids all across this country.

Those are the opportunities, I think. And as we've been doing this work, we've had DFLers coming to our events, but we've also had independents who say, "I don't have a political home, I'm just super freaked out by what's happening right now." And we've had Republicans who say, "Flanagan, I don't agree with you on everything – in fact, not a lot – but at least you're here listening to us." And I think that goes a really long way in this politics of noise and division, and just spewing absolute hatred from the White House. We can do things differently here, and we have in the past – in the way we showed up for our neighbors this winter. I don't think anyone was asking about political affiliation as they were simply trying to get food to their neighbors and make sure the people they care about weren't just scooped up off the street.

 There's a notable recent poll from the Star Tribune, KARE 11, and the Hubbard School of Journalism that found 81% of respondents worried about fraud in state government. If someone is worried about fraud in state government, why would they vote for somebody who was really high up in state government during this period of massive fraud?

 Well, I'd be really clear that fraud of any kind is completely unacceptable, and I know Minnesotans are angry – I am too, as a former executive director of an organization that served children and families. I find it completely infuriating that anyone would steal from taxpayers, but especially take resources from people who need them desperately. There's been work done to stop fraud and prevent it from happening in the first place – 60 people have been prosecuted, a hundred people have been charged. Aimee Bock, the ringleader of Feeding Our Future, was sentenced to 41 years plus 8 months. And to that, I say good.

What I also know is that Republicans are running against every Democrat on fraud – Amy Klobuchar, Keith Ellison, the legislators. And just last week, there was an ad that popped up showing Congresswoman Craig and me side by side, attacking us both on fraud. She serves on the Ag Committee – that's why they're going after her. It's all political theater to distract from the fact that this president, right out of the gate, pardoned 70 white-collar criminals who've stolen billions of dollars in Medicare and Medicaid funds. He got rid of 17 inspectors general, whose whole job is to police corruption at the federal level. And this guy is making money hand over fist out of the White House – and for the folks who paid for his gilded ballroom, their reward was government contracts. Enough. I think whoever our opponent is in the fall – Michele Tafoya or whoever it is – it's clear to me they'll be a "yes sir, Mr. President" kind of senator. What we actually need is someone who's going to stand up to the Trump administration.

And I'd say that's also a distinction between me and my opponent, who has voted with Donald Trump more than any other Minnesota Democrat. We can do better, and I think Minnesotans are positioned to make sure we send someone who's going to take on the status quo and push back against the Trump administration. As a Minnesotan, as someone who's lived here my whole life, this state has invested so much in me and in my family, and I really look forward to the opportunity to continue serving the people of Minnesota, if that's their will, in Washington.

 Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan, it's primary day, it's a busy day – you taking the time to talk with City Cast Twin Cities means a lot to us. Thank you so much for your time today.

We requested interviews from most candidates running in the major Twin Cities races ahead of the August 11 primary and November general election.

Meet Your Candidates: Peggy Flanagan for U.S. Senate

 We'd like to welcome Kendall Qualls, who's the GOP-endorsed candidate for governor. Today is primary day, and we're excited to talk to every candidate we can leading up to the election in November. Kendall Qualls, thank you so much for joining us on City Cast Twin Cities today.

 I'm glad to be here. Thanks for having me, Sean.

 Now, Kendall Qualls, I wanted to ask you about how your work as an elected official would most tangibly impact the community you live in.

 Yeah, I think – not just for the community I live in, but for all communities – there are three basic things that transcend political parties. Number one, economic conditions. Everyone wants to thrive economically, not just survive, and there are things we can do in government to help with that.

Number two – look, Minneapolis has seen better days when it comes to crime. Forbes magazine rated it the number one safest city with the best quality of life back in October 2009, and we're going to get that back. That's truly the character of Minneapolis – it was never a Detroit or a Chicago. Crime is rampant in the metro as well as the surrounding suburbs, and we want to get that back.

And number three is our public school education. We used to have a marquee public education program that benefited everyone – for people like me, coming out of poverty, education could be a gateway to a very different life. Now we've seen real decline – we're near the bottom-middle of the nation, our test scores are out of whack, and there's all this other foolishness going on in our public schools. We want to get that back too. So: improving economic conditions, safer communities, and quality education for everyone.

 You mentioned in your biography a really unique history and path – you spent time as a child in Harlem and then in Oklahoma, two vastly different places. You've also talked about the importance of education, and really helping people at every stage of life, particularly if they're born into poverty. Beyond the first three things you mentioned – sure, economic opportunity, safe streets, access to education, these are all big – what else can you do in office to build strong communities where people really thrive?

 Well, I think the biggest thing right now is that people sense there's no accountability in elected officials – that we've lost our sense of community, our sense of belonging to each other. Is there a common denominator that brings us all together? Right now, unfortunately, we work and walk and think in tribes of left versus right, and that's wrong in a lot of ways. We didn't used to live like that. I want to bring that sense of commonality back, and we can do that.

But the accountability part is very important. The fraud issue in our state is way beyond out of control – it's a national embarrassment. We don't need special offices to fix this. This is called leadership. This happens in the private sector all the time – it's called embezzlement, and we handle these issues within a single calendar year. Someone's fired, someone's held accountable, someone goes to jail. For embezzlement, it doesn't take eight to ten years and an Office of Inspector General and all these other layers of government – it's called leadership. That's how we bring accountability back, integrity back, and a sense of pride to be able to call ourselves Minnesotans again, because that's been lost for a lot of the population in this state.

 Do you think the Office of Inspector General is unproductive in rooting out fraud, or do you think it just requires leadership above that station to make sure things actually happen? I'd assume even at a business level you need boots on the ground to root out embezzlement. So I'm asking: do you see usefulness in inspectors general, or do you see it as unnecessary red tape?

 It's unnecessary red tape. Listen, this could have been handled day one – Tim Walz could have fired someone. No one – I think one person resigned in the last few months, but he's fired no one. We have $9 billion that's been accounted for by Joe Thompson, the Biden-appointed U.S. attorney, and I believe there's a lot more. No one's been held accountable. It starts with the leader of the executive branch, which is the governor.

And like I said, even in the private sector, this is handled quickly within your finance department – not a special department, a finance, accounting, and audit department. These guys are full-time, they do their jobs. We don't hire outside help unless it's really serious. This isn't that – we've had whistleblowers telling us about this stuff for years.

 I want to switch gears a bit and ask about the struggles state government is having with the federal government right now, and how negative that impact can be for Minnesotans – specifically, $199 million in Medicaid payments that were recently held back. I want to ask what you'd do to improve that relationship, because – Kendall Qualls, I think you and I land on pretty different parts of the political spectrum, but on the other hand, I really don't want to see people not getting Medicaid payments they're counting on. So how can you bring that relationship back so these payments get fulfilled and people get what they need to live?

 Sean, you're assuming we're on different parts of the political spectrum – I'd bet we agree on probably 80% of the issues. Let's reverse that question: do you favor Medicaid-ineligible people getting payments of millions of dollars? No, of course not. Those payments were intended for the most vulnerable of our citizens. And right now we have people getting those payments who aren't even citizens of our state – they're in different states, all these different things. So, yes–

 –but we have people who are citizens of our state not getting the payments.

 Okay, all right. So look – I'm all in favor of making sure our vulnerable citizens get the funds they need for care. All in favor of that, because I used to be one of those kids growing up. So the compassion is there, but I disdain people who take money intended for the weak, vulnerable, and sick, and use it to live a lifestyle better than the average American Minnesotan. That's wrong in a big way.

All we have to do is tighten up the ship. We need strong leadership, and then we won't have to worry about the federal government stepping in, because we're doing the right thing locally. We fix our own ship. We're a sovereign state – we take charge of our own things. The reason we have this intervention in the first place is that we've had lousy management for the last eight years.

 Thank you for that. I want to ask a bit about your path to electability – specifically, on Almanac recently, you referred to the metro as an Achilles heel for Republicans, but said you believe you can unify the state. What would you say to somebody who thinks the metro area is going to stay an Achilles heel for Republicans if they put up candidates who won't strongly and clearly speak out against ICE and its actions during Operation Metro Surge?

 Well, again, Sean, I'm going to push back on that, because people in the metro aren't saying, "Oh, ICE is too–" They're dealing with the highest level of carjacking we've had in years. We've had the highest property taxes, even as the value of commercial buildings has decreased – one building was sold for $6 million when it was originally purchased for over $90 million less than 10 years ago. Guess who's making up the difference in property taxes? The people you're referring to in the metro. That's why their property taxes are going up, their car insurance is going up because of the increase in car theft and carjackings. Everything is going up.

Our household income – this is according to the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce – the growth of household income in this state over the last 10 years ranks 46th out of 50 states. The biggest issue Minnesotans across the board, including in the metro, are facing is tough economic times, on top of the headache of crime. Why isn't someone doing something about it? Nothing's changed in Minneapolis except the leadership, and they're paying dearly for it. They want their kids to have a decent education – they're not fixated on ICE, or these "No Kings" rallies.

When I look at the population of people protesting ICE and protesting "No Kings," I call them "no Black folks" rallies, because there's hardly any. You guys are narrowing in on very specific leftist programs and forgetting the people in the middle. You're forgetting the Bill Clinton Democrats, and only focusing on the Hillary Clinton Democrats.

 Do you think there's some percentage of the population that's both frustrated with ICE and also unhappy about carjackings and where public education is at – some Venn diagram that includes people with both of those complaints?

 Oh, I'm sure there are, but I think that Venn diagram is very narrow. You know why? Statistics and facts bear that out – the carjackings, the crime, the schools, those have been chronic problems for years, but the ICE surge only happened in the last 12 months.

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