Millard challenges Chughtai in Ward 10

The city council election could be especially close this year for Ward 10’s Whittier, Lowry Hill East/Wedge, East Bde Mka Ska and Uptown voters.
On May 31, the Minneapolis Democratic Farmer Labor Party’s (DFL) Ward 10 convention ended with no endorsement for either Aisha Chughtai, the incumbent, or Lydia Millard, who is challenging her. Chughtai received 52% of the votes for endorsement and Millard 47%, both short of the required 60%.
“With only 18 delegate votes between a sitting council member with almost a decade of experience in convention politics and me, a newcomer to politics, I consider this a significant victory and am focused on winning in November,” said Millard.
“I am proud to say that my campaign earned a majority of support from DFL delegates,” said Chughtai. “After receiving so much support from our local Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, I am excited to bring our vision of a Minneapolis that invests in all of us this November.”

Who are they?
Millard is a second-generation African American resident of Minneapolis. She has worked at UPS and Metro Transit, and is currently the executive director of the Stevens Square Community Organization and works for Target corporation.
Millard pointed to her time working at Target as one thing that has helped prepare her to be on the city council. “I think my experience working in logistics at Target best qualifies me for this job because you have to think about how all the pieces in a large project come together, which is often a missing mindset at city hall. First, you must understand the need and how people use systems. Then, you need to identify all the different teams that must work together, create a budget, and a timeline. This is what I mean when I say we need to put problem solving ahead of political agendas.”
Chughtai was elected in 2021 as the first Muslim woman, and youngest person ever, to serve on the Minneapolis City Council. She was reelected in 2023 and was then selected council vice president by her fellow council members. Before being elected she was campaign manager for Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, worked at Take Action Minnesota, and was the political organizer for Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Minnesota.
“Before I was elected to the council in 2021 and since I’ve been in office, I’ve been working for and with working class people of Minneapolis,” said Chughtai. “I’ve worked at labor unions and organizing in tenant and immigrant rights spaces, all of which uniquely prepared me to work in broad coalitions with the people most impacted by decisions, and deliver results. For the last three and a half years, I’ve ensured that the residents of our community have a seat at the table to create strong policy and invest in our neighborhoods.”
Millard is endorsed by two active independent expenditure political committees. The first is All of Minneapolis, a group started with funding of $1,229,037 from Plan for Progress that was set up in 2021 with a $1,353,500 contribution from the Minneapolis Chamber of Commerce. The second is We Love Minneapolis; it received much of its initial funding from landlords and property managers, including $30,000 from the Hornig Companies that owns and manages over 90 rental properties in Minneapolis, including many in Ward 10.
Chughtai is also supported by two political groups (Take Action Minnesota and Minneapolis for the Many) that receive significant funding from organized labor. She has endorsements from the Minneapolis Regional Labor Federation, AFL-CIO; Service Employees International Union (SEIU); Laborers’ International Union of North America (LiUNA!); and UniteHere Local 17.
“I’ve also had the privilege of being endorsed by a majority of my colleagues on the Minneapolis City Council and elected officials at all levels of government who represent our community,” she said. This includes Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, State Representatives Katie Jones and Aisha Gomez, State Senator Omar Fateh, Hennepin County Board Chair Irene Fernando, Minneapolis School Board Director Greta Callahan, and Minneapolis Parks Commissioner Tom Olson. She is also endorsed by Women Winning, Outfront Action, Sunrise Twin Cities, and the Twin Cities Democratic Socialists of America.

What will they work on?
Chughtai’s priorities include worker’s rights, housing for all, multi-modal transportation, a humane approach to homelessness, Uptown revitalization, community economic development, public safety, environmental justice, transparency and accountability, and equity.
“I’ve had the privilege of working closely with my colleagues and the mayor on addressing the climate crisis and repairing the harms caused by decades of environmental racism at the local level,” said Chughtai. “Together, we secured the most environmentally friendly franchise agreements in the city’s history. If re-elected, I’m looking forward to continuing to hold corporations like Xcel and CenterPoint Energy accountable to doing their fair share to address our climate crisis and build a healthier Minneapolis.”
She does not support outsourcing so many services. “If re-elected,” said Chughtai, “I want to continue to increase oversight on every dollar that is spent on contracts, increase capacity within the city auditor’s office to strengthen our independent oversight and accountability tools. I also want to ensure that we are returning core services to being run by the city’s frontline employees – the vast majority of whom are unionized – instead of private entities who are unaccountable to residents.”
Millard prioritizes responding to the community, small businesses, public safety, housing solutions and creating a Lake Street Green Zone. She is critical of the incumbent. “After four years of inattentive and combative leadership for Ward 10,” she said, “I will bring the grounded stability and willingness to listen to others that we need.”
Millard is a strong supporter of the Stable Homes Stable Schools initiative that provides housing support for public school families and wants to ensure that it remains funded. “I know I benefited from the stability of growing up in the same neighborhood in North Minneapolis for the entirety of my childhood,” she said. “Too often we discount the importance of the community in creating that stability children need, but this program invests in keeping families in their homes and in the neighborhoods and schools, which is a powerful investment in our future and a Minneapolis in which all can thrive.”
Millard is concerned that the current council “is not willing to work with the mayor and his office.” She said, “No matter who is mayor, I can promise you that I will put my ego to the side and work with them. Solving problems is more important than scoring points, something I’ve learned from a young age, including my time as the youngest manager of a UPS warehouse and as the only person of color.”

DO BOTH LIVE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD?
There has been some confusion and public discussion about the property that Millard owns and where she lives. (This is also an issue with challengers in Wards 1, 2, 12 this year.) According to Hennepin County records, she owns a property in Northeast Minneapolis that is registered as homesteaded and requires a homeowner to live there. Homeowners who leave homesteaded property are required to notify the county within 30 days. According to city records and Millard, the home is now vacant.
“In 2023, I bought a 100-year-old home with the goal of living in one unit and renting out the rest of the house to women who have recently been released from prison,” she said in a written response to the information after it was shared by Mpls for the Many. “All of that was drowned out by a burst pipe at the end of January 2024 just days before the first group of women were set to arrive.”
“To be honest,” she added, “the tax status on the house has been the least of my concerns. The first priority was to rehouse my tenants. Then I began the long battle with the insurance company who denied the claim. This battle has been going on for over a year. I also had to close down my business and begin the process of selling a house that is uninhabitable.”
In June, Millard said, “I live in the Lowry Hill East neighborhood also known as the Wedge, and one of my favorite things about it is that I can get to tons of great businesses nearby just by walking or biking. The people here are super kind and there always seem to be neighborhood events.”
Chughtai lives in the Whittier neighborhood. “I love the area,” she said. “Ward 10 has the best public transportation options in the entire state. One of my favorite things is how easy it is to get around without a car. I am often able to walk or take public transportation to get to and from the amazing restaurants and arts and entertainment our community has to offer.”

How do they make decisions?
City council members make hundreds of decisions a month. Many of them can have serious and lasting impacts on the residents of Minneapolis.
“One of the primary things that prompted me to run for office was how increasingly hard it is becoming for working class people to build a life here in Minneapolis,” said Chughtai. “I ran because I want to see a city dedicated to investing in our community, investing in people, so that everyone who lives here has not just what they need to survive, but to thrive. That’s my guiding principle for every decision I make as a council member. If re-elected, I will continue to make choices that prioritize people over profit, bring investment to our communities, and make it easier for working class people to continue calling Minneapolis home.”
Regarding her decision-making process, Millard said, “The first step is to do research and think critically about an issue with my team. The next step is to develop lists of pros and cons, and identify any unintended consequences of an action. Next, I’ll ensure that I’m listening to my constituents at office hours, held regularly and often, and by reaching out to all partners, something I already do as a candidate for office. Once I think through those conversations, I’ll make a final decision.”