Tom Hoch, theater executive, announces bid for Mpls. mayor
The man some consider the "Mayor of Hennepin Avenue" announced his campaign to lead the entire city on Tuesday.
Tom Hoch said he was challenging incumbent first term mayor Betsy Hodges, who announced in December she was seeking re-election.
Hoch is retiring this year as CEO of the Hennepin Theater Trust. He has been on the boards of Planned Parenthood, the Minnesota Center for Book Arts, the Animal Humane Society and the Minneapolis Downtown Council.
He made his announcement in the lobby of the State Theater, which he helped rehabilitate.
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"Over the past few months, so many of you have asked me to take the next step. To throw my hat into the official race for mayor. It's been humbling, really. And like you, I believe that Minneapolis needs change. So today, I'm announcing my campaign for mayor of Minneapolis," Hoch told dozens of supporters who joined him for the announcement.
He also said he would make equity a priority if he became mayor, noting the disproportionate arrest rate and incomes for white, black and Native people in Minneapolis
"We need all of our citizens moving toward prosperity and not just some. Minneapolis should be a beacon for our state and nation, not only in how we lead, but also in what we accomplish and deliver for everyone," he said. "I want to put the progress back in progressive, and that is why I want to be your mayor."
He also took a jab at the incumbent.
"As your mayor, you won't find me lounging in a sports suite at taxpayer expense," Hoch said, a reference to Hodges name among those invited to the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority suite in U.S. Bank Stadium.
He also swiped at City Council member Jacob Frey, who is converting a re-election fund to a mayoral war chest.
"You won't find me raising money to run for one office and switching those funds to a campaign for a different one," Hoch said. "I will be an outsider who gets things done and gets City Hall back on track."
Hoch, a Minneapolis native, has been a Minneapolis public school teacher, a project manager with the Minneapolis Community Development Agency and a deputy executive director of the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority.
He has a husband, Mark Addicks, a former General Mills executive. They have a son, John; a daughter, Christina Oster; and three grandchildren.
Correction (Feb. 25, 2017): An earlier version of this story incorrectly reported the employment status of Mark Addicks.