Julia Hamann and Jacob Bases on Running Together in Mankato

Julia Hamann is running for mayor of Mankato in a three-way primary. Jacob Bases is running for the Third Ward city council seat and goes straight to the general election. They are campaigning together. As Hamann puts it, the mayor or one council person doesn't have any more power to change anything than anybody else.

Hosts Mike Lagerquist and Becki True talk with both candidates about what "progressive" means at the local level, how policy gets made in Mankato, housing costs, and how community input gets onto a council agenda. This is part of our Get Election Ready series on how local elections work.

Topics include why Hamann, who works in social work and nonprofits, is running for mayor, Bases's time as an Army medic in Afghanistan and why he put down roots in the area, and what it is like to knock on doors in a college town in summer as the youngest candidates on the ballot.

We also posted short clips from the conversation:

• Why a 1982 homeowner thinks students are paying too much in Mankato
• The house he bought while deployed, and what it taught him about tenants rights
• Look at who is on the Mankato City Council, and what these two candidates would change
• A plastic bag debate, and what the city council actually spent its time on
• Two Mankato candidates define "progressive" without the coded language

Learn more about the candidates: Julia Hamann for mayor and Jacob Bases for Mankato City Council Ward 3.

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