Cameron A. Gordon (born 1955) is an American politician who was a

Green Party A green party is a formally organized political party based on the principles of green politics, such as social justice, environmentalism and nonviolence. Greens believe that these issues are inherently related to one another as a foundation ...

member of the

Minneapolis City Council The Minneapolis City Council is the lawmaking body of Minneapolis. It consists of 13 members, elected from separate wards to four-year terms, via a ranked-choice method. The council structure has been in place since the 1950s. In recent elections ...

from 2006 to 2022. He was a co-founder of the

Green Party of Minnesota The Green Party of Minnesota is a green political party in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It is affiliated with the Green Party of the United States. History The Minnesota Greens Confederation, founded 1990–91, fostered the development of local ...

and was called "the most prominent Green elected official in the US."

Early life and education

Gordon was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1955. He graduated from Minneapolis's West High School in 1973. He earned a BS in secondary education from the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Tw ...

College of Education In the United States and Canada, a school of education (or college of education; ed school) is a division within a university that is devoted to scholarship in the field of education, which is an interdisciplinary branch of the social sciences en ...

, graduating with distinction in 1977. He then attended the

College of St. Catherine St. Catherine University (St. Kate's) is a private Catholic university in Saint Paul, Minnesota. It was established as one of the first institutions of higher learning specifically for women in the Midwest and was known as the College of St. C ...

, focusing on

Montessori education The Montessori method of education involves children's natural interests and activities rather than formal teaching methods. A Montessori classroom places an emphasis on hands-on learning and developing real-world skills. It emphasizes indepen ...

and

early childhood development Early childhood development is the period of rapid physical, psychological and social growth and change that begins before birth and extends into early childhood. While early childhood is not well defined, one source asserts that the early years b ...

. He completed the primary level of the Montessori Teacher Certification Program in 1983 and the Prekindergarten Teaching Licensure Program in 1986. He taught at Child Garden Montessori School from 1980 to 1984. Gordon co-owned River's Edge, a children's music company and child care program, from 1997 to 2005. Gordon was also an associate editor of the newspaper ''Public School Montessorian''.

Political career

Gordon was a co-founder of the Green Party of Minnesota, which was established in two founding conventions held in February and June 1994. In 1996, Gordon was the

candidate for District 62A seat in the

Minnesota House of Representatives The Minnesota House of Representatives is the lower house of the Legislature of the U.S. state of Minnesota. There are 134 members, twice as many as the Minnesota Senate. Floor sessions are held in the north wing of the State Capitol in Saint Pa ...

. He was backed by the Minnesota New Party and received 25% of the vote, the highest percentage for a

third party Third party may refer to: Business * Third-party source, a supplier company not owned by the buyer or seller * Third-party beneficiary, a person who could sue on a contract, despite not being an active party * Third-party insurance, such as a Veh ...

state office candidate in the state of Minnesota in 50 years. Gordon ran for Minneapolis City Council in 2001. He was defeated by DFL candidate Paul Zerby by 108 votes. Gordon served on the policy board of the Minneapolis Neighborhood Revitalization Program. On November 8, 2005, Cam Gordon was elected to represent Ward 2 on the

, defeating DFLer Cara J. Letofsky by 141 votes (2481 to 2340). He was endorsed by the

, of which he was a former state party chair. Gordon was re-elected against token opposition in

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...

(with 84.1% of the vote), in

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

(with 87% of the vote), and in

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...

(with 97% of the vote). He was only non-DFL member of the council, and was elected Minority Leader of the council in 2014. Gordon chaired the Health, Environment and Community Engagement Committee. He was one of two elected Green Party members in the Minneapolis municipal government along with

Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) is an independent park district that owns, maintains, and programs activities in public parks in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. It has 500 full-time and 1,300 part-time employees and an $ ...

commissioner

Annie Young Annie Young (died January 22, 2018, age 75) was an American politician and member of the Green Party of Minnesota in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She was an elected at-large member of the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board. Young ran for Minnesota S ...

until her death in 2018.

Minneapolis City Council

2005–2009

Following a clash between the

Minneapolis Police Department The Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) is the primary law enforcement agency in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. It is also the largest police department in Minnesota. Formed in 1867, it is the second-oldest police department in Minnesot ...

(MPD) and cyclists participating in a

Critical Mass In nuclear engineering, a critical mass is the smallest amount of fissile material needed for a sustained nuclear chain reaction. The critical mass of a fissionable material depends upon its nuclear properties (specifically, its nuclear fissi ...

bike ride in August 2007, Gordon arranged for a meeting in City Hall between police officials and the riders. During the lead up to the

2008 Republican National Convention The 2008 Republican National Convention took place at the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minnesota, from September 1, through September 4, 2008. The first day of the Republican Party's convention fell on Labor Day, the last day of the popul ...

in Saint Paul, Gordon was a member of the city council's Free Speech Committee. In the 2011 book ''Globalization and the Demolition of Society'', Gordon was criticized for his vote giving the MPD legal authority to break up groups of people that are 25 or larger.

2010–2014

Gordon partnered with the

Minnesota Public Interest Research Group The Minnesota Public Interest Research Group (also known as MPIRG) describes itself as "a grassroots, non-partisan, nonprofit, student-directed organization that empowers and trains students and engages the community to take collective action ...

and students from the

to enact an ordinance in 2011 requiring commercial business owners in

Stadium Village Stadium Village is an area of Minneapolis, Minnesota near the East Bank campus of the University of Minnesota. While not an official neighborhood of Minneapolis, the area is an important commercial district that serves university students with man ...

to recycle. Following the June 2011 arrest of CeCe McDonald and second-degree murder charges, Gordon announced his support for her, calling the incident "another example ftransgender

women of color The term "person of color" (plural, : people of color or persons of color; abbreviated POC) is primarily used to describe any person who is not considered "White people, white". In its current meaning, the term originated in, and is primarily a ...

being targeted for hate- and bias-related violence." With councilmember

Don Samuels Don Samuels (born 1948/1949) is an American politician and activist, who served as a member of the Minneapolis City Council from 2003 to 2014. A member of the Democratic Party, Samuels came to national attention as a candidate for the DFL nomina ...

, Gordon co-authored a resolution in 2012 requiring Minneapolis to take steps to ensure the city addresses racial disparities in hiring, contracts, and promotions. The resolution was the first of its kind in the United States and declared

institutional racism Institutional racism, also known as systemic racism, is a form of racism that is embedded in the laws and regulations of a society or an organization. It manifests as discrimination in areas such as criminal justice, employment, housing, health ...

"a primary reason for unemployment disparities." In 2013, Gordon supported the construction of protected bike lanes on Minnehaha Avenue. In 2014, Gordon introduced an amendment to include

electronic cigarette An electronic cigarette is an electronic device that simulates tobacco smoking. It consists of an atomizer, a power source such as a battery, and a container such as a cartridge or tank. Instead of smoke, the user inhales vapor. As such ...

s in the Minneapolis

smoking ban Smoking bans, or smoke-free laws, are public policies, including criminal laws and occupational safety and health regulations, that prohibit tobacco smoking in certain spaces. The spaces most commonly affected by smoking bans are indoor work ...

. The same year, Gordon expressed reservations about the expansion of the

Southwest LRT The Southwest LRT (Metro Green Line Extension) is an under–construction light rail transit corridor in Hennepin County, Minnesota, with service between Minneapolis and Eden Prairie. The estimated one-way travel time from Southwest Station i ...

, ultimately voting against it, saying that he wanted his vote to reflect the remaining issues and concerns.

2015–2016

In 2015, Gordon co-sponsored a resolution to repeal ordinances in Minneapolis against spitting and lurking. Data from the MPD showed that, from 2009 to 2014, 59% of those arrested for lurking were African American. Gordon characterized the ordinances as a part of

structural racism A structure is an arrangement and organization of interrelated elements in a material object or system, or the object or system so organized. Material structures include man-made objects such as buildings and machines and natural objects such as ...

. Later in 2015, alongside Congressman

Keith Ellison Keith Maurice Ellison (born August 4, 1963) is an American politician and lawyer serving as the 30th attorney general of Minnesota. A member of the Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL), Ellison was the U.S. representative for from 2007 to ...

and councilmembers Alondra Cano and

Lisa Bender Elizabeth Peterson "Lisa" Bender (born May 11, 1978) is an American politician, city planner, and a former member of the Minneapolis City Council from the 10th Ward. In 2018, she was unanimously elected president of the Minneapolis City Council. ...

, Gordon showed his solidarity with

Black Lives Matter Black Lives Matter (abbreviated BLM) is a decentralized political and social movement that seeks to highlight racism, discrimination, and racial inequality experienced by black people. Its primary concerns are incidents of police bruta ...

protesters demanding the release of the police video showing the

shooting of Jamar Clark On November 15, 2015, two police officers fatally shot Jamar Clark, a 24-year-old African-American man, in Minneapolis. The two shooters were Mark Ringgenberg and Dustin Schwarze. They were a part of the Minneapolis Police Department which subs ...

. Gordon supported the demonstrators who set up an encampment outside the Fourth Precinct police station, drawing criticism from MPD Lieutenant Bob Kroll. In March 2016, Gordon opposed a $129 million renovation of the

Target Center Target Center is a multi-purpose arena located in Minneapolis that opened in 1990. It hosts major family shows, concerts, sporting events, graduations and private events. Target Corporation, founded and headquartered in Minneapolis since 1902, ...

arena, citing a requirement in the city charter that a referendum should be held for investments in professional sports facilities of over $10 million. With fellow councilmember Abdi Warsame, Gordon authored the Bring Your Own Bag ordinance in 2016, which prohibited single-use plastic carryout bags with some exceptions. The plan originated in a citizen environmental advisory group. In 2016, Gordon supported a proposal before the City Council to place an amendment on the ballot to raise the

minimum wage A minimum wage is the lowest remuneration that employers can legally pay their employees—the price floor below which employees may not sell their labor. Most countries had introduced minimum wage legislation by the end of the 20th century. Bec ...

in Minneapolis to $15 an hour. In 2016, Gordon opposed a Minneapolis Public Housing Authority plan to tear down 184-unit Glendale Townhomes complex in southeast Minneapolis and replace them with a mixed-income development. He supported rehabilitation of the row houses and sided with Defend Glendale, a resident group opposed to demolition, writing, "I support Defend Glendale’s efforts to have their homes repaired and improved with no displacement and no

gentrification Gentrification is the process of changing the character of a neighborhood through the influx of more Wealth, affluent residents and businesses. It is a common and controversial topic in urban politics and urban planning, planning. Gentrification ...

." Gordon also worked with Defend Glendale on a historic designation proposal. Also in 2016, Gordon opposed a housing ordinance limiting the number of non-family members who may live within the same house. He deemed the ordinance arbitrary and said that it prevented the expansion of

cooperative housing A housing cooperative, or housing co-op, is a legal entity, usually a cooperative or a corporation, which owns real estate, consisting of one or more residential buildings; it is one type of housing tenure. Housing cooperatives are a distinc ...

. Gordon proposed allowing landlords the ability to designate a single property that they owned an

intentional community An intentional community is a voluntary residential community which is designed to have a high degree of social cohesion and teamwork from the start. The members of an intentional community typically hold a common social, political, religious, ...

. Gordon and councilmember Alondra Cano wrote a proposal for Minneapolis to study how it could end its relationship with banks investing in the fossil fuel industry, including

Wells Fargo Wells Fargo & Company is an American multinational financial services company with corporate headquarters in San Francisco, California; operational headquarters in Manhattan; and managerial offices throughout the United States and intern ...

, which has ties to the

Dakota Access Pipeline The Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) or Bakken pipeline is a underground pipeline in the United States that has the ability to transport up to 750,000 barrels of light sweet crude oil per day. It begins in the shale oil fields of the Bakken Forma ...

and also handles the city's financial activities.

Electoral history

;2005 ;2009 ;2013 ;2017

References

External links

Gordon's city council pageGordon's campaign websiteGordon's blogInterview at Minneapolis City Hall, August 6th, 2007
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gordon, Cam 1955 births 21st-century American politicians Members of the Democratic Socialists of America from Minnesota Green Party of the United States officeholders Living people Minneapolis City Council members Minnesota Greens Montessori teachers St. Catherine University alumni State political party chairs of Minnesota University of Minnesota College of Education and Human Development alumni American political party founders Candidates in the 1996 United States elections Candidates in the 2001 United States elections