Don Samuels announces bid for mayor
North side City Councilmember Don Samuels officially announced his bid for Minneapolis mayor at a press conference Wednesday, making him the third on the council vying for the spot. 
Don Samuels is the third councilmember vying for R.T. Rybak's soon-to-be vacant seat.
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Originally from Jamaica, Samuels joined the City Council in 2003, and touts safety, jobs, and housing is his greatest priorities. He is also founder of the Northside Achievement Zone, a nonprofit aiming to end violence in the area.
Samuels is adored by many in north Minneapolis for his work combatting crime in the neighborhood, but he's also attracted plenty of critics in his time on the council. In 2007, a group of residents called for his resignation after Samuels said in an interview with David Brauer for Minneapolis-St. Paul Magazine: "I've said burn North High School down! I can't be paying for the education of my neighbors and 72 percent of them are failing - meaning black boys."
According the Star Tribune, Samuels vowed to reduce Minneapolis's crime rate below any other major U.S. city's at yesterday's press conference. Fellow councilmembers Gary Schiff and Betsy Hodges have also announced candidacy for mayor.
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