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Anyone who follows Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges knows that she's a big fan of inspirational quotes. She tweets one every morning to her nearly 13,000 followers.


Her tweets have become so routine that a local statistician 

was able to determine when she got up every day, based on the timestamps.


Sometimes, though, Hodges uses her 140 characters of inspiration to strike back at her critics or to take a stand on the news of the day. Her Twitter posts are a social media highlight of her first year in office.


Journalists, you've been warned: If you write a mean column about Hodges' #quote #quotes, be prepared for her to hit back. On Twitter, of course.

Star Tribune's Jon Tevlin wrote a column taking Hodges to task for what he deemed all-too-frequent silly attempts at Twitter wisdom.


On Tevlin's gift list for Hodges: "A copy of the collected quotes of Deepak Chopra, so she can keep up with her steady stream of inane platitudes on Twitter. This Chopra gem seems applicable: 'There are very few examples of effective, nurturing leadership that unlocks people's potential or even enthusiasm.'"

https://twitter.com/MayorHodges/status/544445182242856960

now infamous report on Hodges flashing "a known gang sign" in a photo.

 The report went viral — and not in a good way — with coverage everywhere from Vanity Fair to Huffington Post to Slate. Even Jon Stewart mocked the story, adding "don't point" to his long list of "innocent things black people do that look suspicious."


Hodges did not immediately respond to the controversy when the KSTP report came out. But she appeared to address the issue with her tweet on Nov. 7: 

https://twitter.com/MayorHodges/status/530718713599639552


The tweet also coincided with the start of Garth Brooks' 

 The singer opened his Twin Cities concert series Nov. 6. 


On Aug. 14, Hodges used her first budget address to press for increased spending on affordable housing, police, recycling and a host of other programs. 

https://twitter.com/MayorHodges/status/499139910603784192

https://twitter.com/MayorHodges/status/499514849647284224

https://twitter.com/MayorHodges/status/499871481673699328

https://twitter.com/MayorHodges/status/500241048631656449


Earlier this month, Hodges' $1.2 billion budget proposal passed after a series of 7-to-6 votes to shift money to fund programs previously cut by the council.


Departing Secretary of State Mark Ritchie said 

 There's typically fall-off in years when presidential candidates aren't on the ballot or if there are few competitive races. 

Knowing this on Election Day, Hodges did her part to get out the vote with this warning:

https://twitter.com/MayorHodges/status/529600511696056323


Sure, she frequently quotes the likes of Maya Angelou, Henry David Thoreau and presidents but Hodges isn't afraid to mix in a little nerdom. She declared May 2 to be 

 in Minneapolis, coinciding with Minneapolis Comic Con, and looked to the most famous Amazonian warrior princess to inspire her followers:

https://twitter.com/MayorHodges/status/462188348648353793

Politics and Government News

Nancy Yang

Author

Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges is a big fan of inspirational quotes. Her daily tweets are a social media highlight of her first year in office.

On Twitter, Hodges shares likes and swipes

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