R.T. Rybak

R.T. Rybak was elected mayor of Minneapolis in 2001, in his first run for public office. He was overwhelmingly reelected in 2005 and 2009 and is serving his third four-year term.

In 2006, Rybak was the first big-city mayor in America to endorse Barack Obama for president, almost a year before Obama officially announced his candidacy.

As DNC vice chair for the 12 months, he has campaigned in support of President Obama in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, North Carolina, Florida, Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa, Colorado, Utah, Arizona, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, New York and, of course, Minnesota.

He is also president of the National Conference of Democratic Mayors.

As Mayor of Minneapolis for more than 10 years, Rybak has gotten strong results in:

- Fiscal responsibility. Under Mayor Rybak’s leadership, the City of Minneapolis has paid down or avoided $241 million in debt, held spending flat and restored its AAA credit rating.

- Public safety. Violent crime in Minneapolis has fallen 42% in the last five years and is at a 28-year low.

- Economic growth. Mayor Rybak has significantly invested in growing small business, the high-tech sector, exports and green manufacturing, and has closed the unemployment gap between Minneapolis and its suburbs.

- Infrastructure. Mayor Rybak has embarked on a massive street-rebuilding program, has championed transit and non-motorized transportation, and has led Minneapolis’ rise to the #1 bike city in America.

- Youth development. Since 2004, the summer-jobs program that Mayor Rybak founded has provided meaningful employment for 18,000 youth, 86% of whom are youth of color.



Rybak, a Minneapolis native and lifelong resident, also has a broad background in business, journalism and community activism. He and his wife Megan O’Hara, a communications consultant, have two children: Charlie, a recent college graduate, and Grace, a college senior.