R.T. Rybak, born Raymond Thomas Rybak, Jr. on November 12, 1955, became mayor of Minneapolis, Minnesota in 2001 after defeating Sharon Sayles Belton, the first female and African-American mayor of the city. Mayor Rybak successfully pulled off the victory without an endorsement from a major party and by running a populist campaign, resulting in a victory with 65 percent of the vote. This was the widest margin of victory for a challenger running against an incumbent in Minneapolis's history. He took office in January 2002.
Early Life of R.T. Rybak
Growing up in Minneapolis, he dreamed of being mayor of the city in his early teens after attending the Episcopal Breck School. He continued his aspirations as a journalist and politician by attending Boston College, from which he graduated in 1978. After working for the Minneapolis Tribune during the 1970s and 1980s, he moved onto the Twin Cities Reader until 1997.
Rybak then moved onto the company Internet Broadcasting Systems, eventually helping establish a number of online formatted telecommunications networks, including work with the Twin Cities' station WCCO and Minnesota Public Radio.
Early Political Career in Minneapolis
Beginning his career as a community organizer and political activist during the early 1990s, he worked on an unsuccessful bid for Tony Bouza's gubernatorial run in Minnesota. He then turned his attention to the Residents Opposed to Airport Racket (ROAR), helping to mitigate the noise caused by the Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport. At the same time, Rybak worked as the Development Director for the Minneapolis' Downtown Council, helping to reestablish the downtown urban area.
Mayorship of Minneapolis
During his mayorship, his main focus has been an attempt to lower crime, create jobs and build affordable housing. He developed a 35 kilometer cross country ski race through the urban parks of Theodore Wirth Park, Cedar Lake, Lake of the Isles and Lake Calhoun, ending in the famed Uptown area of the city. It is known as the City of Lakes Loppet.
He was successful in his 2005 bid against Democratic-Farm-Labor (DFL) candidate Peter McLaughlin, beating him 61 percent to 36 percent. Rybak famously performed a crowd surf at his reelection party. In 2009, he announced he would seek reelection for the mayorship yet again, this time gaining the endorsement of the DFL. He faced no major challenger, instead spending most of his time focusing on a run for the governorship of the state.
Rybak lives in the East Harriet neighborhood of Minneapolis with a wife, Megan. His children, Charlie and Grace, attend George Washington University and Columbia University respectively.
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