Failure to Yield to a Pedestrian - HHH Airport

[AMarcin]

What is the name of your state? MN

On 4/15, I was cited for failure to yield to a pedestrian at HHH Airport. I was dropping someone off at the airport, neglected to see a flashing red light and did not stop. An officer pulled me over and stated in addition to not stopping, I did not yield right of way to some peds. (I think the failure to yield part may be debatable). I was charged only with "Fail to Yield to Peds" 169.21. It turns out this is a misdemeanor.

I met with a hearing officer at the government center. She said because this occured at the airport and was a misdemeanor charge, my only option with her was to plead guilty. I did not want to do that, so I took option 2 and have an "arraignment/first appearance" scheduled in District Court.

I do not disavow I made a mistake in not stopping. I don't care about paying a fine. My concern is over having a misdemeanor on my record. Is this something I can try to negotiate on my own at the arraignment? If I am unsatisfied with the process at the arraignment, would it be OK to then seek out an attorney?