March 19, 2026
I’m feeling hopeful.
It’s almost a transgressive statement these days when things feel so shaky, both in our neighborhoods and across the globe. But hope matters more in a time of uncertainty, and in this season, there’s a lot to inspire it.
It’s March, and the buzz is palpable as events and festivals kick into high gear. St. Patrick’s Day is next week (see you at the parade?), Cinco de Mayo is just around the corner, and soon we’ll be immersed in a full slate of Saint Paul celebrations: spring flower shows at Como Park Zoo & Conservatory, the International Festival of Minnesota at the RiverCentre, West Side Cinco de Mayo festivities, the return of Grand Old Day on Grand Avenue, neighborhood arts events like the Art Crawl, and in June, the Twin Cities Jazz Festival—along with block parties and cultural celebrations across the city.
Community events like these bring our city to life, but they’ve become harder to organize as security costs have gone up. I’m proud that our Council took action this month to help bring down costs for community events. We allocated $155,000 for security credit and we’re exploring ways to reduce costs even more in the future.
I’m also feeling hopeful about downtown. The last few weeks have brought great news for our urban core, including the announcement that Aldi will be taking over the former Lund’s space, returning a grocery store to our downtown neighborhood at price points that more of us can afford. Our Downtown Action Series continues to attract record numbers of downtown supporters to learn about redevelopment efforts and fun ways to experience downtown (see: Skyway 5K!). The Downtown Alliance recently announced a $30 million Downtown Investment Fund which will allow it to continue redeveloping commercial properties, and the Council approved a plan for the Port Authority to prepare and market the St. Joe’s property for new development. This is good news for our downtown, our economy and our tax base.
I’m also hopeful about the bustle of activity along commercial corridors across the city. Last year, the Council tried something new—providing grants to District Councils and business associations to enhance and promote their main streets through public art, greenery, benches, lighting, events, and more. When we launch new programs, it can sometimes take time to get dollars out the door, but that wasn’t the case here. To date, the Commercial Corridors program has distributed about $1.1 million in funding.
Those dollars have supported a wide range of efforts, including corridor marketing campaigns, website updates, event support, beautification projects, and sub-grants directly to small businesses for façade improvements and operational support. Because of that success, we are planning to renew the Commercial Corridors Program with a more equitable allocation of funding across the city, and I’m excited to see how these investments continue to bring energy to our neighborhood business districts this spring and summer.
Finally, I’m finding hope in the work our community members are doing every day - caring for one another, coming up with new ideas to make our neighborhoods safer and more inviting, advocating for policies that will help everyone thrive. Thanks for giving me more reasons for hope…and hope to see you all soon.