Last week, I was elected to serve as the next Ramsey County Commissioner for District 5. I’m excited and honored to have been given this opportunity to continue serving our community.
Like all big changes, the prospect of moving from the City Council to the County Board brings with it a range of emotions. I’ve loved my work on the City Council over the last 10 years and I will miss my colleagues, my projects and the routines of Council business.
At the same time, I’m thrilled at the opportunities ahead. I ran for the County seat not to leave the City but to double down on my commitment to making our community better. I’ve learned over the last decade that while the City can achieve a lot, it also has its limits. We need a strong partner at Ramsey County to fulfill our vision of a thriving, equitable society.
Although it’s often overlooked, the County has a major role in our community and its work affects our lives every day. Ramsey County administers public benefits like medical assistance, long-term care, disability waivers, child care assistance and food support. It runs job training, public health, mental health and addiction treatment programs. The County manages the corrections system, the Sheriff’s office and the 911 emergency dispatch center, runs elections and collects taxes, funds homeless shelters and supportive housing, builds transit, invests in business development and more.
When I decided to run for the County Board, I had a rough idea of how the County could do better and a tentative list of things I wanted to achieve. That list has only grown and become more concrete over the last 13 months as I spoke with thousands of residents about their vision for our community. I knocked over 8000 doors during the campaign and I heard stories that broke my heart: parents with adult children living at home who are getting cut off of their disability assistance by the Big Horrible Bill; young professionals who can’t juggle the cost of child care, taxes and groceries; people who weren’t planning to vote because they’re deeply disappointed by politics as usual and they don’t see how change is possible. I talked to (lots of) people who had no idea what the County does and who were genuinely interested to know there’s a whole level of local government that impacts their lives that they’d never thought of before.
These conversations have filled me with even more ideas and enthusiasm for the work ahead. I’m excited to fund more supportive housing and homeless shelters to better serve our unhoused neighbors. I want to get big tax-exempt organizations to pay their fair share through a Payment In Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) program, get rid of the County’s Flock cameras, acquire the CP spur to build a multi-use trail, invest in transit projects and bike lanes so people don’t have to rely on a car to get around, invest in a revitalized and safer W. 7th Street, make it easier to access public benefits, expand child care assistance - and the list goes on. I want to expand and strengthen partnerships between the County, the City and our state and federal partners so our local community gets the funding it needs to tackle our most pressing problems. I want Ramsey County to be a strong and effective partner to the City of St. Paul and to fully realize its potential to be a force for good in people’s lives. I want people to know what the County does, who their Commissioner is and how to make an impact.
There’s lots to do and I’m ready to take it on.
While a lot is changing, much will remain the same. I will continue to represent my constituents on the West Side, W. 7th Street and downtown, while serving new residents in Dayton’s Bluff, Highland Park and a portion of Macalester-Groveland. You’ll still find me working in the same building, the Ramsey County Courthouse-City Hall, one floor down from my previous office. And my commitment to transparent, responsive and authentic engagement has never been stronger. I’m excited to continue hosting the Downtown Action Series and to find new and better ways to reach my constituents through email, social media and in our neighborhoods.
As always, I want to hear from you. What questions do you have about the County? What ideas do you have for how we can improve our community? How can I improve my constituent service and engage more community members in this new role? Looking forward to hearing from you and to the work ahead together.