October 14, 2026

When I tuck my kids in bed at night, we have a little ritual. We say a quick prayer together and then I ask each of them, “What are you particularly grateful for today?”  We’ve been doing this since they were tiny and their responses have, naturally, changed over time. (These days, in spring and summer, their gratitude tends to focus on baseball - e.g., a Twins victory or a Guardians defeat).  

It’s a sweet way to end the day, but it’s also an important reminder that I try to take to heart. Like many of us, I tend to focus on what’s not yet done, rather than what’s already been achieved, the many changes we desperately need to make in our world, rather than the things we should be, well, grateful for.

I think sometimes we’re cautious about being grateful because it feels too close to being satisfied. If we become more thankful, do we risk becoming content?  If we focus on what’s been done, do we lose sight of the many problems left to address?

I believe we can do both. We can appreciate the good and keep our fire in the belly for all that needs to change. The truth is, we need to recognize our achievements, large and small, in order to keep the faith that change is possible and to stay motivated to keep working on the hardest problems..

In that spirit, here are a few recent collective wins that I think are worth celebrating:

  1. Aldi - Ever since we lost Lunds a year and a half ago, we knew we needed our downtown grocery store back. As I talked to people who had lined up for the official store opening a few weeks ago, I was floored by the enthusiasm and the diversity of the crowd.  People of all ages, races, incomes and abilities were lined up around the block, excited for a new affordable grocery store within walking and rolling distance. The momentum was palpable.
  2. New composting site in W. 7th - The W. 7th community will have a new organics composting site thanks to the hard work of the W. 7th/Fort Road Federation and the partnership of FCC, the City’s organized trash collector. As part of its commitment to the community, FCC will donate $20K to build the site and will be responsible for collecting organics from the site on an ongoing basis.  
  3. Baker Park - Kids and families on the West Side are enjoying a renovated Baker Park, with new synthetic turf, lighting, accessible walkways and more.  This $3.9 million investment in the West Side community will make it possible for more kids to play football, basketball, baseball and other sports on a high-quality, long-lasting field.  Kudos to our incredible Parks team, the West Side Boosters, the West Side Community Organization, the St. Paul Parks Conservancy and the Minnesota Vikings for coming together to make this happen.
  4. Linwood Park - Speaking of parks, we just celebrated the opening of a newly redesigned Linwood Park, serving the Summit Hill neighborhood.  It was absolutely joyous to be there on opening day and watch the kids’ delight as they experienced the new playground for the first time. Special thanks to the Summit Hill Association for their extensive community engagement to make sure the final design reflected the neighborhood’s priorities.
  5. New downtown housing and retail - With the opening of the Stella apartment building, the full funding of the Galtier and Hamm housing developments, and the full leasing of Landmark Towers, we are on track to welcome hundreds of new residents to downtown Saint Paul. To keep the momentum going, we just allocated over $5 million from our new Downtown Vitality Fund to 12 different downtown projects, including a complete refresh of the Endicott Arcade on 5th Street.  
  6. No more Flock cameras - I was proud to lead the effort to remove the City’s Flock cameras. Public safety is important but it can’t come at the cost of public trust, and that trust was violated when other departments shared our residents’ data with the federal government. The Council passed a resolution calling on an end to our Flock contract and our cameras came down the same day.  

These achievements remind us of our power to come together as a community and make the changes we want to see. I’m grateful for all that we’ve gotten done in the last few months and I’m excited for the work ahead together.