Priority Issues & Accomplishments

Ward 2 Policy Priorities

1. Accessible and Effective Government

   Rebecca believes government should be used to its full potential. Elected officials and civil servants must work at full tilt to deliver outstanding services, pass thoughtful, effective policies, and make it easier for people to understand government actions and participate in decisions that affect their lives. She champions constant innovation—embracing new ideas, technology, and processes that help the City work smarter, more efficiently, and more transparently. Rebecca also believes City Hall must be accessible to the people it serves. She regularly connects with residents through monthly Community Conversations, the Downtown Action Series, neighborhood meetings, and community events.

   Achievements:

   • Council Leadership: Rebecca was unanimously elected Council President on February 12, 2025, earning her colleagues’ confidence in her leadership and vision. As Council President, she has strengthened the Council’s ability to serve residents by improving legislative processes, increasing transparency, and creating more opportunities for thoughtful policy development. Shortly after her election, Rebecca led a two-day Council retreat to establish a strategic workplan focused on five urgent priorities: climate, housing, economic development, fiscal resilience, and public safety. She also chairs the Council’s Policy Committee, which explores emerging issues and develops collaborative policy solutions.
      
   • 2026 City Budget: Under Rebecca’s leadership, the Council adopted the 2026 city budget through a transparent and collaborative process that balanced fiscal sustainability with community priorities. Working closely with the Mayor’s Office and city staff, the final budget maintained critical investments in fire, libraries, recreation, neighborhood services, and community support programs while sustaining new investments in commercial corridors and immigrant support services.
      
   • Expanding Access to City Government: Rebecca believes residents should have clear and convenient ways to understand and participate in their local government. In 2026, the City Council expanded public access to Council proceedings by making meetings available through YouTube, increasing transparency and making it easier for residents to follow the work of their elected representatives.
      
   • Community Conversations:  Rebecca hosts monthly informal drop-in sessions at local businesses and community spaces across Ward 2, creating accessible opportunities for residents to share ideas, ask questions, and connect directly with their elected representative. These conversations help shape policy priorities and ensure City Hall remains connected to the communities it serves.
      
   • Downtown Action Series: Rebecca launched the Downtown Action Series in 2025 to bring together residents, businesses, nonprofit leaders, and City partners around a shared vision for downtown’s future. Through ongoing conversations and collaboration, the series has helped advance downtown revitalization efforts, identify opportunities for investment, and strengthen partnerships focused on creating a vibrant downtown neighborhood.
      
   • Transparent Voting: Early in her tenure on the City Council, Rebecca changed the City Council’s confusing voting process. Previously, silence counted as a “yes” vote, making it difficult for residents to understand what was happening during Council meetings. Her first resolution introduced clear “aye” and “nay” votes, strengthening transparency and accountability in City government.
      
   • Improving Public Safety Accountability: Rebecca worked with former Police Chief Todd Axtell to launch a customer service survey allowing residents to share feedback about their interactions with the Saint Paul Police Department. The effort created a new tool to better understand community experiences, inform training, and strengthen accountability.

2. Fighting for Fairness

   Saint Paul is an incredible city—but not everyone experiences its prosperity equally. Too many residents continue to face barriers related to poverty, discrimination, economic insecurity, and unequal access to opportunity. Rebecca believes government can be a powerful force for justice and works to ensure all residents have the protections, resources, and opportunities they need to thrive. She champions policies that support workers, protect consumers, advance equity, and ensure everyone benefits from Saint Paul's growth.

   Achievements:

   • $15 Minimum Wage: Rebecca championed a $15 minimum wage, along with strong enforcement and anti-retaliation protections.
      
   • Division of Labor Standards within HREEO: Following the adoption of the minimum wage ordinance, Rebecca led efforts to establish dedicated staffing and resources for education and enforcement, ensuring workers and businesses had the support needed to understand and comply with new labor standards.
      
   • Earned Sick and Safe Time: Soon after taking office in 2016, Rebecca supported one of the nation’s strongest earned sick and safe time ordinances, guaranteeing paid time off for Saint Paul employees to care for themselves or loved ones, or to seek safety from domestic violence.
      
   • Wage Theft Ordinance: Rebecca helped pass Saint Paul's Wage Theft Ordinance, creating a clearer process for workers to address unpaid wages, misclassification, and illegal deductions while strengthening protections for employees.
      
   • Assessment Hardship Relief: Rebecca made it easier for seniors and qualifying residents experiencing hardship to defer assessments for City services by expanding the City's hardship deferral process to include more types of assessments.
      
   • Safe and Accessible Transportation: Rebecca has long championed investments that help residents move safely throughout Saint Paul. She supported completion of the Capital City Bikeway and continues advocating for improved transit, pedestrian safety, bike accessibility, and community-centered planning along corridors like West Seventh Street.
      
   • Gender-Neutral Bathrooms: Rebecca sponsored a resolution committing the City to install gender-neutral bathrooms in new buildings and retrofit existing facilities, positioning Saint Paul as a leader in creating inclusive public spaces.
      
   • Humane Pet Stores: Rebecca introduced a groundbreaking ordinance banning the sale of dogs and cats in pet shops to reduce support for puppy and kitten mills while encouraging adoption events. Saint Paul became Minnesota’s third and largest city to adopt this law.
      
   • Protecting Youth and Residents from Tobacco Addiction: Rebecca has worked to protect residents from the harmful impacts of tobacco use and targeted marketing. She supported restrictions on flavored tobacco sales, led the Council’s effort to cap tobacco licenses citywide, raised the tobacco purchasing age to 21, and supported smoke-free policies in parks and near building entrances. These efforts help reduce youth exposure to tobacco products and strengthen public health protections across Saint Paul.
      
   • Protecting Residents from Cryptocurrency Scams: Rebecca led the City Council’s effort to ban cryptocurrency kiosks in Saint Paul in response to increasing fraud and financial exploitation targeting vulnerable residents. The ordinance strengthened consumer protections by eliminating a known avenue for scams and reaffirmed the City’s role in protecting residents from predatory practices.

3. Housing for All

   Everyone should be able to call Saint Paul home.  Affordable housing not only addresses immediate needs but also builds long-term stability for families, strengthens neighborhoods, and creates economic opportunity.  As our city faces significant housing challenges, Rebecca is advancing a comprehensive approach that expands the supply of affordable housing, protects renters from displacement, addresses homelessness through shelter and supportive services, and supports new housing options like ADUs, tiny homes, co-living and social housing. Rebecca works closely with residents, community organizations, developers, and city agencies to advance housing solutions and remove barriers that slow development.

   Achievements:

   • Affordable Housing: Housing is one of Saint Paul’s biggest challenges. Rebecca has championed new affordable units in developments like the former Pioneer Press Building and West Side Flats, advocated for a permanent Housing Trust Fund, and explored policy tools like inclusionary zoning and community land trusts to help more residents afford homes. She continues working to expand housing options while ensuring new development meets community needs.
      
   • Stryker Avenue Senior Housing Redevelopment: Rebecca partnered with the West Side Community Organization (WSCO) to rezone Stryker Avenue to support higher-density development and helped advance the redevelopment of the former Stryker Market lot into new affordable senior housing.
      
   • Rent Stabilization and Tenant Protections: Council President Noecker sponsored an amendment to Saint Paul’s Rent Stabilization Ordinance that exempts all rental units built after December 31, 2004, aiming to encourage development of much-needed housing. She also supported comprehensive tenant protections that limit security deposits, regulate tenant screening, and clarify eviction procedures. In 2026, in response to Operation Metro Surge, Rebecca supported extending the pre-eviction notice period from 14 to 60 days, giving residents more time to access assistance and avoid displacement. 
      
   • Expanding Housing Stability Supports: Rebecca has supported investments that help residents remain housed and connect people experiencing homelessness with critical resources. In 2026, the City Council expanded emergency rental assistance funding and partnered with Ramsey County to strengthen emergency shelter capacity and supportive services, including connections to case management and housing resources.
      
   • Heading Home Ramsey: Homelessness requires broad collaboration. Rebecca helped launch Heading Home Ramsey, a coalition working to end unsheltered homelessness through investments in outreach, shelter capacity, and supportive services that connect residents experiencing homelessness with pathways toward stability.
      
   • Seasonal Safe Space: With rising unsheltered homelessness, Rebecca partnered with Ramsey County, Catholic Charities, and the Saint Paul Foundation to launch the Seasonal Safe Space—an emergency shelter opened in 2017 that expanded access to safe shelter for residents experiencing homelessness. 

4. Investing in Our Youth

   As a former middle school science teacher and a mother of two, Rebecca understands the importance of creating opportunities for young people to learn, grow, and thrive. She believes every child deserves access to high-quality programs, supportive environments, and the resources they need to reach their full potential. Because families cannot do this work alone, Rebecca works to ensure city government is a strong partner in supporting youth, families, and their communities. 

   Achievements:

   • Free Recreation Programming: Rebecca has consistently championed funding for free, high-quality Parks & Rec programming to ensure all young people - regardless of income, background, or language - can participate in activities that support learning, connection, and belonging. She also supports partnerships that expand access to educational and enrichment opportunities for young people across Saint Paul.
      
   • Right Track Youth Jobs: A strong advocate for Saint Paul’s youth employment program, Rebecca has hired Right Track interns in her office and pushed for increased city investment to expand access to summer jobs that connect young people with meaningful work experiences.
      
   • Saint Paul Early Learning Initiative: Rebecca brought together city leaders, schools, providers, and community partners to create a citywide early learning plan focused on expanding high-quality childcare and making it more affordable for families.
      
   • Youth Fund Redesign: Rebecca partnered with young leaders from Saint Paul Youth Services to redesign the Youth Fund, prioritizing programs that serve low-income youth and youth of color, reduce barriers like transportation, and supporting organizations that create meaningful opportunities for young people.

5. Creating Safe and Welcoming Neighborhoods

   Our neighborhoods are our greatest asset. Rebecca believes safe and welcoming communities are built through strong partnerships, thoughtful investments, and places where every resident feels they belong. She works to create neighborhoods where people can move safely—whether on foot, by bike, with a stroller, in a wheelchair, or by car. Through collaborative policymaking and community engagement, Rebecca works to ensure Saint Paul grows in a way that reflects residents' priorities and strengthens the places people call home. 

   Achievements:

   • Leading the Council’s Emergency Response to Operation Metro Surge: As Operation Metro Surge brought unprecedented federal immigration enforcement activity and disruption to Saint Paul, Rebecca led the City Council in moving from business-as-usual to an emergency legislative response. She made it possible to move urgent legislation quickly while maintaining the legal and public process required for durable policy. In the space of a few weeks, the Council banned immigration enforcement operations on City-owned property, required ID for law enforcement and banned face coverings, strengthened our separation ordinance, allocated $1.42 million to Emergency Rental Assistance, extended the pre-eviction notice period from 30 to 60 days, and provided additional time for businesses to renew their licenses. Throughout the crisis, Rebecca focused on making City government more nimble and responsive as conditions changed.
      
   • Tree Preservation Ordinance: Rebecca led the creation of Saint Paul’s first Tree Preservation Ordinance, bringing together residents, environmental advocates, City staff, and technical experts through a year-long public input process. The ordinance establishes stronger protections for trees on City projects, supports healthier streetscapes, and creates a framework for preserving Saint Paul’s urban tree canopy.
      
   • Gun Violence Prevention: Rebecca led the Council in drafting and unanimously passing a comprehensive gun violence prevention ordinance banning assault-style weapons, high-capacity magazines, binary triggers, and untraceable “ghost guns,” and prohibiting guns in sensitive public spaces. She also championed stronger firearm storage requirements to help prevent unauthorized access to guns, including firearms left unsecured in vehicles. The safe-storage ordinance passed unanimously and strengthened the City’s efforts to prevent gun theft, accidental shootings, and gun violence.
      
   • Robert Street Reconstruction MOU: Rebecca led the collaborative drafting and passage of a Memorandum of Understanding between the City of Saint Paul and MnDOT to strengthen accountability and community care during the Robert Street reconstruction project. The agreement helped create the Robert Street Accountability Task Force, ensuring ongoing community oversight and coordination throughout this major infrastructure investment.
      
   • Climate Action and Resilience Plan: Rebecca supported the adoption of Saint Paul’s updated Climate Action and Resilience Plan, strengthening the City’s roadmap for addressing climate change, improving community resilience, and creating healthier neighborhoods for future generations.
      
   • Pedestrian Safety and Safer Streets: Responding to resident concerns, Rebecca coauthored resolutions lowering speed limits on Cesar Chavez Street and Wabasha Street to improve pedestrian safety and create safer, more welcoming streets for people walking, biking, rolling, and driving.
      
   • Public Art and Community Spaces: Rebecca has supported investments that make public spaces more welcoming and reflective of Saint Paul’s diverse communities. In partnership with Ramsey County and the Ramsey County Historical Society, she led an effort to replace the City Council Chambers murals, engaging residents in selecting new artwork that reflects the full diversity of Saint Paul today.
      
   • Supporting Walkable Neighborhood Development: Rebecca led the Saint Paul City Council in unanimously adopting major updates to the East Grand Avenue Overlay District. The amendments bolster development flexibility along East Grand - supporting small businesses, enhancing pedestrian walkability, permitting sensitive increases in building height, and allowing patios and gathering spaces.
      
   • Neighborhood Investments: Rebecca has secured targeted investments that respond to neighborhood priorities, including safety improvements at Linwood Recreation Center, commercial vitality investments on the West Side, support for small businesses, pedestrian improvements, public art, and neighborhood beautification projects.

6. A Thriving Economy

   Rebecca believes that a thriving Saint Paul economy depends on attracting investment, supporting local businesses, creating good-paying jobs, and ensuring residents have opportunities to benefit from economic growth. She works to strengthen commercial corridors, revitalize downtown, reduce barriers for entrepreneurs, and build the conditions where businesses and communities can succeed together.

   Achievements: 

   • Commercial Corridor Organization Assistance Program (CCOAP): Rebecca spearheaded the creation of the $1.4 million Commercial Corridor Organization Assistance Program (CCOAP), a fund that supports vibrant commercial areas through storefront improvements, public art, streetscape enhancements, and community events. 
      
   • Investing in a Vibrant Downtown: Rebecca has worked to strengthen downtown as a neighborhood where residents, businesses, workers, and visitors can thrive. As a founding member of the Saint Paul Downtown Alliance and co-chair of the Downtown Commercial Real Estate Committee, she has brought public, private, and community partners together to attract investment, support local businesses, activate public spaces, and improve downtown’s vitality. She helped establish the Downtown Improvement District, launched community-building efforts like Lowertown Social Hours, and led the creation of the $5 million Downtown Vitality Fund in 2026 to support downtown housing and business activity. She also helped make the long-awaited vision for Pedro Park a reality, transforming an underused lot into a vibrant urban green space that opened in 2025.
      
   • Central Station Redevelopment: Rebecca brought partners together to advance redevelopment of this key downtown block, creating a framework for transformative investment that could add housing, jobs, and new public spaces around one of Saint Paul’s most important transit hubs.
      
   • Strengthening the Downtown Skyway: Rebecca is a champion a safer, cleaner, more welcoming, and connected skyway system. She launched Skywalkers trainings to equip regular skyway users with tools to report safety and cleanliness concerns and helped secure funding for a partnership with students at the Saint Paul Conservatory of Performing Arts to create and install a mural in the Victory Parking Ramp skyway, bringing new energy and activity to an important downtown public space. When a critical skyway connection through the Alliance Bank Center, Central Station, and Saint Paul Athletic Club closed, Rebecca made reopening the connection a priority by identifying potential funding and urging quick action to restore this vital link between the east and west sides of downtown. 
      
   • Modernizing Riverfront Development Rules: In December 2025, the Saint Paul City Council adopted long-awaited updates to the Mississippi River Corridor Critical Area (MRCCA) regulations following years of planning and public engagement. Rebecca championed changes that removed overly restrictive building height limits and created more flexible, predictable rules that balance riverfront protection with development opportunities.
      
   • Open for Business: Rebecca co-led this initiative to simplify permitting, improve customer service, and make it easier for entrepreneurs to navigate City processes. The team produced a “Pocket Guide for Doing Business in Saint Paul” in four languages and continues working to reduce barriers for businesses looking to start, grow, and invest in the city.
      
   • Support for Small Business Tools & Flexibility: Rebecca has championed policies that make it easier to run and promote small businesses, including legalizing sidewalk sandwich signs, roof signs, and electric assists on pedicabs.
      
   • Saint Paul Business Awards: In 2017, Rebecca launched these awards to recognize businesses of all sizes for their commitment to equity, employee development, and community impact.  To date, dozens of businesses have received the award and the program continues annually.