I will work cooperatively with County law enforcement to support making the county and downtown safer. I am also excited to support the Appropriate Responses Initiative at Ramsey County. By working across departments, the county’s 911 call center now directs appropriate staff - social workers, mental health professionals or law enforcement to problem situations. This saves money and saves lives. I am also proud to have helped provide $1.4 M from the state to Ramsey County to help stop dangerous crime. This helped County Attorney Choi and Sheriff Fletcher reduce car jackings from more than a hundred in a year to twenty-eight last year. I will also continue to support restorative justice in Ramsey County.

Community Safety 

I helped raise $1.3 Billion for housing statewide at the legislature and I will make sure that money is spent well in Ramsey County. I support a two-pronged approach of building more affordable housing through the County HRA Levy and other tools and supporting Homeless shelters like Catholic Charities and Union Gospel Mission with the resources they need. I am also committed to avoiding the concentration of poverty by making sure we build housing that has mixed income levels, mixed ages, and mixed density and green space. This is the way healthy communities thrive.

Housing Stability & Affordability

West 7th Street is a major artery for our district and our region. I am ready to work with partners at the Met Council, the city of Saint Paul, the Minnesota Department of Transportation and our staff at the county to find a solution that fixes the street and provides better transit and bike/ped infrastructure. All have committed to this work so I am more hopeful than ever that we can get this done.

West 7th, Transit Access & Economic Vitality

I was able to deliver $6.2 Million in state bonding to support the RiversEdge park project downtown. One of the reasons I’m running is to finish the job at the county level. RiversEdge is so important because downtown desperately needs the life, the vitality, and economic development that this project will bring. The park will finally connect downtown to the river while supporting cultural events, safe streets, and family-friendly downtown spaces. It will also spur housing, retail and office building in this premier space in Saint Paul.

Downtown & RiversEdge

As your State Representative, I was able to get one-time funding for the Minnesota Latino Museum to display the Alebrijes exhibit on Raspberry Island this past summer. It brought 300,000 visitors to Saint Paul. As an artist and life-long West Sider, I have no interest in keeping Saint Paul boring. I’m ready to dream big about ways to connect the two sides of the river and I believe the county can play an integral role in supporting artists, small businesses and big events. 

Arts, Culture & Small Business Growth

I am determined to change the way we do community outreach so we truly reach the people who use our services and get their input. It’s not good enough to create ways for the residents with the most time, money and education to share their views. I am determined to be creative, welcoming, and to go to where people are rather than waiting for them to come to us.

Accessible, Accountable & Inclusive County Government