November 2015 will be a busy time for St. Paul's political movers and shakers, considering that all seven city council seats will be on the ballot. Longstanding council members Dave Thune and Kathy Lantry, the council president, have both decided not to run for re-election, and the two open seats are drawing a who's who of political hopefuls.
The latest contender for the Ward 7 seat on St. Paul's East Side is Jane Prince, a longtime Mounds Park resident and personal friend of Lantry. She's backed by state Rep. Sheldon Johnson, DFL-St. Paul, who is also her campaign chair, and campaign manager Stephanie Harr.
Prince, a former legislative aide to former City Council Member Jay Benanav, is hitting social media hard on Facebook (Facebook.com/JanePrinceW7) and Twitter (@JanePrinceW7).
Her campaign announcement talks up the promise of a possible city-owned fiber optic network, the "buy local" movement, and ending the splurge of tax increment financing districts, wherein private companies effectively borrow money from the city and pay the loans back through their own property taxes:
“Ward 7 is experiencing a renaissance, because we’ve drawn on the strengths of our diverse communities for the economic revitalization of this ward,” Prince said. She cited the new East Side Enterprise Center, a development and partnership organization designed to draw entrepreneurs and small businesses from around the area to grow a healthy East Side. ...
Prince said that by making strategic investments to launch and expand local businesses, Saint Paul can build a stronger tax base. “The current proliferation of tax-increment financing and development subsidies to try to attract business is hurting Saint Paul and our business climate. We can’t keep raising taxes on homeowners to sustain a strong Saint Paul.”
She'll have serious challengers opposite her on the ballot, including community activists John Slade and Paul Sawyer.
In fact, the three candidates are hitting many similar themes, as evidenced by Slade's remarks on tax increment finance districts and fiber-optics at his recent campaign kick-off event.
Another name that has gotten bandied about on social media is Wintana Melekin, but the Scoop has no official confirmation yet of her candidacy. Ward 7 spans Dayton's Bluff, Mounds Park, Battle Creek, Highwood, Hazel Park, Conway, Scenic Hills and Sunray.
In downtown St. Paul, computer guru Louis Garcia has joined the battle for the Ward 2 seat. He'll face West Seventh Street community organizer Marit Brock, West Side activist and school reformer Rebecca Noecker and former St. Paul DFL Chair Darren Tobolt.
Another candidate who has declared to the public in Ward 2 is Cara Martner, a McNally Smith College of Music student who plans to take time off her education to organize a run for the Ward 2 seat. (The Scoop tries to avoid announcing candidates until they file campaign finance documents, but those documents aren't required of folks who have completed less than $100 in fundraising).
According to Martner's website:
For the first time in my lifetime I am seeing true development of a nightlife in downtown Saint Paul past 5pm when everyone heads home for the day, the Saints are moving downtown, and we now have the Green Line up and running. Saint Paul is growing up into the city it always could be and it needs a city council member who cares about progress and making changes in the best interest of our present and future.
... I will be spending this winter’s hibernation building my team, doing a lot of research, and reaching out to the local community organizations who have heavy involvement in Ward 2.
As for Garcia, he was born in a small agricultural town in Veracruz, Mexico and grew up in St. Paul, where he has spent the past 10 years working in information technology.
Says Garcia, via his recent campaign announcement on social media:
The most important issue for the city is to address the pinch middle and low-income families are experiencing from rising taxes, health care costs, and living expenses. Wages have also remained stagnant and many people are taking on multiple jobs or are underemployed. Fewer people are able to become entrepreneurs, invest in their education, and invest in others.
I plan to deal with these issues by encouraging an environment of economic development. I will work with businesses by being responsive to their needs. I will update antiquated ordinances that prevent our businesses from being competitive and agile in our changing economy. I will expand workforce-training programs and encourage employers to create more apprenticeship opportunities so people can move into livable wage jobs. I will also work to roll out fiber optic and help recruit high tech companies to the city so that Saint Paul will have the jobs of tomorrow, here today.
Garcia is apparently looking for a campaign manager, to boot:
Exciting opportunity for an individual to assume the role as campaign manager with #g4sp - http://t.co/KRiA6TE3T3 pic.twitter.com/PmcabeFPRc
— Louis Garcia (@LouLouGarcia) November 28, 2014
Campaign filings don't open for months, but candidates who raise $100 or more in a year are expected to file campaign finance reports. Those are available online now through Ramsey County elections.
Here's who has filed so far:
St. Paul City Council campaign finance filings 2014
Ward 2
Marit Brock
Louis Garcia
Rebecca Noecker
Darren Tobolt
Ward 5
Amy Brendmoen
David Glass
Ward 7
Jane Prince
Paul Sawyer
John Slade
The post Jane Prince, Louis Garcia, Cara Martner running for City Council too appeared first on City Hall Scoop.