10 file for mayoral race

by Tesha M. Christensen

Instead of seeking a fourth term, St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman has decided to run for governor. Ten candidates have filed for the mayoral race. The ranked-choice election is set for Nov. 7, 2017.

Melvin Carter

www.melvincarter.org

Carter formerly served as the Ward 1 St. Paul Council Member, was Director of the Minnesota Office of Early Learning, and is currently Executive Director of Governor Dayton’s Minnesota Children’s Cabinet.

Carter lists his priorities as: lifelong learning and opportunity from pre-K to career to retirement; raising the minimum wage in St. Paul; creating new jobs by making it easier to start and grow local businesses; ensuring households of all sizes and ages can affordably rent or own a home; making sure everyone feels safe by ensuring police, firefighters, and inspectors reflect and honor the diversity of St. Paul and have the resources they need to succeed; and making 21st century infrastructure and service investments that modernize and strengthen neighborhoods throughout the city.

Trahern Crews

www.facebook.com/CrewsforSaintPaul/

Crews is a former spokesperson for the St. Paul Green Party of the fourth congressional district, and former Community Liaison at Dayton’s Bluff Community Council. He recently started a company called Original Man Farms that does urban farming and teaches urban youth how to grow food and sells it; is a nonviolent advocate consultant with Black Truce; and a community organizer with the Black Saint Paul.

Crews lists his priorities for the city’s budget as: 1) Economic development/jobs, 2) Public safety, 3) Parks/Recreation/Library, 4) Equity, and 5) Environment. If elected, his top three priorities would be economic development, public safety and eliminating disparities.

Elizabeth A. Dickinson, Green Party

www.elizabethdickinson.org

Dickinson has been married for 18 years to Christopher Childs, is a former national spokesperson for Greenpeace, and author of The Spirit’s Terrain (Beacon Press, 1998). She has lived on the West Side of St. Paul for 18 years. In her spare time, Dickinson enjoys gardening, writing, and yoga.

If mayor, Dickinson would increase transparency and community engagement at every level of city government. “We need to leverage our existing talent and nurture new leadership from all our local communities, including from women and communities of color,” she said. “In the St. Paul city government I envision, everyone has a seat at the table. ... The way to achieve that is to make sure everyone is welcome, that everyone has a voice, and that everyone’s voices, hearts and opinions are respected and listened to.”

Tom Goldstein

www.tomforsaintpaul.com

Goldstein is a long-time advocate for neighborhoods, a lawyer, businessman, and former school board member. Goldstein has lived in St. Paul since 1984, and has owned a home in the Hamline Midway neighborhood since 2004.

That same year, Goldstein made the transition from businessman to community organizer and advocate, including positions working on affordable housing for the Minnesota Housing Partnership, volunteer coordinator and staff attorney for the Minnesota Justice Foundation, committee administrator at the Minnesota State Senate, and union representative and consultant for SEIU Healthcare Minnesota.

If elected, he would make job creation and attracting cutting-edge businesses to St. Paul his number one priority. He would also use his business background to help transform City Hall into a customer-service-oriented institution and demand complete transparency of departmental budgets and contracts.

Pat Harris, DFL

www.patharrisformayor.com

Harris has lived in St. Paul for his entire life, as have four generations of his family. He is currently Senior Vice President at BMO Harris Bank with state-wide responsibility for government banking. He has worked in finance for over 16 years and holds membership in many professional public finance organizations. Harris served on the Saint Paul City Council for 12 years.

His priorities include: public safety for all; creating jobs and promoting economic growth; public education that serves all students; providing libraries, parks, public safety, and other basic services to every one of its community members without overburdening its citizens with excessive taxes; equity and opportunity; and enhancing parks and libraries.

Chris Holbrook

www.lowertaxeschris.wordpress.com

Holbrook is an 18-year St. Paul resident who has lived in the Midway and Frogtown neighborhoods. He has an associate degree in architecture, and has spent his career in the wholesale building products industry. He has been politically active for several years as a member of the Libertarian Party of Minnesota and was elected as Chair of the Party in 2017.

He labels himself socially liberal and fiscally conservative. “I am running for Mayor of Saint Paul to lower taxes. This will grow the city and make it more livable. This will create jobs and let workers have more money. This creates more affordable housing and transit options. We begin by putting a stop to the mismanagement of your hard earned money. Saint Paul has been wastefully overspending on frivolous projects instead of basic services. ... I commit to an audit and cost-benefit analysis of every regulation, department, program, and proposal with a simple barometer. If it lowers your property tax I will support it. If it raises your property tax I will oppose it,” said Holbrook.

Tim Holden

holden4mayor.com

Holden has lived in West Saint Paul for most of his life. He owns a business along University Ave. and decided to run for mayor after attending meetings about the Central Corridor and not seeing any changes occur to the plan following public comment.

Public and street safety are his number one priorities. Holden belives in collaborative decision making as opposed to top down management; community policing; collaborating with the school district, other educational entities, and businesses to ensure educational fairness for all; and making sure every dollar spent enhances the vitality of the city.

Dai Thao

www.daithao.org

An immigrant and a refugee who grew up in poverty, Dai lives in Frogtown. He was first elected to served as Ward 1 council member in 2013. Dai began as a community organizer because he “believes government is for the people by all the people, not just the elites.”

He said, “We can’t keep taxing the hard-working people of St. Paul to solve wasteful spending. Our city needs a bold direction that will tackle the racial disparities gap that is crippling our economy, make sure that our city services operate equitably across all neighborhoods, and assure that residents are invested in because they are the infrastructure of our community and economy.”

Sharon Anderson

sharon4mayor2018.blogspot.com

Anderson ran unsuccessfully for the mayor’s office in 2005, 2009, and 2013. In the past, she has also sought the Ward 2 Council seat, and ran as a Republican candidate for the office of Minnesota Attorney General and Minnesota Senate District 64. In fact, Anderson claims to have run for public office every year since 1970.

If elected, Anderson would downsize all city departments, combine DSI with health, combine sheriff and police,  and elect the city attorney and police chief.

Barnabas Joshua Y’shua

No web site

Y’shua, a homeless man who has resided at the Union Gospel Mission for the past two and a half years, has no political platform other than helping others.