City/Town: Hastings

Legislative District: House District 41B

Party: Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party

Candidate responses in italics.

Q1: Housing plays a critical role in economic stability, health, and quality of life for individuals and families. However, disparities in housing continue to affect communities of color, people with disabilities, rural communities, and other historically underserved populations. What meaningful actions should be taken to acknowledge, address, and eliminate housing inequities and advance housing opportunities for all Minnesotans?

We must proceed into the realm of housing stability without judgment or prejudice. Each community in Minnesota has disparities in housing and it is critical for our legislators to start by solving our lifecycle housing disparity to begin the opening of our homes in our districts.

Q2: Supportive housing combines affordable housing with support services that help people who face the most complex challenges to live with stability, autonomy, and dignity. Supportive housing provides better outcomes and is fiscally responsible. What will you do to ensure community members who are unhoused or unstably housed receive the support they need to obtain or keep their own homes?

I will work closely with our local governments (City and County) to make sure our our resources are in place for our housing insecure community.

Q3: Homeownership is a way to build generational wealth, provide family and household stability, and support community vibrancy. More and more Minnesotans are priced out of owning a home because of rising housing costs, including purchase price, homeowners’ insurance, and property taxes. What steps will you take to increase opportunities for renters and first-time homebuyers to purchase homes, condos, or cooperative ownership models?

As I mentioned earlier, my district has very limited pathways to homeownership. I am committed to creating and developing more pathways to homeownership and ensuring a world where more people are able to live in a stable living environment.

Q4: In the last several years, bipartisan action to streamline building of new homes and apartments has passed in several states, including: allowing for multifamily buildings in select commercial areas, limiting parking requirements, allowing smaller homes on smaller lots, and more homes per lot in residential areas like duplexes, fourplexes, and accessory dwelling units. What reforms do you support to modernize zoning to both enable homes to be more affordable statewide and improve city tax bases?

I would encourage each municipal economic development authority to audit and amend their own zoning codes. The Hastings Economic Development Authority did so when I sat on their board and it can be a game changer in the development of housing in a city.

Q5: Despite housing being the largest cost in the average household budget, housing receives only a small fraction of the total state budget at just 0.3%. A lack of ongoing reliable funding for housing in Minnesota’s state budget has resulted in an undersupply of stable homes affordable to our workforce, our elders, and our families. In recent years, a constitutional amendment for housing, which would dedicate revenues from a sales tax increase to housing, has gained momentum at the legislature. What revenue options will you champion to more adequately meet our need for reliable funding for homes we can afford?

I am not able to answer this. As a data driven person, I need to know which sales tax would increase before I can answer. I support increasing spending but by whom and how is my question.

Q6: If you have other housing policy priorities, especially specific to your district’s housing needs, please share them here.

Thank you for the opportunity to submit!