City/Town: Carlton

Legislative District: Senate District 11

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

I am committed to making housing affordable for all Minnesotans, especially underserved communities and first-time homebuyers. To eliminate housing inequities and expand opportunity, we must take three direct actions:

– Cut regulatory red tape: Streamlining zoning regulations and expediting permits lowers development costs and accelerates construction.
– Convert vacant buildings: Repurposing underutilized commercial and residential properties into affordable housing creates homes faster and more cheaply than building from scratch.
– Train local contractors: Funding trade career pathway programs in Minnesota schools will train the next generation of skilled workers, lowering labor costs and expanding construction capacity.

By removing bureaucratic barriers, repurposing existing space, and investing in trade education, we can eliminate housing inequities and secure homeownership for all Minnesotans.

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?

To ensure unhoused and unstably housed community members receive the support they need to secure and maintain stable housing, I will focus on four concrete actions:

– Boost economic development: I will support initiatives that drive broader economic growth, creating reliable jobs accessible to workers of all skill levels so individuals can achieve long-term financial stability.
– Expand wrap-around support services: Increase access to resources—including mental health and substance use treatment, disability services, employment assistance, healthcare, and transportation.
– Expand affordable childcare: I will work to establish, low-cost childcare options. Removing high childcare costs enables parents and caregivers to obtain employment, work consistent hours, and afford their living expenses.
– Increase housing inventory: I will focus on expanding the overall housing supply. Increasing market inventory directly reduces cost pressure, driving down home prices and rent to make housing accessible.

By strengthening the economy, eliminating barriers to employment, and expanding housing supply, we can provide vulnerable residents with a clear, sustainable path to housing stability.

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?

To expand opportunities for renters and first-time buyers to purchase homes, condos, and co-ops, I will take direct steps to lower both upfront purchase prices and ongoing ownership costs:

– Streamline regulations and cut red tape: I will eliminate administrative delays and modernize zoning rules to accelerate the construction of diverse, affordable housing models—including starter homes, condos, and cooperatives.
– Lower property taxes to reduce monthly expenses: High property taxes drive up monthly mortgage payments, pricing out first-time buyers. Reducing property taxes is a core platform priority because keeping carrying costs manageable is essential for long-term homeownership stability. To lower local property tax burdens without sacrificing essential services, I will champion new state-level revenue streams. By ensuring large corporations and billionaires pay their fair share, we can shift the tax burden away from working families and provide meaningful tax relief to homeowners.

By cutting bureaucratic barriers and increasing state revenue to lower property taxes, we can make homeownership accessible and financially sustainable for all Minnesotans.

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?

To modernize zoning, lower housing costs, and strengthen city tax bases, I support reforms that turn underutilized properties into affordable homes while training our future workforce:

– Incentivize vacant building sales: My district contains vacant buildings that depress local property values. I support zoning updates paired with state incentives that encourage owners of vacant properties to sell below market value to housing developers. Turning idle structures into residential units increases affordable housing and returns properties to the city tax rolls.
– Expand CTE home-building grants: I support expanding state grant funding for high school Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs. Any high school CTE class that wants to build a home should have state-funded access to all necessary materials. This provides students with hands-on trade experience while adding affordable housing directly into local communities.
– Streamline adaptive reuse zoning: Updating statewide zoning rules to allow automatic residential conversion of vacant or commercial properties cuts red tape, accelerates construction, and maximizes municipal tax revenues without requiring new infrastructure.

By incentivizing property sales, funding CTE building programs, and modernizing reuse zoning, we can expand affordable housing and boost local tax bases across Minnesota.

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?

While a constitutional sales tax amendment deserves careful study, Minnesotans need immediate housing relief. Rather than waiting years for a ballot measure to take effect, I will focus on reliable funding through our existing state budget process.

I will work to increase state budget allocation. Housing receives a tiny fraction of Minnesota’s general fund. I will advocate to increase the percentage dedicated to affordable housing development, down-payment assistance, and homelessness prevention.

By prioritizing housing within our existing state budget, we can deliver immediate results for Minnesota families while responsibly evaluating long-term options.

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

District 11 is a rural district, but we are still facing a real housing crisis. Unhoused community members live right here in our towns, and I want to help people understand that homelessness happens in rural communities, too. By seeing our unhoused neighbors, listening to their experiences, and acknowledging this reality, we can better work toward effective solutions.

At the same time, housing expansion must be balanced with protecting our farmland, which is the backbone of our local economy. We do not need to choose between housing families and preserving agricultural land. Instead, my solutions focus on smart, localized redevelopment:

– Repurpose vacant buildings: Convert empty and underutilized structures into affordable residential units.
– Rezone commercial areas: Update zoning rules to allow underused commercial spaces to be redeveloped for housing, keeping growth inside existing town footprints.

By recognizing rural homelessness, listening to those affected, and prioritizing adaptive reuse, we can deliver the housing District 11 needs while protecting our farmland for generations to come.