City/Town: South St. Paul

Legislative District: Senate District 53

Party: Republican Party of Minnesota

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

Meaningful actions-Statewide Zoning rules for new housing developments to have more affordable lots,40-50ft wide, as part of the development. The state may need to help cover some of the smaller lot infrastructure costs to help make them more affordable. This will not change existing neighborhoods and will offer more opportunities for smaller more right size homes to be built. The state can also expand its downpayment options with a zero-interest loan to be paid back at the time of the home’s sale in the future. The state can also reduce some housing codes that increase cost but yet do not reduce housing safety concerns.

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?

Many times, those community members who are chronically unhoused struggle with a number of health conditions that are not being addressed. During Covid I would go into homeless camps in Ramsey County and bring in bag meals. We saw how a number of the unhoused people were not having their mental health and chemical dependency addressed with the medical community. We should consider more state ran mental health facilities where the treatment can begin and then transition them to local community housing options. I believe we need to double the amount of state ran mental health chemical dependency beds so we can get those people back into the community so they can become productive members of our 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?

The state needs to keep property taxes down by taking a two-to-four-year mortarium on unfunded mandates for our school districts, cities and counties. As I mentioned above, we can also expand its downpayment options with a zero-interest loan to be paid back at the time of the home’s sale in the future. Specific to cooperative ownership models, the state should pass a comprehensive reform to the MN Cooperative housing act(308C) in order to better serve homeownership opportunities.

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?

Statewide Zoning rules for new housing developments to have more affordable lots,40-50ft wide, as part of the development. The state may need to help cover some of the smaller lot infrastructure costs to help make them more affordable.

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?

Funding for single family affordable housing is important to our communities and as a City Council member I have supported TIF for multifamily developments and I am interested in supporting a TIF type funding option for single family home ownership. More state funding from the general fund is something I would consider especially if it were for affordable single-family developers.

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

As a City Council member who has supported multifamily properties by approving TIF and PUD developments I have appreciated DEED funding for land development. I would like to see DEED continue to assist local communities like ours with land development.