Compete in the 21st Century
According to the most recent data gathered by the Wilder Foundation, St. Paul has a poverty rate of 24%, with 67,000 individuals living below the poverty line, including 25,000 children. That’s simply unacceptable in an era when wealth disparity continues to grow unabated and we seem to have no problem finding public funds to build stadiums and luxury condo projects.
Even if you’re not one of the many families struggling from paycheck to paycheck, we are all affected by the symptoms of economic hardship. That’s why St. Paul must begin making the necessary investments in people and public infrastructure that will attract the companies and entrepreneurs creating the high-tech jobs of the future. Only then will we have a realistic chance of lifting people out of poverty and stabilizing our many diverse neighborhoods.
As Mayor, I will:
- Make job creation and attracting cutting-edge businesses to St. Paul my number one priority
- Advocate for the creation of an “Office of Enterprise Development” that will encourage businesses to locate in St. Paul, identify barriers to making that happen, and provide technical assistance to start-up ventures so that they can find funding sources and successfully navigate the St. Paul municipal code
- Work to update and extend the livable wage ordinance to all St. Paul employers—not just those under contract with the city or receiving tax subsidies—with exemptions for small businesses and start-ups
- Fight for tax policies that do not unduly burden homeowners or local businesses with ever-increasing right-of-way fees and other assessments