Races Could Reshape City Council
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posted by Bob at Sunday, March 04, 2007
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Races could reshape St. Paul council
Caucuses begin with spate of newcomers — young and liberal
BY JASON HOPPIN
Pioneer Press
Tuesday's DFL precinct caucuses have put St. Paul's City Council election season in full swing.
All seven seats are up for grabs, but so far four wards appear to be the stage for serious contests.
The challengers bring some new — and, in many cases, young — faces to city politics and pedigrees that could reshape the council into one of the more liberal in the country, rivaling Chicago, San Francisco and, yes, even Minneapolis.
Politically, most of the challengers appear to be left of the incumbents, who are no right-wingers themselves. Several hopefuls have endorsed ideas such as a minimum-wage law for big-box retailers and domestic-partner benefits for gay and lesbian employees of companies that do business with the city.
The left-leaning slate is the result of liberal and progressive groups getting more involved in local politics, said Lawrence Jacobs, a political science professor at the University of Minnesota.
But Jacobs cautioned that local DFLers could be in for a rude awakening, pointing out that many of the Democrats who won in last November's elections were mainstream, middle-of-the-road candidates.
"I think the Democrats have to be very careful. If they're running City Council candidates who are to the left of St. Paul voters, there's going to be a backlash," Jacobs said.
Candidates don't officially declare their candidacies until July, but the scramble for money and endorsements is well under way.
In a city that voted more than 2-to-1 in favor of Sen. John Kerry during the 2004 presidential election, and in which Mayor Chris Coleman's landslide 2005 victory was seen as a repudiation of his predecessor's endorsement of President Bush, the backing of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party is critical. Tuesday's caucuses are the first step in that process.
Among the candidates is Pakou Hang, 30. Born in a Hmong refugee camp, the 6th Ward contender is challenging longtime incumbent Dan Bostrom, one of the council's most seasoned politicians. But after helping steer Mee Moua's successful run for the Minnesota Legislature, Pakou Hang obviously knows a thing or two about politicking herself.
There's Melvin Carter III. The fifth-generation scion of a well-known St. Paul family is challenging incumbent Debbie Montgomery for the 1st Ward seat. He worked for Coleman and has the backing of Ramsey County Commissioner Toni Carter — his mother. At 28, he would be among the youngest council members ever.
In the 4th Ward, which includes the St. Anthony Park, Hamline-Midway and Merriam Park neighborhoods, the most reliably liberal member of the council, Jay Benanav, isn't seeking re-election. Three challengers from Hamline-Midway are vying for his seat, and the future of light-rail transit on University Avenue, and the concerns that come with it, is shaping up to be a major issue.
Bernie Hesse, 49, a longtime organizer for United Food and Commercial Workers Local 789, has racked up numerous endorsements heading into the caucus, where delegates are chosen for the DFL ward conventions in April and May.
"I'm at a point in my life where I want to do something different," said Hesse, who often works on local and state political issues. "I think I get how things work."
As executive director of the planning group University United's Midway Transportation Maintenance Organization, Russ Stark, 33, has had a front-row seat to many of the fights over development along University Avenue. A strong advocate for alternative modes of transportation and neighborhood-based planning, Stark is also seeking the 4th Ward seat.
"I have been working for the last eight years to help shape development on University Avenue and create new transportation options for people who live and work on the avenue," Stark said.
Randy Schubring, 48, who ran for City Council 10 years ago, has held a number of roles in the DFL Party and is a spokesman for the violence-prevention group Tubman Family Alliance. He said he wants to strengthen the ward's neighborhoods.
"I really would call myself the neighborhood candidate," Schubring said.
All three are seeking the DFL endorsement, and all three said they would abide by it. Unless an unknown candidate steps forward, the ward's election is essentially April 14 — the date of the DFL's 4th Ward convention.
In the 5th Ward, which includes the area north of the BNSF Railway tracks and between Lexington Parkway and Edgerton Street, incumbent Lee Helgen faces a run for his seat by financial planner David Haas. Public safety is expected to be a big issue in the race.
Haas said North End neighbors need to feel safe, and he also would step up enforcement of building codes and quality-of-life laws to help restore ailing neighborhoods.
"This community doesn't need the government to thrive, but it does need it to survive," the 30-year-old Haas said.
The race pits Haas, the brother of a former staffer for ex-Mayor Randy Kelly, against Helgen, who is expected to receive the strong support of the mayor. Haas said people ask him about the connection, but added that it's odd to be compared to his sister's former boss, whom he says he knows little about.
Helgen, who stands out as the council's main environmental advocate and sponsored St. Paul's living-wage ordinance, is seeking re-election after he won with 38 percent of the vote in a three-way 2003 race after incumbent Jim Reiter died a month before the election.
"I have good experience. I have a good track record with the community," said Helgen, 38. "I understand the issues."
Public safety is also expected to be an issue in the 6th Ward, bordered roughly by East Seventh Street to the south and Edgerton Street to the west. Two recent rapes in the area have focused attention on safety, and residents worry that a spike in foreclosures and vacancies is undermining the neighborhood.
The race will also say a lot about the changing face of East Side politics. Growth in the Asian population helped carry Mee Moua to victory, and Pakou Hang — Mee Moua's cousin — hopes those changing demographics make her St. Paul's first Hmong council member.
"Local politics is where my passion is," said Pakou Hang, who also worked as an organizer for the late Paul Wellstone during his last Senate campaign.
Pakou Hang represents Bostrom's first serious challenge in years, and it shows — the incumbent is among the leaders in raising money, according to campaign reports filed a month ago.
"We've made some significant progress in the last 11 years, but there's still a lot of unfinished work to do," said Bostrom, 65, a St. Paul native and former police officer.
The 1st Ward, which includes the Capitol area, Frogtown and Summit-University neighborhoods, is often regarded as the most complex ward in the city, with its mix of rich (Summit Avenue) and poor (Frogtown), and where more than 25 languages are spoken.
The issues in the race reflect that complexity. Whatever's important in any other race is also important in the 1st Ward — light rail, public safety, jobs and economic growth, vacancies, you name it.
"I was born and raised here. I raised my family here. I worked the streets of this city and this ward and I know it intricately," said Montgomery, 59. Also a former cop, Montgomery said the ward needs strong families to thrive.
On the campaign trail, Carter has said the ward needs more opportunities and is urging residents to get involved in planning for light rail on University Avenue.
Carter has pledged to try to bring quality affordable housing to the ward and says public safety is about flooding the streets with opportunities, rather than just more police officers.
"It feels like Ward 1 is forgotten. When you look at Grand Avenue and University Avenue, it just seems like our voice and our needs aren't being prioritized," Carter said.
So far, no contenders have surfaced in the 2nd, 3rd and 7th wards, where the incumbents — Dave Thune, Pat Harris and Council President Kathy Lantry, respectively — are all seeking re-election.
Jason Hoppin can be reached at jhoppin@pioneerpress.com or 651-292-1892.
If You Go: Dfl Caucuses
Meetings begin at 7 p.m. Tuesday
Ward 1: Rondo Education Center, 304 N. Dale St.
Ward 2: Precincts 1-7 — Monroe Community School, 810 Palace Ave.
Precincts 8-11 — Galtier Plaza, skyway level, Sixth and Sibley streets
Precincts 12-16 — Humboldt High School, 30 E. Baker St.
Ward 3: Highland Junior High School, 975 S. Snelling Ave.
Ward 4: Hancock Elementary School, 1599 Englewood St.
Ward 5: Como Senior High School, 740 W. Rose St.
Ward 6: Hazel Park Middle School Academy, 1140 N. White Bear Ave.
Ward 7: Harding Senior High School, 1536 E. Sixth St.
I'd like to ask Haas if he plans on proceeding with the policies in code enforcement that has jeopardized the City financially in the form of 3 Racketeering lawsuits?
If he does we need to campaign against his election also!
How bout it Haas, where do you stand? You got the guts to come here and tell the average Joe your agenda?
Haas says what he is going to do right in the newspaper article. He's going to "step up enforcement of building codes and quality of life laws to restore ailing neighborhoods."
At least he's honest. When Coleman ran for Mayor, he pretended like what was going on with code enforcement was wrong and eluded to the fact that he would end what was happening. Instead he came in and increased the wrong doing.
The evidence is conclusive against David Thune: Sharon is calling for his resignation/removal www.sharon4council.blogspot.com
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