Mayoral race will decide the future vision of St. Paul
October 25, 2017
Some seniors will cast their first vote in the Saint Paul mayoral race Nov. 7. The results of this election will impact education, construction, parks, and transportation to name a few issues that impact all.
When St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman announced his plans to run for Governor of Minnesota, the opportunity for a new Mayor was opened. Six candidates have since taken on this opportunity. All of them liberally leaning, St. Paul Academy and Summit School students may be interested in their goals to reinvest in St. Paul’s parks, transit, libraries and schools. But, each candidate has a unique vision for the future of St. Paul.
Election Day is Nov. 7th
St. Paul uses ranked choice voting.
Minnesota has same day registration, but you must be at least 18 to vote. Register to vote.
This story is reprinted from The Rubicon print edition: Oct. 24, 2017.
Pat Harris
Pat Harris is a Saint Paul native, Senior Vice President at BMO Harris Bank and has been a City Councilmember for 12 years. He has a focus on improving safety through the police, improving public education and creating jobs. He emphasizes that the improvement of parks and libraries will directly raise the quality of life for students. Harris’ endorsements include the St. Paul Firefighters Local 21, the St. Paul Police Federation, and Teamsters Local 120.
Melvin Carter III
Melvin Carter III is a graduate of Central High School, a former City Councilmember for five years and Executive Director of the Minnesota Children’s Cabinet. He prioritizes reforming the police to help build safer communities. A primary focus of his is education. According to his website,
“Melvin believes education is the single most important factor in determining the future of our city.”
Carter’s endorsements include Governor Mark Dayton, Saint Paul Federation of Teachers, Stonewall DFL, and State Auditor Erin Murphy.
Elizabeth Dickinson
Elizabeth Dickinson is Green Party candidate. She has lived in St. Paul for 30 years and has been an activist and lobbyist environmental causes and strong communities. Her focus is on a $15 an hour minimum wage and making the government more transparent. Her goal of diverting money from “city investments in ‘bright, shiny objects’ like stadiums and high-visibility building projects” to more neighborhood based projects. Dickinson has been endorsed by Women Winning and Clean Water Action Minnesota.
Dai Thao
Dai Thao is a City Councilmember and has participated in many community leadership opportunities. He supports big changes to St. Paul’s government according to his website, one of which is to “tackle the racial disparities gap that is crippling our economy”. His issues range from pushing for a $15 an hour minimum wage, to more SPA student-centric issues like investing in St. Paul parks, and improving transportation. Thao’s endorsements include Our Revolution Minnesota, TakeAction Minnesota, and the Minnesota Nurses Association.
Tom Goldstein
Tom Goldstein is an entrepreneur, and St. Paul School Board Member. His campaign centers around the idea of making St. Paul able to compete in the 21st century. For him this means creating jobs, urging businesses to locate to St. Paul and to update the liveable wage. SPA students may take interest in his plan to create green spaces for communities and anti-littering campaign. He also wants a community owned broadband network to ensure every child in St. Paul has access to the internet.
Tim Holden
Tim Holden is the independent candidate. He is a real estate investor whose main goal as he puts it is to “fix St. Paul”. This means stopping the subsidization of “everything”. He is running a self-funded campaign. He is worried about the closing of many businesses in St. Paul and wants to revitalize family businesses.