Cole Hanson
Name: Cole Hanson
Email: [email protected]
Campaign Phone: 651-212-5309
Campaign Website: coleforward4.org
Instagram handle: @coleforward4
Facebook Page: facebook.com/coleforward4
Candidate Bio
I’m a dad, public health educator, renter, and longtime neighborhood organizer running for St. Paul City Council because I believe our city works best when it works for everyone. From the block level to the policy level, I’ve spent years leading with common sense, compassion, and a drive to get things done.
At the University of Minnesota Extension, I work to improve food access and economic security—especially in under-resourced communities. I previously worked with Anoka County Public Health to strengthen small business partnerships during and after the pandemic. I bring a deep background in outreach, coalition-building, and data-driven action to every challenge.
As a board leader with my neighborhood district council, I’ve helped push for public investment, small business growth, and welcoming community spaces. I don’t just show up for photo ops—I organize cleanups, help neighbors navigate city systems, and make the calls that actually fix things.
I grew up on a farm, and I believe in hope with hard work. I’ve built bridges between tenants and landlords, city staff and neighbors, business owners and public workers. That’s the spirit I’ll bring to City Hall—because real change happens when we show up and do the work together.
What style of leadership would you bring to this position?
I lead by listening first. I like to joke that while I believe a better world is possible, we can’t get anything done without doing our chores first. I am at my best when I can bring people to the table who don’t usually sit together and find the practical path forward. That’s the job, and one I’ve been doing for years right here in St. Paul. Whether that’s small landlords and tenants, business owners and public workers, or neighborhood groups and city staff—I build bridges, not barriers.
What would be your top three priorities if elected? How might these priorities be affected by the state's projected economic outlook?
What do you consider the biggest challenge and conversely, the biggest opportunity in Saint Paul?
The biggest challenge facing Saint Paul is the rising cost of living—particularly housing—without a parallel rise in wages, services, or infrastructure to meet the needs of our families. Whether you're a renter watching prices climb beyond your paycheck, a homeowner hit hard by rising property taxes, or a small business trying to keep up with inflation and staffing shortages, the gap between what it costs to live and what it feels like to thrive here is widening. This challenge is deeply rooted and intersectional—it touches everything from homelessness and public safety to transit and business investment. It's not a problem that can be solved with a single policy or budget cycle. It will take long-term commitment, collaboration, and creative leadership.
But within that challenge lies our greatest opportunity: to build a city that sets the standard for how American cities can work for everyday people. Saint Paul is big enough to make a real difference and small enough to do it together. We can lead on public housing, climate-resilient infrastructure, equitable transit, and wage justice. We can rewrite what community safety looks like. We can modernize how cities deliver services. Most importantly, we can be a place where neighbors feel empowered to shape what comes next—because they see their ideas turned into action.
What is your perspective on the rent stabilization ordinance in Saint Paul, and how do you view its effect on housing availability, affordability, and the city's economic climate?
My perspective on rent stabilization in Saint Paul remains grounded in the belief that stable housing is a fundamental necessity—but we must also build a policy framework that works for the long-term health of our city. I’m a renter and public employee - to keep families like mine in the city we have to address climbing rent costs somehow.
The original rent stabilization ordinance passed in 2021 reflected deep public concern about displacement and rising rents. However, the rollout lacked clarity and predictability, and subsequent amendments—including the 2025 permanent exemption for new construction—sought to address some of those flaws. I supported the spirit of the original ordinance and recognize that the amendment reflects a necessary balancing act, especially as we work to increase housing supply.
What’s missing is a comprehensive, data-informed evaluation of the ordinance’s impacts on both renters and builders. Without that, we’re arguing in the dark. Cities like New York and Washington, D.C., have shown that long-term stabilization policies can coexist with healthy construction climates—when designed and implemented carefully.
Going forward, I want to ensure we’re investing not only in new housing construction, but in preserving naturally occurring affordable housing, easing zoning restrictions, and repairing the trust between tenants, landlords, and the city. We need clear rules, transparent enforcement, and a commitment to protecting people—without stalling the investment our neighborhoods need.
What steps would you take to revitalize downtown Saint Paul and promote long-term economic growth in the area?
To revitalize downtown Saint Paul, we need to think boldly about what a livable, inclusive city core looks like. One of my top ideas is to establish a municipally backed grocery store downtown. A city-supported grocery store would serve not only downtown residents but also workers and transit riders, while anchoring further economic activity. In communities across Minnesota, this is not uncommon - many have a municipal liquor store already. The advantage of a municipal grocery store is that we would be able to generate revenue off such a model, even if only barely, while securing the entire downtown and creating numerous jobs.
We also need to accelerate commercial-to-residential conversions. Vacant office buildings should be transformed into mixed-income housing, helping address both our housing crisis and the lack of foot traffic that hurts local businesses. St. Paul has the advantage of very small footprints for its buildings and this is to our advantage. With buildings being sold off at very low rates, I believe there is room for the city to dive into this space to create more housing while securing property for future commercial investment.
Finally, we must invest in consistent, accessible day-to-day employment programs—especially for our unhoused neighbors downtown. Workfare, cleaning crews, landscaping, food service—programs that provide wages and dignity—can help people build stability and purpose while improving the feel and function of the downtown experience for everyone.
Please characterize your perspective on the ideal collaboration between government and the business community when it comes to tackling challenges whether they be education, housing, or workforce development?
City government should be a strategic partner—not a bottleneck—for employers. That means creating advisory tables for business owners and entrepreneurs, improving permitting timelines, and aligning workforce programs with industry needs. A collaborative city works best when it listens first and removes friction.
How would you characterize the business climate in Saint Paul and what role do you think the city should have in attracting and retaining jobs and new businesses in Saint Paul?
Saint Paul is full of entrepreneurial energy, but too often, bureaucracy gets in the way. I support a one-stop shop for business permits and licensing, better marketing of city grants and resources, and incentives for local hiring. The city’s role is to reduce red tape and champion local success.
What are your strategies to address public safety challenges in your community?
Public safety starts with trust—and we need to rebuild that trust by making sure every resident knows that when they call 911, someone will show up and help. After the murder of George Floyd, that has become a surprisingly fraught topic in my conversations with neighbors and business owners alike. To make this happen means encouraging residents to report concerns whenever possible and ensuring they are met with the right response, whether it’s police, a social worker, a mental health crisis team, or a medic.
We need to expand and coordinate our suite of public safety responses so the person answering a 911 call has the resources to send the right kind of help. Too often, we’ve expected police to respond to every situation. Instead, we should be investing in teams that include mental health professionals, violence interrupters, EMTs, housing support workers, and others who can meet people where they’re at. My father was a police officer himself so I can speak personally to the impact of over-policing and over-extending our first responders.
This isn’t about replacing one system with another—it’s about building a comprehensive, well-trained public safety infrastructure that reflects the complex needs of our community. Everyone deserves to feel safe calling for help, and everyone deserves to get the help that actually makes things better. That’s what I’ll work to deliver.
How would you work to improve transportation options in your community, including improved safety for transit riders, pedestrian/bike, and drivers alike?
Improving transportation in St. Paul means creating a network that works efficiently and safely for everyone—whether you’re riding transit, biking, walking, or driving. We need to focus on smart, people-centered infrastructure upgrades that improve mobility, reduce congestion, and increase safety.
That starts with prioritizing the Green Line. Transit signal priority should be fully implemented along the corridor to reduce unnecessary delays and ensure that our light rail operates with the efficiency and consistency riders deserve. When we talk about revitalizing transit, it has to begin with making the systems we already have actually work. After all, if you are enjoying the Gold Line for its frequency and speed, you should enjoy the Green Line as well.
Second, I support converting high-traffic, problematic intersections into roundabouts where feasible. These reduce wait times, improve safety, and keep traffic flowing more smoothly, all while reducing vehicle emissions and wear on our roads.
Finally, we have to fix our sidewalks. Too many are uneven, broken, or dangerous—especially for seniors, parents with strollers, and residents with disabilities. Rebuilding and maintaining our sidewalk network is a basic city service that has too often been neglected.
Together, these improvements are about making our city more livable, more connected, and more fair—because how we get around should never depend on how much money you have or what neighborhood you live in.
Cities have addressed many ongoing needs with temporary, federal COVID relief dollars, what are your plans to ensure fiscal stability with the uncertainty surrounding future federal funding and the expiration of temporary COVID relief dollars?
To ensure long-term fiscal stability in St. Paul, we need to take a two-pronged approach: tighten our systems and rethink our revenue strategies.
First, we need better transparency and alignment between department-level spending and citywide strategic goals. That means performance-based budgeting tied to measurable outcomes and increased accountability—not just spending dollars, but showing impact. We also need to expand how the city integrates frontline worker input into budget planning to identify inefficiencies and unmet needs.
Second, we must explore more resilient and equitable sources of revenue. This includes expanding PILOT (Payment In Lieu of Taxes) programs, especially from large nonprofit landowners who benefit from city services but do not currently contribute to the tax base. Land value taxes are another important tool, ensuring that land speculation doesn’t drain resources from residents and small businesses. We should also explore city-run revenue-generating public infrastructure, like municipal housing or a downtown grocery co-op, that can both serve public needs and return value to the budget.
Uber/Lyft wages and proposed childcare subsidies funded by local property taxes are just a few areas where local units of government are wading into policy debates that may be best suited at the state. Please articulate the different scopes of work between state and local government (City/County). Are there specific areas of policy that the city should lead on in lieu of the state or county government?
Cities like St. Paul are where policies meet people—and that proximity makes us powerful laboratories for innovation. While many broad funding mechanisms and structural policy reforms are best handled at the state or federal level, cities are where those policies are tested, refined, and made real. Local governments have a responsibility not only to implement what higher levels of government legislate, but also to lead where those bodies are slow to act or disconnected from on-the-ground realities.
Take rideshare wages or childcare affordability: while these are statewide issues, local governments often face their impacts most acutely. St. Paul sees the consequences when drivers can’t afford to live in the city they work in, or when parents must leave the workforce due to lack of affordable childcare. If state action is lacking, it is both pragmatic and just for cities to explore local solutions, even if they’re temporary or partial. We should be just as willing to sunset or restructure those programs if the results don’t meet expectations or if stronger statewide solutions come into play. That’s how cities lead: not with dogma, but with data, and a commitment to real outcomes for our residents.
In terms of policy scope, cities are uniquely positioned to lead on issues like rental enforcement, land use and zoning, sidewalk and street repair, local transit infrastructure, and equitable public safety responses. These aren’t just logistical concerns—they’re the front lines of public trust. When cities take the lead, we can model how a government can be more nimble, responsive, and people-focused than state bureaucracy often allows.
Ultimately, St. Paul can be a proving ground—not just for new policies, but for how the government earns and holds public confidence. That’s a responsibility I’m ready to take seriously.
Email: [email protected]
Campaign Phone: 651-212-5309
Campaign Website: coleforward4.org
Instagram handle: @coleforward4
Facebook Page: facebook.com/coleforward4
Candidate Bio
I’m a dad, public health educator, renter, and longtime neighborhood organizer running for St. Paul City Council because I believe our city works best when it works for everyone. From the block level to the policy level, I’ve spent years leading with common sense, compassion, and a drive to get things done.
At the University of Minnesota Extension, I work to improve food access and economic security—especially in under-resourced communities. I previously worked with Anoka County Public Health to strengthen small business partnerships during and after the pandemic. I bring a deep background in outreach, coalition-building, and data-driven action to every challenge.
As a board leader with my neighborhood district council, I’ve helped push for public investment, small business growth, and welcoming community spaces. I don’t just show up for photo ops—I organize cleanups, help neighbors navigate city systems, and make the calls that actually fix things.
I grew up on a farm, and I believe in hope with hard work. I’ve built bridges between tenants and landlords, city staff and neighbors, business owners and public workers. That’s the spirit I’ll bring to City Hall—because real change happens when we show up and do the work together.
What style of leadership would you bring to this position?
I lead by listening first. I like to joke that while I believe a better world is possible, we can’t get anything done without doing our chores first. I am at my best when I can bring people to the table who don’t usually sit together and find the practical path forward. That’s the job, and one I’ve been doing for years right here in St. Paul. Whether that’s small landlords and tenants, business owners and public workers, or neighborhood groups and city staff—I build bridges, not barriers.
What would be your top three priorities if elected? How might these priorities be affected by the state's projected economic outlook?
- Address our housing crisis by supporting mixed-income development, affordable housing, and expanding public investment. We cannot wait for the state to step in here – there are many steps we can take ourselves based on successful models nearby where municipalities took on building housing through partnerships with local developers. An example is expanding the sort of Single Resident Occupancy (SRO) housing so common in other parts of the world and which is being built in Bloomington and elsewhere.
- Tackle vacant properties and blight to restore business corridors like Snelling and University. It should not only be easy to run your business in this city, but safe too. Making sure we partner with the Office of Neighborhood Safety, Saint Paul Police, and Saint Paul - Ramsey County Public Health is essential to get people the help they need while providing businesses with the tools to do the right thing too.
- Modernize city operations to streamline permitting and licensing for small businesses. Economic downturns make these priorities even more urgent—we can’t afford to wait on bold solutions. It should be as easy to get an inspection on your property as it is to schedule a haircut, whether that’s online or being able to walk into an easy-to-reach office location.
What do you consider the biggest challenge and conversely, the biggest opportunity in Saint Paul?
The biggest challenge facing Saint Paul is the rising cost of living—particularly housing—without a parallel rise in wages, services, or infrastructure to meet the needs of our families. Whether you're a renter watching prices climb beyond your paycheck, a homeowner hit hard by rising property taxes, or a small business trying to keep up with inflation and staffing shortages, the gap between what it costs to live and what it feels like to thrive here is widening. This challenge is deeply rooted and intersectional—it touches everything from homelessness and public safety to transit and business investment. It's not a problem that can be solved with a single policy or budget cycle. It will take long-term commitment, collaboration, and creative leadership.
But within that challenge lies our greatest opportunity: to build a city that sets the standard for how American cities can work for everyday people. Saint Paul is big enough to make a real difference and small enough to do it together. We can lead on public housing, climate-resilient infrastructure, equitable transit, and wage justice. We can rewrite what community safety looks like. We can modernize how cities deliver services. Most importantly, we can be a place where neighbors feel empowered to shape what comes next—because they see their ideas turned into action.
What is your perspective on the rent stabilization ordinance in Saint Paul, and how do you view its effect on housing availability, affordability, and the city's economic climate?
My perspective on rent stabilization in Saint Paul remains grounded in the belief that stable housing is a fundamental necessity—but we must also build a policy framework that works for the long-term health of our city. I’m a renter and public employee - to keep families like mine in the city we have to address climbing rent costs somehow.
The original rent stabilization ordinance passed in 2021 reflected deep public concern about displacement and rising rents. However, the rollout lacked clarity and predictability, and subsequent amendments—including the 2025 permanent exemption for new construction—sought to address some of those flaws. I supported the spirit of the original ordinance and recognize that the amendment reflects a necessary balancing act, especially as we work to increase housing supply.
What’s missing is a comprehensive, data-informed evaluation of the ordinance’s impacts on both renters and builders. Without that, we’re arguing in the dark. Cities like New York and Washington, D.C., have shown that long-term stabilization policies can coexist with healthy construction climates—when designed and implemented carefully.
Going forward, I want to ensure we’re investing not only in new housing construction, but in preserving naturally occurring affordable housing, easing zoning restrictions, and repairing the trust between tenants, landlords, and the city. We need clear rules, transparent enforcement, and a commitment to protecting people—without stalling the investment our neighborhoods need.
What steps would you take to revitalize downtown Saint Paul and promote long-term economic growth in the area?
To revitalize downtown Saint Paul, we need to think boldly about what a livable, inclusive city core looks like. One of my top ideas is to establish a municipally backed grocery store downtown. A city-supported grocery store would serve not only downtown residents but also workers and transit riders, while anchoring further economic activity. In communities across Minnesota, this is not uncommon - many have a municipal liquor store already. The advantage of a municipal grocery store is that we would be able to generate revenue off such a model, even if only barely, while securing the entire downtown and creating numerous jobs.
We also need to accelerate commercial-to-residential conversions. Vacant office buildings should be transformed into mixed-income housing, helping address both our housing crisis and the lack of foot traffic that hurts local businesses. St. Paul has the advantage of very small footprints for its buildings and this is to our advantage. With buildings being sold off at very low rates, I believe there is room for the city to dive into this space to create more housing while securing property for future commercial investment.
Finally, we must invest in consistent, accessible day-to-day employment programs—especially for our unhoused neighbors downtown. Workfare, cleaning crews, landscaping, food service—programs that provide wages and dignity—can help people build stability and purpose while improving the feel and function of the downtown experience for everyone.
Please characterize your perspective on the ideal collaboration between government and the business community when it comes to tackling challenges whether they be education, housing, or workforce development?
City government should be a strategic partner—not a bottleneck—for employers. That means creating advisory tables for business owners and entrepreneurs, improving permitting timelines, and aligning workforce programs with industry needs. A collaborative city works best when it listens first and removes friction.
How would you characterize the business climate in Saint Paul and what role do you think the city should have in attracting and retaining jobs and new businesses in Saint Paul?
Saint Paul is full of entrepreneurial energy, but too often, bureaucracy gets in the way. I support a one-stop shop for business permits and licensing, better marketing of city grants and resources, and incentives for local hiring. The city’s role is to reduce red tape and champion local success.
What are your strategies to address public safety challenges in your community?
Public safety starts with trust—and we need to rebuild that trust by making sure every resident knows that when they call 911, someone will show up and help. After the murder of George Floyd, that has become a surprisingly fraught topic in my conversations with neighbors and business owners alike. To make this happen means encouraging residents to report concerns whenever possible and ensuring they are met with the right response, whether it’s police, a social worker, a mental health crisis team, or a medic.
We need to expand and coordinate our suite of public safety responses so the person answering a 911 call has the resources to send the right kind of help. Too often, we’ve expected police to respond to every situation. Instead, we should be investing in teams that include mental health professionals, violence interrupters, EMTs, housing support workers, and others who can meet people where they’re at. My father was a police officer himself so I can speak personally to the impact of over-policing and over-extending our first responders.
This isn’t about replacing one system with another—it’s about building a comprehensive, well-trained public safety infrastructure that reflects the complex needs of our community. Everyone deserves to feel safe calling for help, and everyone deserves to get the help that actually makes things better. That’s what I’ll work to deliver.
How would you work to improve transportation options in your community, including improved safety for transit riders, pedestrian/bike, and drivers alike?
Improving transportation in St. Paul means creating a network that works efficiently and safely for everyone—whether you’re riding transit, biking, walking, or driving. We need to focus on smart, people-centered infrastructure upgrades that improve mobility, reduce congestion, and increase safety.
That starts with prioritizing the Green Line. Transit signal priority should be fully implemented along the corridor to reduce unnecessary delays and ensure that our light rail operates with the efficiency and consistency riders deserve. When we talk about revitalizing transit, it has to begin with making the systems we already have actually work. After all, if you are enjoying the Gold Line for its frequency and speed, you should enjoy the Green Line as well.
Second, I support converting high-traffic, problematic intersections into roundabouts where feasible. These reduce wait times, improve safety, and keep traffic flowing more smoothly, all while reducing vehicle emissions and wear on our roads.
Finally, we have to fix our sidewalks. Too many are uneven, broken, or dangerous—especially for seniors, parents with strollers, and residents with disabilities. Rebuilding and maintaining our sidewalk network is a basic city service that has too often been neglected.
Together, these improvements are about making our city more livable, more connected, and more fair—because how we get around should never depend on how much money you have or what neighborhood you live in.
Cities have addressed many ongoing needs with temporary, federal COVID relief dollars, what are your plans to ensure fiscal stability with the uncertainty surrounding future federal funding and the expiration of temporary COVID relief dollars?
To ensure long-term fiscal stability in St. Paul, we need to take a two-pronged approach: tighten our systems and rethink our revenue strategies.
First, we need better transparency and alignment between department-level spending and citywide strategic goals. That means performance-based budgeting tied to measurable outcomes and increased accountability—not just spending dollars, but showing impact. We also need to expand how the city integrates frontline worker input into budget planning to identify inefficiencies and unmet needs.
Second, we must explore more resilient and equitable sources of revenue. This includes expanding PILOT (Payment In Lieu of Taxes) programs, especially from large nonprofit landowners who benefit from city services but do not currently contribute to the tax base. Land value taxes are another important tool, ensuring that land speculation doesn’t drain resources from residents and small businesses. We should also explore city-run revenue-generating public infrastructure, like municipal housing or a downtown grocery co-op, that can both serve public needs and return value to the budget.
Uber/Lyft wages and proposed childcare subsidies funded by local property taxes are just a few areas where local units of government are wading into policy debates that may be best suited at the state. Please articulate the different scopes of work between state and local government (City/County). Are there specific areas of policy that the city should lead on in lieu of the state or county government?
Cities like St. Paul are where policies meet people—and that proximity makes us powerful laboratories for innovation. While many broad funding mechanisms and structural policy reforms are best handled at the state or federal level, cities are where those policies are tested, refined, and made real. Local governments have a responsibility not only to implement what higher levels of government legislate, but also to lead where those bodies are slow to act or disconnected from on-the-ground realities.
Take rideshare wages or childcare affordability: while these are statewide issues, local governments often face their impacts most acutely. St. Paul sees the consequences when drivers can’t afford to live in the city they work in, or when parents must leave the workforce due to lack of affordable childcare. If state action is lacking, it is both pragmatic and just for cities to explore local solutions, even if they’re temporary or partial. We should be just as willing to sunset or restructure those programs if the results don’t meet expectations or if stronger statewide solutions come into play. That’s how cities lead: not with dogma, but with data, and a commitment to real outcomes for our residents.
In terms of policy scope, cities are uniquely positioned to lead on issues like rental enforcement, land use and zoning, sidewalk and street repair, local transit infrastructure, and equitable public safety responses. These aren’t just logistical concerns—they’re the front lines of public trust. When cities take the lead, we can model how a government can be more nimble, responsive, and people-focused than state bureaucracy often allows.
Ultimately, St. Paul can be a proving ground—not just for new policies, but for how the government earns and holds public confidence. That’s a responsibility I’m ready to take seriously.