Mitra Jalali
Name: Mitra Jalali
Public Office Sought: St. Paul City Council Ward 4
Email: [email protected]
Campaign Phone: (218) 431-0786
Campaign Website: mitrajalali.com
Twitter handle: @mitrajunjalali
Facebook Page: mitra4saintpaul
Candidate Bio
I’m running to keep leading progress for everyone in Saint Paul on the City Council. These last five years as a Councilmember, I am incredibly proud of the impact we’ve made with and for our community. We’ve built thousands of new homes at all income levels, championed strong renter protections, supported our neighborhoods and businesses through a pandemic and civil unrest, expanded 28 new miles of safer bike and pedestrian infrastructure for a more resilient climate, and strengthened community safety by funding programs that prevent crises and reduce gun violence. I’m proud to have been a strong force for change on our City Council. I am running to keep leading progress in Saint Paul that brings everyone with it.
What style of leadership would you bring to this position?
If you ask my constituents how I have showed up for Saint Paul these last five years, they’ll describe my responsiveness, relentlessness, focus on results, strategic collaboration, humor, authenticity, and strong commitment to our values even through extreme difficulty. I have built trust with my community and our partners across the city in over five years now as a progressive City Councilmember, and these relationships directly support my effectiveness and ability to govern. At heart, I am rooted in my experiences as a multi-racial/multicultural Minnesotan and daughter of immigrants from two different countries, a former classroom teacher, forever organizer, and policy aide with experience in multiple levels of government. In times of upheaval, I've showed up again and again in the streets, organized resources to rebuild local businesses, and support those in need. Our Council is about to experience a significant change with a majority of incumbents not returning. I am running for re-election to bring my institutional knowledge and strong progressive values back to City Hall, and guide the next chapter of our city’s future with a new class of leaders for Saint Paul.
What would be your top three priorities if elected?
Building community wealth through economic development and housing investment:
Our city’s prosperity depends on us building the wealth of all residents, no matter their starting point. By intentionally advancing a strong economic development strategy that prioritizes community benefits, jobs and workers rights, we can have a city where everyone prospers. However, we can only do that if everyone - regardless of race, income, or housing tenure - is included in this growth, and that the benefits of this success are equitably experienced. We should seize upon major redevelopment opportunities throughout the city, from United Village/Allianz Field superblock just over the ward boundary in Midway, to the Heights on the East Side and the diverse ecosystem of businesses and neighbors in Lowertown/downtown, and fully engage our residents in shaping those opportunities for maximum community good. Through prioritizing growth, equity and community ownership, we can build a Saint Paul where everybody prospers.
Climate Action:
From the United Nations’ annual reports to the stinging in our eyes each summer from wildfires, smoke and record heat, it’s more clear than ever we must address climate change at the most local levels to avoid irreversible consequences. We can only do this as a city by fulling modernizing our streets network to prioritize bike, pedestrian and mass transit everywhere possible; fostering denser housing and walkable neighborhoods in every neighborhood throughout the city that eliminate car trips and increase energy efficiency on a large scale; and becoming a regional leader in the statewide transportation conversation. I am proud to have championed nearly 28 new miles of bike and pedestrian routes since joining the Council, zoning and land use reforms like fully eliminating parking minimums and making 1-4 unit housing projects more feasible, and personally supported thousands of new multifamily housing units being built across Saint Paul, with a lion’s share of these in my Ward alone. On the Met Council Transportation Advisory Board, I will guide how to spend millions in annual regional sales tax funding for transit and transportation projects, and advocate against environmentally and financially costly freeway expansion on the Rethinking I-94 Policy Committee.
Community first, holistic public safety:
Everyone in our community deserves to be safe, period. I have led the work on City Council to expand our public safety system to better meet the many needs of our community. I helped create the Office of Neighborhood Safety and fund programs that successfully interrupt retaliatory cycles of gun violence. I advocated for more trained emergency responder options to better address mental health crises and situations that too often get diverted to police. When our community members are stable in all areas of life, they are less likely to experience hopelessness and turn to crimes of desperation. I will keep working to fund a comprehensive public safety approach that addresses human needs on the front end, reducing incidents of crime in the first place.
What do you consider the biggest challenge and conversely, the biggest opportunity in St. Paul?
As the city becomes denser, perhaps our biggest challenge is how to best sustain our growth through citywide access to affordable, high-quality housing and home ownership across the full range of income levels, as well as strong anti-displacement policies and tenant protections to keep people in the communities in which they have put down roots. Our city is growing, and that’s a beautiful thing. It also calls on us to ensure everyone - regardless of race, income, or housing tenure - is included in this growth, and that the benefits of this success are equitably experienced by all.
Our biggest opportunity is that, despite the fact that too many in our community still struggle to find or afford places to live or to make ends meet, we have the chance to elect leaders who will work with our community and all levels of government to create a more equitable community. We’re often told we have to choose between economic growth and racial equity, but we know better. We know this is a false dichotomy and we have proved that the strongest approaches to community development center both values.
How would you characterize the business climate in St. Paul and what role do you think the city should have in attracting and retaining jobs and new businesses in St. Paul?
Saint Paul’s business climate is full of opportunity if government and private partners can come together to pool resources, streamline processes, uphold workforce protections, and foster community ownership. I believe the city should play a leading role in attracting and retaining jobs and new businesses in Saint Paul, through both a mix of securing major new companies and also investing in our own residents and business dreams. As a Councilwoman, I have supported our neighborhood businesses through some of the toughest years in recent history as the Midway was hit by the triple-whammy of displacement pressure, a pandemic and the fallout of civil unrest. I was grateful to work with the Chamber and State of Minnesota to organize millions of dollars into rebuilding and recovery. I represent the Creative Enterprise Zone spanning South Saint Anthony Park and Raymond-University area, who are currently engaged in a major community ownership purchase deal to acquire the Prior Works building and bring a massive formerly industrial space into local ownership by 46 commercial tenants of all backgrounds. I have helped launch Taproot Investment Cooperative and Midway Investment Cooperative, as well as the Little Africa Plaza project, prioritizing local ownership as a wealth-building strategy.
What are your strategies to address public safety challenges in your community?
In Saint Paul, one of my greatest first-term accomplishments is leading the creation of this new community safety system on the Council in close partnership with Mayor Carter and our community. This system began with just a $2M investment that has grown to over $13M including philanthropic, state and federal funds, to expand our emergency response for a range of needs and take care of people where they are. We now have a team of first responders that meet people in mental health crises without needing law enforcement present. We have the Community Ambassadors program who create positive street presence and a caring, familiar face to youth in need. The Healing Streets program sends compassionate and competent staff to visit gunshot victims – or those on the other side of the gun – in hospital emergency rooms, and work with them to get tangible support that breaks cycles of violence. And I helped create the Office of Neighborhood Safety that gives a home to these programs in the city, dedicates outstanding staff to this work, and is advised by a community commission to hold us accountable and maintain transparency. I’m running to keep building on this progress for a safer Saint Paul.
What ideas do you have to address housing shortages and affordability?
To address Saint Paul's housing crisis we need to focus on three things: preservation of existing housing stock, production of new units at all income levels, and protection of renters. We have record funding through the state now for preservation of aging buildings with affordable rental units as well as gap financing for new affordable units, and our city Affordable Housing Trust Fund dedicates city money toward this aim too. I’ve championed large-scale zoning and land use reforms like eliminating parking minimums and easier zoning requirements for ADUs and 1-4 unit size housing projects. Lastly, anti-displacement policies like advance notice of sale, just cause notice, fair rental screening, security deposit limits and rent stabilization can help protect renters in a changing housing market.
St. Paul candidates only: Do you support the rent stabilization ordinance in its current form? If not, what would you like to change?
I do not support it in its current form – numerous harmful changes were passed by our current Council that I voted against. I believe that we should evaluate our rent stabilization policy annually through a formal, evidence-based and comprehensive process, and make adjustments based on clear data in adherence to the voter-passed policy’s intentions – not based on political pushback, fear-mongering or speculation.
Our rent stabilization policy should not exclude renters in subsidized affordable housing, renters in buildings built in the last 20 years, or any renters in buildings about to be built without guaranteed strong tenant protections and anti-displacement policies in place for them (such as an advance notice of sale policy, guaranteed relocation assistance and other measures that ensure tenant stability). Everyone deserves stability in their housing, regardless of whether tax credits were used to build their home and regardless of the age of the structure they call home.
Our rent stabilization policy should not allow for vacancy decontrol; the unit should remain rent-stabilized whether a tenant is in it or not.
Lastly, our rent stabilization policy deserves fully funded implementation to receive appropriate enforcement and community education.
How would you work to improve transportation options in your community, including improved safety for transit riders, pedestrian/bike, and drivers alike?
A comprehensive transportation system is both critical for economic development and for our regional climate action goals. I have supported fully funding the Bike Plan and creating nearly 28 new miles of bike and pedestrian infrastructure throughout Saint Paul since getting elected to office so that residents can more safely get around to support local businesses and live their lives. I am on the Met Council Transportation Advisory Board and will guide how to spend millions in annual regional sales tax funding for transit and transportation projects. I have championed zoning and land use reforms like fully eliminating parking minimums and making 1-4 unit housing projects more feasible, which support the transportation network by expanding denser housing and reducing the need for car ownership. Lastly, I strongly support the Saint Paul sales tax proposal that will bring over $920 million over the next two decades in revenue to Saint Paul to fully modernize our streets network and make deep investments in infrastructure. I am a transportation enthusiast at heart and I would be excited to keep working with the Chamber and all our partners to ensure an outstanding streets network for all in our city.
What will you do to expand St. Paul’s tax base?
We need to embrace major redevelopment opportunities in Saint Paul like the Snelling-Midway/United Village superblock, Hillcrest/The Heights, former Sears site, Luther Seminary site and others to grow our tax base and ensure these projects are fully realized. It is not helpful to just say “no” to development across our city. If we aren’t also highly involved in shaping new development with our community, public resources and policies, then the private market alone often also won’t produce projects that fully meet our diverse community’s needs. I am excited to continue growing our city equitably. I have worked tirelessly in Ward 4 to help build hundreds of new homes along the Green Line, Marshall Ave, Selby Ave, Snelling Ave and other major transit routes, championed zoning reforms that allow denser housing citywide and help us better place new commercial businesses in dynamic, connected neighborhoods. We should also revisit PILOT to ensure there is revenue from tax-exempt entities to help support city services everyone depends on. Lastly, higher vacant building fees as well as state-level strategies like a land value tax could incentivize long-standing empty land and buildings to be activated for better use and more return for our communities.
Are there any services currently provided by the city that you believe should be cut back or eliminated? Are there new opportunities to share services with other entities?
My primary focus is on enhancing and expanding essential services that uplift our community. Generally I believe in prioritizing equitable access to services rather than cutting them back. However, I'm open to exploring innovative collaborations with other entities to maximize resources and improve efficiency. By working together and sharing services strategically, we can ensure that the needs of our residents are met, while promoting responsible governance by implementing that which works best.
Public Office Sought: St. Paul City Council Ward 4
Email: [email protected]
Campaign Phone: (218) 431-0786
Campaign Website: mitrajalali.com
Twitter handle: @mitrajunjalali
Facebook Page: mitra4saintpaul
Candidate Bio
I’m running to keep leading progress for everyone in Saint Paul on the City Council. These last five years as a Councilmember, I am incredibly proud of the impact we’ve made with and for our community. We’ve built thousands of new homes at all income levels, championed strong renter protections, supported our neighborhoods and businesses through a pandemic and civil unrest, expanded 28 new miles of safer bike and pedestrian infrastructure for a more resilient climate, and strengthened community safety by funding programs that prevent crises and reduce gun violence. I’m proud to have been a strong force for change on our City Council. I am running to keep leading progress in Saint Paul that brings everyone with it.
What style of leadership would you bring to this position?
If you ask my constituents how I have showed up for Saint Paul these last five years, they’ll describe my responsiveness, relentlessness, focus on results, strategic collaboration, humor, authenticity, and strong commitment to our values even through extreme difficulty. I have built trust with my community and our partners across the city in over five years now as a progressive City Councilmember, and these relationships directly support my effectiveness and ability to govern. At heart, I am rooted in my experiences as a multi-racial/multicultural Minnesotan and daughter of immigrants from two different countries, a former classroom teacher, forever organizer, and policy aide with experience in multiple levels of government. In times of upheaval, I've showed up again and again in the streets, organized resources to rebuild local businesses, and support those in need. Our Council is about to experience a significant change with a majority of incumbents not returning. I am running for re-election to bring my institutional knowledge and strong progressive values back to City Hall, and guide the next chapter of our city’s future with a new class of leaders for Saint Paul.
What would be your top three priorities if elected?
Building community wealth through economic development and housing investment:
Our city’s prosperity depends on us building the wealth of all residents, no matter their starting point. By intentionally advancing a strong economic development strategy that prioritizes community benefits, jobs and workers rights, we can have a city where everyone prospers. However, we can only do that if everyone - regardless of race, income, or housing tenure - is included in this growth, and that the benefits of this success are equitably experienced. We should seize upon major redevelopment opportunities throughout the city, from United Village/Allianz Field superblock just over the ward boundary in Midway, to the Heights on the East Side and the diverse ecosystem of businesses and neighbors in Lowertown/downtown, and fully engage our residents in shaping those opportunities for maximum community good. Through prioritizing growth, equity and community ownership, we can build a Saint Paul where everybody prospers.
Climate Action:
From the United Nations’ annual reports to the stinging in our eyes each summer from wildfires, smoke and record heat, it’s more clear than ever we must address climate change at the most local levels to avoid irreversible consequences. We can only do this as a city by fulling modernizing our streets network to prioritize bike, pedestrian and mass transit everywhere possible; fostering denser housing and walkable neighborhoods in every neighborhood throughout the city that eliminate car trips and increase energy efficiency on a large scale; and becoming a regional leader in the statewide transportation conversation. I am proud to have championed nearly 28 new miles of bike and pedestrian routes since joining the Council, zoning and land use reforms like fully eliminating parking minimums and making 1-4 unit housing projects more feasible, and personally supported thousands of new multifamily housing units being built across Saint Paul, with a lion’s share of these in my Ward alone. On the Met Council Transportation Advisory Board, I will guide how to spend millions in annual regional sales tax funding for transit and transportation projects, and advocate against environmentally and financially costly freeway expansion on the Rethinking I-94 Policy Committee.
Community first, holistic public safety:
Everyone in our community deserves to be safe, period. I have led the work on City Council to expand our public safety system to better meet the many needs of our community. I helped create the Office of Neighborhood Safety and fund programs that successfully interrupt retaliatory cycles of gun violence. I advocated for more trained emergency responder options to better address mental health crises and situations that too often get diverted to police. When our community members are stable in all areas of life, they are less likely to experience hopelessness and turn to crimes of desperation. I will keep working to fund a comprehensive public safety approach that addresses human needs on the front end, reducing incidents of crime in the first place.
What do you consider the biggest challenge and conversely, the biggest opportunity in St. Paul?
As the city becomes denser, perhaps our biggest challenge is how to best sustain our growth through citywide access to affordable, high-quality housing and home ownership across the full range of income levels, as well as strong anti-displacement policies and tenant protections to keep people in the communities in which they have put down roots. Our city is growing, and that’s a beautiful thing. It also calls on us to ensure everyone - regardless of race, income, or housing tenure - is included in this growth, and that the benefits of this success are equitably experienced by all.
Our biggest opportunity is that, despite the fact that too many in our community still struggle to find or afford places to live or to make ends meet, we have the chance to elect leaders who will work with our community and all levels of government to create a more equitable community. We’re often told we have to choose between economic growth and racial equity, but we know better. We know this is a false dichotomy and we have proved that the strongest approaches to community development center both values.
How would you characterize the business climate in St. Paul and what role do you think the city should have in attracting and retaining jobs and new businesses in St. Paul?
Saint Paul’s business climate is full of opportunity if government and private partners can come together to pool resources, streamline processes, uphold workforce protections, and foster community ownership. I believe the city should play a leading role in attracting and retaining jobs and new businesses in Saint Paul, through both a mix of securing major new companies and also investing in our own residents and business dreams. As a Councilwoman, I have supported our neighborhood businesses through some of the toughest years in recent history as the Midway was hit by the triple-whammy of displacement pressure, a pandemic and the fallout of civil unrest. I was grateful to work with the Chamber and State of Minnesota to organize millions of dollars into rebuilding and recovery. I represent the Creative Enterprise Zone spanning South Saint Anthony Park and Raymond-University area, who are currently engaged in a major community ownership purchase deal to acquire the Prior Works building and bring a massive formerly industrial space into local ownership by 46 commercial tenants of all backgrounds. I have helped launch Taproot Investment Cooperative and Midway Investment Cooperative, as well as the Little Africa Plaza project, prioritizing local ownership as a wealth-building strategy.
What are your strategies to address public safety challenges in your community?
In Saint Paul, one of my greatest first-term accomplishments is leading the creation of this new community safety system on the Council in close partnership with Mayor Carter and our community. This system began with just a $2M investment that has grown to over $13M including philanthropic, state and federal funds, to expand our emergency response for a range of needs and take care of people where they are. We now have a team of first responders that meet people in mental health crises without needing law enforcement present. We have the Community Ambassadors program who create positive street presence and a caring, familiar face to youth in need. The Healing Streets program sends compassionate and competent staff to visit gunshot victims – or those on the other side of the gun – in hospital emergency rooms, and work with them to get tangible support that breaks cycles of violence. And I helped create the Office of Neighborhood Safety that gives a home to these programs in the city, dedicates outstanding staff to this work, and is advised by a community commission to hold us accountable and maintain transparency. I’m running to keep building on this progress for a safer Saint Paul.
What ideas do you have to address housing shortages and affordability?
To address Saint Paul's housing crisis we need to focus on three things: preservation of existing housing stock, production of new units at all income levels, and protection of renters. We have record funding through the state now for preservation of aging buildings with affordable rental units as well as gap financing for new affordable units, and our city Affordable Housing Trust Fund dedicates city money toward this aim too. I’ve championed large-scale zoning and land use reforms like eliminating parking minimums and easier zoning requirements for ADUs and 1-4 unit size housing projects. Lastly, anti-displacement policies like advance notice of sale, just cause notice, fair rental screening, security deposit limits and rent stabilization can help protect renters in a changing housing market.
St. Paul candidates only: Do you support the rent stabilization ordinance in its current form? If not, what would you like to change?
I do not support it in its current form – numerous harmful changes were passed by our current Council that I voted against. I believe that we should evaluate our rent stabilization policy annually through a formal, evidence-based and comprehensive process, and make adjustments based on clear data in adherence to the voter-passed policy’s intentions – not based on political pushback, fear-mongering or speculation.
Our rent stabilization policy should not exclude renters in subsidized affordable housing, renters in buildings built in the last 20 years, or any renters in buildings about to be built without guaranteed strong tenant protections and anti-displacement policies in place for them (such as an advance notice of sale policy, guaranteed relocation assistance and other measures that ensure tenant stability). Everyone deserves stability in their housing, regardless of whether tax credits were used to build their home and regardless of the age of the structure they call home.
Our rent stabilization policy should not allow for vacancy decontrol; the unit should remain rent-stabilized whether a tenant is in it or not.
Lastly, our rent stabilization policy deserves fully funded implementation to receive appropriate enforcement and community education.
How would you work to improve transportation options in your community, including improved safety for transit riders, pedestrian/bike, and drivers alike?
A comprehensive transportation system is both critical for economic development and for our regional climate action goals. I have supported fully funding the Bike Plan and creating nearly 28 new miles of bike and pedestrian infrastructure throughout Saint Paul since getting elected to office so that residents can more safely get around to support local businesses and live their lives. I am on the Met Council Transportation Advisory Board and will guide how to spend millions in annual regional sales tax funding for transit and transportation projects. I have championed zoning and land use reforms like fully eliminating parking minimums and making 1-4 unit housing projects more feasible, which support the transportation network by expanding denser housing and reducing the need for car ownership. Lastly, I strongly support the Saint Paul sales tax proposal that will bring over $920 million over the next two decades in revenue to Saint Paul to fully modernize our streets network and make deep investments in infrastructure. I am a transportation enthusiast at heart and I would be excited to keep working with the Chamber and all our partners to ensure an outstanding streets network for all in our city.
What will you do to expand St. Paul’s tax base?
We need to embrace major redevelopment opportunities in Saint Paul like the Snelling-Midway/United Village superblock, Hillcrest/The Heights, former Sears site, Luther Seminary site and others to grow our tax base and ensure these projects are fully realized. It is not helpful to just say “no” to development across our city. If we aren’t also highly involved in shaping new development with our community, public resources and policies, then the private market alone often also won’t produce projects that fully meet our diverse community’s needs. I am excited to continue growing our city equitably. I have worked tirelessly in Ward 4 to help build hundreds of new homes along the Green Line, Marshall Ave, Selby Ave, Snelling Ave and other major transit routes, championed zoning reforms that allow denser housing citywide and help us better place new commercial businesses in dynamic, connected neighborhoods. We should also revisit PILOT to ensure there is revenue from tax-exempt entities to help support city services everyone depends on. Lastly, higher vacant building fees as well as state-level strategies like a land value tax could incentivize long-standing empty land and buildings to be activated for better use and more return for our communities.
Are there any services currently provided by the city that you believe should be cut back or eliminated? Are there new opportunities to share services with other entities?
My primary focus is on enhancing and expanding essential services that uplift our community. Generally I believe in prioritizing equitable access to services rather than cutting them back. However, I'm open to exploring innovative collaborations with other entities to maximize resources and improve efficiency. By working together and sharing services strategically, we can ensure that the needs of our residents are met, while promoting responsible governance by implementing that which works best.