Nadia Elnagdy
Name: Nadia Elnagdy
Email: NadiaforSAV.com
Campaign Phone: 612.735.8606
Campaign Website: www.NadiaforSAV.com
Twitter handle: n/a
Facebook Page: @NadiaforSAV
Candidate Bio
As an Assistant Hennepin County Attorney, Nadia has dedicated her life to protecting public safety. After over a decade prosecuting violent offenses with a specialty in crimes against children, Nadia left the courtroom in 2020 to become the Director for the County Attorney's Expungement Program.
There, she built a program from the ground up that increases public safety, while simultaneously increasing accessibility to eligible members of our community. By focusing on equity, she’s transformed the expungement process in Hennepin County and has become a leading subject matter expert in the state.
Before moving to St. Anthony, Nadia spent four years as legal advisor on the board of directors for the Junior League of Minneapolis and two years on the board of directors for the Citizen’s League. She is no stranger to the strategic thinking that goes into making important decisions. Nadia has a proven history of dedication to her community and with your support, she will continue the hard work of ensuring St. Anthony is a Village where all our residents feel equally heard and we all have ownership in where we go next.
What style of leadership would you bring to this position?
Collaborative. Every policy decision I make as a council member will be informed by an intersectional analysis that’s grounded in the value of equal representation. We can’t fully appreciate our path forward as a city without understanding how all our identities impact our experiences, both the good and the bad. That means centering the voices, perspectives and concerns of folks who have been, thus far, underrepresented in our community. This doesn't just mean racial or ethnic minorities, but our differently-abled neighbors and residents of diverse economic groups as well.
What would be your top three priorities if elected? How might these priorities be affected by the state's projected economic outlook?
If elected, I will work to increase transparency by creating open lines of communication between our residents and their representatives, update public spaces to encourage community engagement and connection, and push to meet our sustainability promises by using carbon neutral energy sources, and implementing environmentally sustainable practices wherever we can.
Building a truly collaborative environment requires inclusive, equitable leadership and it is incredibly important that we create a space where those who disagree can work together to find solutions that work for everyone.
Minnesota's economic outlook has improved. Especially in the near-term. With a projected surplus of $3.7 billion we are in an excellent position to explore creative opportunities.
What do you consider the biggest challenge and conversely, the biggest opportunity in St. Anthony Village?
Local governments nation-wide are struggling with a loss of public trust in government institutions and St. Anthony is no exception. We need to stay proactive in maintaining transparency and open lines of communication with our residents to ensure our community never has a need to question the trust they place in their elected officials.
Fortunately, though it may seem like a challenge, St. Anthony’s lack of technology across governmental departments is an excellent opportunity to make simple changes with incredible long-term impact. An updated digital presence will improve resident relations. Tools like complaint management software enable you to receive direct feedback from constituents about their needs, while eliminating inefficient, paper-based processes.
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. Do you feel the outcomes of the 2023-2024 legislative session positively or negatively impacted that collaboration and our state's business climate?
Collaboration between government and the business community is not only beneficial, but necessary for addressing the myriad difficulties that exist for our residents. While our government has the responsibility to set regulations that protect public health and safety, we need our business community to provide job opportunities for our workforce and to stimulate economic activity. Any public-private collaboration should begin with clear, agreed-upon, goals and duties, well-defined performance indicators and success metrics to allow for regular assessments of the impact and efficacy of any joint venture.
This past legislative session introduced policy changes that address taxation, housing, workforce shortages and more. Most notably, there were provisions made to provide supplemental funding to support job creation and economic development. There is now an influx of cash available to support employment and training programs, and to assist eligible Minnesota entrepreneurs or start-up businesses with their operating needs. The potential for new businesses and increased focus on our workforce can only benefit our community.
How would you characterize the business climate in St. Anthony Village and what role do you think the city should have in attracting and retaining jobs and new businesses in St. Anthony Village?
I would describe the business climate in St. Anthony as stationary. The businesses that are here aren’t leaving, but growth has been minimal. Cities that develop strategies for attracting and retaining talent are the ones that have the highest probability of investment. If our city continues with their passive approach, we risk losing not just economic opportunities, but people.
What are your strategies to address public safety challenges in your community?
After 14 years as a criminal prosecutor, I deeply understand the nuanced challenges that come with protecting public safety. I will listen to the needs and concerns of both our residents and our public safety officers. And use my expertise and evidence-based best practices to make the decisions that best protect the people of our community.
What ideas do you have to address housing shortages and affordability?
An inclusive community includes housing that is affordable to different income levels. As the divide grows between our wages and the cost of living, we need to do our part to ensure we’re not pricing out our local workforce.
So what can we do? While yes, being small and built out creates challenges, but that’s not an acceptable reason not to try. Areas will turn over and there will be opportunities for future development, in addition to the underutilized locations that currently exist: the old gas station on Stinson north of 37th for example. Or the shopping center with the library that could be mixed commercial and rental housing.
We can incentivize building owners of older units not to sell to developers for remodeling; we can protect naturally-occurring affordable housing (e.g. Diamond Lake); we can encourage owner-occupied affordable housing, we can keep city-owned land in a perpetual trust and build fully accessible townhomes to maintain a level of affordability. Whatever we choose, we need to do something. Our pre-school teachers, public safety officers and folks working at our local businesses deserve to be able to afford to live where they work.
How would you work to improve transportation options in your community, including improved safety for transit riders, pedestrian/bike, and drivers alike?
Given its size, it’s untenable that our residents must rely on vehicle traffic to get around. We need to make the infrastructure enhancements that support a truly walkable community. That doesn’t just mean dedicated bike lanes, but also streetlights to ensure safe passage, additional crosswalks and increased penalties for violators. Walkability doesn’t just mean having open space to walk. It means being able to meet your needs without a car, or with only one car and we’re not there yet.
Cities have addressed many ongoing needs with temporary, federal COVID relief dollars, what are your plans to ensure fiscal stability as these federal, one-time funds run out?
When the pandemic hit in 2020, tax revenues declined at the same time as needs for government support rose. In response, the federal government organized historic financial support that enabled us to deliver necessary services. We need to make sure we’re using these funds in innovative ways that support economic growth and increase our community’s resilience.
By making smart, evidence-based investments designed for our specific needs, we can make the investments in our workforce that have the potential to both grow the economy long-term and ensure that growth is widely shared. This is how we ensure fiscal stability once the temporary funds run out.
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 are general purpose local governments. Counties were originally designed to be administrative arms of the state to administer elections, tax assessments and collections, and state programs. Over time, counties have been given more authority to function as general purpose local governments themselves.
Our city has the responsibility to legislate for the general welfare of our residents. Their purview is any power that contributes to the protection of the health, welfare, and safety of the community, which has not been specifically attributed to the state. This includes things like: local commerce and manufacturing, collaborations between cities, or any infrastructure needs expressed by our community.
Email: NadiaforSAV.com
Campaign Phone: 612.735.8606
Campaign Website: www.NadiaforSAV.com
Twitter handle: n/a
Facebook Page: @NadiaforSAV
Candidate Bio
As an Assistant Hennepin County Attorney, Nadia has dedicated her life to protecting public safety. After over a decade prosecuting violent offenses with a specialty in crimes against children, Nadia left the courtroom in 2020 to become the Director for the County Attorney's Expungement Program.
There, she built a program from the ground up that increases public safety, while simultaneously increasing accessibility to eligible members of our community. By focusing on equity, she’s transformed the expungement process in Hennepin County and has become a leading subject matter expert in the state.
Before moving to St. Anthony, Nadia spent four years as legal advisor on the board of directors for the Junior League of Minneapolis and two years on the board of directors for the Citizen’s League. She is no stranger to the strategic thinking that goes into making important decisions. Nadia has a proven history of dedication to her community and with your support, she will continue the hard work of ensuring St. Anthony is a Village where all our residents feel equally heard and we all have ownership in where we go next.
What style of leadership would you bring to this position?
Collaborative. Every policy decision I make as a council member will be informed by an intersectional analysis that’s grounded in the value of equal representation. We can’t fully appreciate our path forward as a city without understanding how all our identities impact our experiences, both the good and the bad. That means centering the voices, perspectives and concerns of folks who have been, thus far, underrepresented in our community. This doesn't just mean racial or ethnic minorities, but our differently-abled neighbors and residents of diverse economic groups as well.
What would be your top three priorities if elected? How might these priorities be affected by the state's projected economic outlook?
If elected, I will work to increase transparency by creating open lines of communication between our residents and their representatives, update public spaces to encourage community engagement and connection, and push to meet our sustainability promises by using carbon neutral energy sources, and implementing environmentally sustainable practices wherever we can.
Building a truly collaborative environment requires inclusive, equitable leadership and it is incredibly important that we create a space where those who disagree can work together to find solutions that work for everyone.
Minnesota's economic outlook has improved. Especially in the near-term. With a projected surplus of $3.7 billion we are in an excellent position to explore creative opportunities.
What do you consider the biggest challenge and conversely, the biggest opportunity in St. Anthony Village?
Local governments nation-wide are struggling with a loss of public trust in government institutions and St. Anthony is no exception. We need to stay proactive in maintaining transparency and open lines of communication with our residents to ensure our community never has a need to question the trust they place in their elected officials.
Fortunately, though it may seem like a challenge, St. Anthony’s lack of technology across governmental departments is an excellent opportunity to make simple changes with incredible long-term impact. An updated digital presence will improve resident relations. Tools like complaint management software enable you to receive direct feedback from constituents about their needs, while eliminating inefficient, paper-based processes.
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. Do you feel the outcomes of the 2023-2024 legislative session positively or negatively impacted that collaboration and our state's business climate?
Collaboration between government and the business community is not only beneficial, but necessary for addressing the myriad difficulties that exist for our residents. While our government has the responsibility to set regulations that protect public health and safety, we need our business community to provide job opportunities for our workforce and to stimulate economic activity. Any public-private collaboration should begin with clear, agreed-upon, goals and duties, well-defined performance indicators and success metrics to allow for regular assessments of the impact and efficacy of any joint venture.
This past legislative session introduced policy changes that address taxation, housing, workforce shortages and more. Most notably, there were provisions made to provide supplemental funding to support job creation and economic development. There is now an influx of cash available to support employment and training programs, and to assist eligible Minnesota entrepreneurs or start-up businesses with their operating needs. The potential for new businesses and increased focus on our workforce can only benefit our community.
How would you characterize the business climate in St. Anthony Village and what role do you think the city should have in attracting and retaining jobs and new businesses in St. Anthony Village?
I would describe the business climate in St. Anthony as stationary. The businesses that are here aren’t leaving, but growth has been minimal. Cities that develop strategies for attracting and retaining talent are the ones that have the highest probability of investment. If our city continues with their passive approach, we risk losing not just economic opportunities, but people.
What are your strategies to address public safety challenges in your community?
After 14 years as a criminal prosecutor, I deeply understand the nuanced challenges that come with protecting public safety. I will listen to the needs and concerns of both our residents and our public safety officers. And use my expertise and evidence-based best practices to make the decisions that best protect the people of our community.
What ideas do you have to address housing shortages and affordability?
An inclusive community includes housing that is affordable to different income levels. As the divide grows between our wages and the cost of living, we need to do our part to ensure we’re not pricing out our local workforce.
So what can we do? While yes, being small and built out creates challenges, but that’s not an acceptable reason not to try. Areas will turn over and there will be opportunities for future development, in addition to the underutilized locations that currently exist: the old gas station on Stinson north of 37th for example. Or the shopping center with the library that could be mixed commercial and rental housing.
We can incentivize building owners of older units not to sell to developers for remodeling; we can protect naturally-occurring affordable housing (e.g. Diamond Lake); we can encourage owner-occupied affordable housing, we can keep city-owned land in a perpetual trust and build fully accessible townhomes to maintain a level of affordability. Whatever we choose, we need to do something. Our pre-school teachers, public safety officers and folks working at our local businesses deserve to be able to afford to live where they work.
How would you work to improve transportation options in your community, including improved safety for transit riders, pedestrian/bike, and drivers alike?
Given its size, it’s untenable that our residents must rely on vehicle traffic to get around. We need to make the infrastructure enhancements that support a truly walkable community. That doesn’t just mean dedicated bike lanes, but also streetlights to ensure safe passage, additional crosswalks and increased penalties for violators. Walkability doesn’t just mean having open space to walk. It means being able to meet your needs without a car, or with only one car and we’re not there yet.
Cities have addressed many ongoing needs with temporary, federal COVID relief dollars, what are your plans to ensure fiscal stability as these federal, one-time funds run out?
When the pandemic hit in 2020, tax revenues declined at the same time as needs for government support rose. In response, the federal government organized historic financial support that enabled us to deliver necessary services. We need to make sure we’re using these funds in innovative ways that support economic growth and increase our community’s resilience.
By making smart, evidence-based investments designed for our specific needs, we can make the investments in our workforce that have the potential to both grow the economy long-term and ensure that growth is widely shared. This is how we ensure fiscal stability once the temporary funds run out.
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 are general purpose local governments. Counties were originally designed to be administrative arms of the state to administer elections, tax assessments and collections, and state programs. Over time, counties have been given more authority to function as general purpose local governments themselves.
Our city has the responsibility to legislate for the general welfare of our residents. Their purview is any power that contributes to the protection of the health, welfare, and safety of the community, which has not been specifically attributed to the state. This includes things like: local commerce and manufacturing, collaborations between cities, or any infrastructure needs expressed by our community.