Rafael Ortega
Name: Rafael E. Ortega
Public Office Sought: Ramsey County Board of Commissioners, District 5
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 651-253-1252
Website: commissionerrafaelortega.wordpress.com
Candidate Bio
After becoming a social worker and growing CLUES (Comunidades Latinas Unidas En Servicio) into one of the largest social service agencies in the twin cities, I won election to the Ramsey County Board in Minnesota in 1994. I have been elected six times, most recently in 2014. I have served as Chair of the Board or Chair of the Regional Rail Authority for most of the last fifteen years and I’m proud to have collaboratively achieved many things. I am focused on protecting Ramsey County’s most vulnerable residents, building a great transportation network in Minnesota, and making sure that Ramsey County delivers the best service in a cost-effective way.
I have spearheaded the redevelopment of the TCAAP site and development of the Riverview Corridor transit line. I am a recognized leader on transit in the metro area and my work has paid off for Ramsey County. In 2014, I received the Progress Minnesota Lifetime Achievement Award from Finance and Commerce newspaper for my work on job creation, business development, and the economic health of the Twin Cities and the entire state.
1. Why are you running for this seat?
To improve and increase transit opportunities in the East Metro, we opened the Union Depot for business in 2013 and I served as the Chair of Green Line LRT PAC in 2014. I am the Chair of the Riverview Corridor Policy Advisory Committee, I Co-chaired the Gateway Corridor and as Chair of the Rail Authority, I work with our regional partners and corridors to make sure the East Metro doesn’t get left behind.
To innovatively provide services to our most vulnerable, I worked with mental health and chemical dependency experts and local hospitals to create “402 University” a first of its kind facility that delivers these critical services under one roof.
I have also been leading the efforts to redevelop the TCAAP property in Arden Hills, the West Riverfront Property and build the river balcony.
2. What is the biggest challenge facing your district and how would you address it?
Connection is our biggest challenge. We have a population of workers with limited ability to get to job centers and places where we have jobs that need to be filled and few ways for potential workers to get there. We have seniors and youth that need to get to appointments or schools and cannot afford to buy, maintain, or store a car. I am addressing this by improving our transit, but also by looking at ways that we can make county facilities easier for our clients to reach.
3. What do you believe is the biggest challenge facing Ramsey County as a whole and how would you address it?
Our changing demographics are our biggest challenge. We need to have a workforce for the rest of the 21st century and we need to bring innovative ideas and new residents. I am working, in conjunction with partners like the Chamber, to build a winning and attractive infrastructure and to make this a place people want to move and to set down roots.
4. What would be your top three priorities if (re-)elected to the Ramsey County Board of Commissioners?
A. Continue to build a complete transit network in the East Metro.
B. Redevelop prime properties like TCAAP and the West Building and build workforce and tax base there.
C. Continue to support innovations like 402 University to serve our neediest population.
5. Should county government be actively involved in attracting and retaining jobs? Why or why not? If yes, please describe the role for the county in this process.
Absolutely, our region; our government partners, businesses and non-profits, all rise or sink together and none of us can afford to not contribute to attracting and retaining jobs. My focus on redeveloping key sites and connecting the region with a great transit system are important roles for the county to play.
6. What role should county government play in economic development, and how should the county work with partner organizations?
Clearly, Saint Paul and Minneapolis have entire departments focused on Economic Development so local government should be and is involved. At the county, I have worked hard to connect with owners on W 7th, the West Side, Downtown, and Highland and worked hand in hand with the Chamber and the Port Authority and with the local business associations to get results we all want. My door is always open to our business partners.
Also, we work with Greater MSP and East Metro Strong and to promote our region as a whole.
7. What do you believe are the most essential services provided by county government?
Our most essential services are the ones you probably hear the least about. We are the ones who help people in crisis; in housing, child protection, living with mental illness, or find a safe place to be. Our health and human services work is all around us and on-going, and if we failed to serve this population, we wouldn’t be doing our jobs.
8. Are there any services that the county does not provide that you believe it should?
We are the lead agency in helping homeless people in Ramsey County, but there are gaps that need to be filled and we are addressing them by establishing an Interdepartmental Council on Housing Stability. The council is chaired by the Health and Wellness Service Team, includes nine county departments and is charged with overseeing and implementing the county’s efforts to improve housing stability. This year we provided 50 emergency beds downtown to address rising homelessness numbers and the construction of the new Dorothy Day Center and we will continue to be putting together the collaborations that will solve this problem.
9. Are there any services currently provided by the county that you believe should be cut back or eliminated?
Four years ago, we started work on our strategic plan. One service that the county was doing that I didn’t think should be eliminated BUT needed to be done in a different, more streamlined way was risk management. This is not a sexy topic for people…until something goes wrong and we end up paying large amounts of money and showing up on the front page of the paper.
At that time, the risk management functions of benefits, employee wellness, workers compensation and occupational health and safety were managed in the Human Resources Department, the risk management functions of contract review, insurance and tort liability were managed in the County Attorney’s Office, and health care compliance, data security, and contract management functions were carried out in departments throughout the county.
We now have a Risk Management Director who reports directly to our Finance Director and who is putting together, a cohesive risk management plan that covers all the departments in the county and the places where different departments intersect.
10. How would you characterize the business climate in Ramsey County? What, if anything, would you do to change it?
It is strong but it could be stronger. We need to be responsive and quick to find ways to make things work for interested business entrepreneurs. Also, I am proud of preparing and including business leaders when we are making changes, like improving streets and other infrastructure or changing the rules regarding smoking in public places. This has been very effective and we have gotten much better buy-in when we approach things this way.
11. Many communities and government entities in the East Metro collaborate to provide services to their residents in an effort operate more efficiently and cost effectively. Do you believe that Ramsey County uses such partnerships appropriately, and can you identify any specific areas where more sharing of services should be used?
I always have. I was central in the consolidations of Health Services, the Adult Detention Center, Jobs and Training, and the Dispatch Center and I will continue to look for ways to be more efficient while still delivering quality services. When the County consolidated the health departments, we assumed the Tax Burden of $1 Million which was taken off the Saint Paul tax rolls. The merging of the 800 Mghz Dispatch Center saved another $5 Million for the city of Saint Paul over a couple of years has made the region safer.
I have always been open to looking at how the cities and counties can work together on our libraries, although at this time, I believe that both the Saint Paul Library system and the Ramsey County Libraries are well-loved and performing well.
12. In your view, what is Ramsey County’s top transportation priority and how would you advance it?
Years ago, Matt Kramer said it best when he said our three priorities are Riverview, Riverview and Riverview and B Kyle has continued that commitment. When it comes to both serving our underserved transit-dependent population and our downtown businesses, it will deliver great benefits. As Chair of the Riverview Corridor, I am doing everything I can to make it a reality.
13. Is there anything else you would like to share with voters not covered above?
I want to thank the Chamber for its real partnership in so many areas in recent years. In past years, it has been in the political interest of the Chamber and County Commissioners to take pot shots at one another publicly and not talk much otherwise. We now check in regularly and work together and that’s the only way we are going to thrive.
Public Office Sought: Ramsey County Board of Commissioners, District 5
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 651-253-1252
Website: commissionerrafaelortega.wordpress.com
Candidate Bio
After becoming a social worker and growing CLUES (Comunidades Latinas Unidas En Servicio) into one of the largest social service agencies in the twin cities, I won election to the Ramsey County Board in Minnesota in 1994. I have been elected six times, most recently in 2014. I have served as Chair of the Board or Chair of the Regional Rail Authority for most of the last fifteen years and I’m proud to have collaboratively achieved many things. I am focused on protecting Ramsey County’s most vulnerable residents, building a great transportation network in Minnesota, and making sure that Ramsey County delivers the best service in a cost-effective way.
I have spearheaded the redevelopment of the TCAAP site and development of the Riverview Corridor transit line. I am a recognized leader on transit in the metro area and my work has paid off for Ramsey County. In 2014, I received the Progress Minnesota Lifetime Achievement Award from Finance and Commerce newspaper for my work on job creation, business development, and the economic health of the Twin Cities and the entire state.
1. Why are you running for this seat?
To improve and increase transit opportunities in the East Metro, we opened the Union Depot for business in 2013 and I served as the Chair of Green Line LRT PAC in 2014. I am the Chair of the Riverview Corridor Policy Advisory Committee, I Co-chaired the Gateway Corridor and as Chair of the Rail Authority, I work with our regional partners and corridors to make sure the East Metro doesn’t get left behind.
To innovatively provide services to our most vulnerable, I worked with mental health and chemical dependency experts and local hospitals to create “402 University” a first of its kind facility that delivers these critical services under one roof.
I have also been leading the efforts to redevelop the TCAAP property in Arden Hills, the West Riverfront Property and build the river balcony.
2. What is the biggest challenge facing your district and how would you address it?
Connection is our biggest challenge. We have a population of workers with limited ability to get to job centers and places where we have jobs that need to be filled and few ways for potential workers to get there. We have seniors and youth that need to get to appointments or schools and cannot afford to buy, maintain, or store a car. I am addressing this by improving our transit, but also by looking at ways that we can make county facilities easier for our clients to reach.
3. What do you believe is the biggest challenge facing Ramsey County as a whole and how would you address it?
Our changing demographics are our biggest challenge. We need to have a workforce for the rest of the 21st century and we need to bring innovative ideas and new residents. I am working, in conjunction with partners like the Chamber, to build a winning and attractive infrastructure and to make this a place people want to move and to set down roots.
4. What would be your top three priorities if (re-)elected to the Ramsey County Board of Commissioners?
A. Continue to build a complete transit network in the East Metro.
B. Redevelop prime properties like TCAAP and the West Building and build workforce and tax base there.
C. Continue to support innovations like 402 University to serve our neediest population.
5. Should county government be actively involved in attracting and retaining jobs? Why or why not? If yes, please describe the role for the county in this process.
Absolutely, our region; our government partners, businesses and non-profits, all rise or sink together and none of us can afford to not contribute to attracting and retaining jobs. My focus on redeveloping key sites and connecting the region with a great transit system are important roles for the county to play.
6. What role should county government play in economic development, and how should the county work with partner organizations?
Clearly, Saint Paul and Minneapolis have entire departments focused on Economic Development so local government should be and is involved. At the county, I have worked hard to connect with owners on W 7th, the West Side, Downtown, and Highland and worked hand in hand with the Chamber and the Port Authority and with the local business associations to get results we all want. My door is always open to our business partners.
Also, we work with Greater MSP and East Metro Strong and to promote our region as a whole.
7. What do you believe are the most essential services provided by county government?
Our most essential services are the ones you probably hear the least about. We are the ones who help people in crisis; in housing, child protection, living with mental illness, or find a safe place to be. Our health and human services work is all around us and on-going, and if we failed to serve this population, we wouldn’t be doing our jobs.
8. Are there any services that the county does not provide that you believe it should?
We are the lead agency in helping homeless people in Ramsey County, but there are gaps that need to be filled and we are addressing them by establishing an Interdepartmental Council on Housing Stability. The council is chaired by the Health and Wellness Service Team, includes nine county departments and is charged with overseeing and implementing the county’s efforts to improve housing stability. This year we provided 50 emergency beds downtown to address rising homelessness numbers and the construction of the new Dorothy Day Center and we will continue to be putting together the collaborations that will solve this problem.
9. Are there any services currently provided by the county that you believe should be cut back or eliminated?
Four years ago, we started work on our strategic plan. One service that the county was doing that I didn’t think should be eliminated BUT needed to be done in a different, more streamlined way was risk management. This is not a sexy topic for people…until something goes wrong and we end up paying large amounts of money and showing up on the front page of the paper.
At that time, the risk management functions of benefits, employee wellness, workers compensation and occupational health and safety were managed in the Human Resources Department, the risk management functions of contract review, insurance and tort liability were managed in the County Attorney’s Office, and health care compliance, data security, and contract management functions were carried out in departments throughout the county.
We now have a Risk Management Director who reports directly to our Finance Director and who is putting together, a cohesive risk management plan that covers all the departments in the county and the places where different departments intersect.
10. How would you characterize the business climate in Ramsey County? What, if anything, would you do to change it?
It is strong but it could be stronger. We need to be responsive and quick to find ways to make things work for interested business entrepreneurs. Also, I am proud of preparing and including business leaders when we are making changes, like improving streets and other infrastructure or changing the rules regarding smoking in public places. This has been very effective and we have gotten much better buy-in when we approach things this way.
11. Many communities and government entities in the East Metro collaborate to provide services to their residents in an effort operate more efficiently and cost effectively. Do you believe that Ramsey County uses such partnerships appropriately, and can you identify any specific areas where more sharing of services should be used?
I always have. I was central in the consolidations of Health Services, the Adult Detention Center, Jobs and Training, and the Dispatch Center and I will continue to look for ways to be more efficient while still delivering quality services. When the County consolidated the health departments, we assumed the Tax Burden of $1 Million which was taken off the Saint Paul tax rolls. The merging of the 800 Mghz Dispatch Center saved another $5 Million for the city of Saint Paul over a couple of years has made the region safer.
I have always been open to looking at how the cities and counties can work together on our libraries, although at this time, I believe that both the Saint Paul Library system and the Ramsey County Libraries are well-loved and performing well.
12. In your view, what is Ramsey County’s top transportation priority and how would you advance it?
Years ago, Matt Kramer said it best when he said our three priorities are Riverview, Riverview and Riverview and B Kyle has continued that commitment. When it comes to both serving our underserved transit-dependent population and our downtown businesses, it will deliver great benefits. As Chair of the Riverview Corridor, I am doing everything I can to make it a reality.
13. Is there anything else you would like to share with voters not covered above?
I want to thank the Chamber for its real partnership in so many areas in recent years. In past years, it has been in the political interest of the Chamber and County Commissioners to take pot shots at one another publicly and not talk much otherwise. We now check in regularly and work together and that’s the only way we are going to thrive.