Suz Woehrle
Name: Suz Woehrle
Public Office Sought: St. Paul City Council Ward 1
Email: [email protected]
Campaign Phone: 612-499-6249
Campaign Website: https://wilsonkatasha.wixsite.com/suzforward1
Twitter handle: @suzwoehrle
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/susanwoehrle
Candidate Bio
Meet Suz (she/her): Every aspect of my candidacy and advocacy has been shaped by my past work: my commitment to early-childhood education and public schools comes from several years working as an educator at both public and charter schools. My dedication to the environment was inspired by my work at Clean Water Action. My beliefs regarding accessibility were shaped by my work as a PCA. My devotion to small businesses comes from being a small-business owner in the Ward. I love this city and have invested a great deal of time and energy into making it better. I will continue to do so as your city council member for Ward 1.
What style of leadership would you bring to this position?
My leadership style emphasizes inclusivity, collaboration, and service. I consider elected office to be largely a constituent service role. What do you need as a resident? What are your needs as a business? How can I make your life easier, your work easier, the day-to-day operations of your business easier? Small businesses are the lifeblood of our community and my most important job as your city council member is to make the city’s infrastructure run smoothly.
What would be your top three priorities if elected?
Promote Streets and Homes for All
Improve ADA compliance in sidewalks, city infrastructure, digital platforms, and official events; support the 2040 Plan to promote more housing construction. Repair roads and expand cycling infrastructure, improve transit and make it safer for pedestrians to get around. This means prioritizing road and sidewalk repair and consistent and thorough plowing.
Establish Pollinator Spaces
Install indigenous plants on municipal properties and equip residents to do the same; transform our community into a thriving habitat that supports the native birds and insects
Expand Clean Energy
Work towards becoming a zero-waste city by expanding solar panel installation, diversifying energy suppliers beyond Excel Energy, and more!
What do you consider the biggest challenge and conversely, the biggest opportunity in St. Paul?
I see racial inequity as the biggest challenge to Saint Paul, Minnesota, and this country. Systemic racism has caused more harm than any other problem facing this country. Saint Paul was founded on Native land, the prosperous Black neighborhood of Rondo was cut in half by I94 intentionally. Refugee crises in several countries can trace their origins to colonialism. For these reasons I support several of Mayor Carter’s programs, including universal basic income and mortgage assistance. I would love the city to re-think I94 and find a more cyclist and pedestrian-friendly thoroughfare. I also can’t wait to see the new visitor’s center at Wakan-Tipi and support other similar projects.
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 seems a bit like the Wild West. Or should I say “Wild East?” We have lower taxes but we also provide subpar services. Because such a large percentage of our businesses are nonprofit, we don’t get enough from taxes to adequately fund basic services. This makes it difficult for people to patronize our businesses and makes it difficult to run a business. I say this as a small business owner. I would like our city to launch a PILOT program. Payment in Lieu of Taxes, in order to generate more revenue from the nonprofit sector. PILOT has been very successful in Boston. How can our businesses thrive if the city can’t deliver basic services like plowing, garbage removal and road repair?
What are your strategies to address public safety challenges in your community?
The loss of life in our city and across our country to gun violence is devastating to individuals, families and surrounding communities. I support instituting a program similar to the Violence Interrupters in Chicago. They saw a 40% reduction in homicides after the first year.
I also support a recent ordinance that holds irresponsible gun owners accountable for leaving unsecured firearms in their cars, allowing teenagers to steal legally-purchased firearms and then use them to commit violent crime.
In order to prevent violent interactions between marginalized communities and law enforcement, I would shift as many responsibilities as possible from the police to non-police entities like mental health professionals, allowing for a more holistic approach to community safety.
What ideas do you have to address housing shortages and affordability?
My approach includes:
Expanding Affordable Housing: Supporting the 2040 plan
Prioritizing "Housing First" for stable housing and supportive services for the unhoused.
Preserving Existing Housing: Prevent the loss of naturally-occurring affordable housing.
Housing Co-Ops: facilitate the creation of cooperative housing arrangements.
Developer Incentives: Encourage affordable units in projects for mixed-income neighborhoods and convert empty office space into apartments.
Streamlined Approvals: Advocating for smoother development processes aligned with affordability goals.
Innovative Solutions: Encouraging locals to buy multifamily housing and manage it to prevent absentee landlords.
By addressing housing from multiple angles and collaborating, we create an inclusive, equitable housing landscape in St. Paul that caters to residents of all income levels.
St. Paul candidates only: Do you support the rent stabilization ordinance in its current form? If not, what would you like to change?
I support the rent stabilization ordinance. I am tired of seeing friends forced to move suddenly due to huge and sudden increases in their rent.
How would you work to improve transportation options in your community, including improved safety for transit riders, pedestrian/bike, and drivers alike?
To achieve Streets for All, I will focus on several key areas:
Cycling Infrastructure Enhancements: I aim to expand and enhance cycling infrastructure, ensuring that we cater to a diverse range of mobility needs with safe and accessible bike lanes, paths, and bike-sharing programs throughout the city. By collaborating with urban planners and local cycling organizations.
Pedestrian Safety: In addition to cycling, I will advocate for improved pedestrian safety by implementing measures such as more pedestrian-friendly intersections, tactile cues, and traffic-calming initiatives to create a pedestrian-friendly environment so people can get around more easily and safely and enjoy all the great restaurants and other attractions of our city.
Improved Public Transit: I will work to improve public transit options for all residents by advocating for ADA accessible services (digital tools, transit stations, and ramp-equipped buses), increased routes, better connectivity, and reliable services. By investing in a comprehensive public transit system, we can provide efficient alternatives to private car usage, reducing congestion and emissions.
Integrated Transportation: I will focus on creating an integrated transportation system that seamlessly connects biking, walking, and public transit. This includes providing convenient bike parking at transit stations and improving first-mile and last-mile connectivity to make multi-modal commuting a convenient and attractive choice.
What will you do to expand St. Paul’s tax base?
Unfortunately I think Saint Paul does not get enough credit for being a great place to live, work and own a business. Sure, we some plowing issues and our roads could be better but with so many great places to eat, arts institutions and natural beauty, Saint Paul is an underappreciated gem. We could be doing a better job to promote small businesses as a city. I would love to see the city do a better job of encouraging tourism, showcasing our restaurants and other diverse business offerings, and make it easier to build apartments. When we integrate our housing into our transit plans, we can build density in a way that makes sense and brings more customers to live here and spend their money, which contributes to the tax base. I would also like to make it easier to locate businesses in Saint Paul so we can become an even more prosperous and diverse city.
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?
X
X
X
X
Public Office Sought: St. Paul City Council Ward 1
Email: [email protected]
Campaign Phone: 612-499-6249
Campaign Website: https://wilsonkatasha.wixsite.com/suzforward1
Twitter handle: @suzwoehrle
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/susanwoehrle
Candidate Bio
Meet Suz (she/her): Every aspect of my candidacy and advocacy has been shaped by my past work: my commitment to early-childhood education and public schools comes from several years working as an educator at both public and charter schools. My dedication to the environment was inspired by my work at Clean Water Action. My beliefs regarding accessibility were shaped by my work as a PCA. My devotion to small businesses comes from being a small-business owner in the Ward. I love this city and have invested a great deal of time and energy into making it better. I will continue to do so as your city council member for Ward 1.
What style of leadership would you bring to this position?
My leadership style emphasizes inclusivity, collaboration, and service. I consider elected office to be largely a constituent service role. What do you need as a resident? What are your needs as a business? How can I make your life easier, your work easier, the day-to-day operations of your business easier? Small businesses are the lifeblood of our community and my most important job as your city council member is to make the city’s infrastructure run smoothly.
What would be your top three priorities if elected?
Promote Streets and Homes for All
Improve ADA compliance in sidewalks, city infrastructure, digital platforms, and official events; support the 2040 Plan to promote more housing construction. Repair roads and expand cycling infrastructure, improve transit and make it safer for pedestrians to get around. This means prioritizing road and sidewalk repair and consistent and thorough plowing.
Establish Pollinator Spaces
Install indigenous plants on municipal properties and equip residents to do the same; transform our community into a thriving habitat that supports the native birds and insects
Expand Clean Energy
Work towards becoming a zero-waste city by expanding solar panel installation, diversifying energy suppliers beyond Excel Energy, and more!
What do you consider the biggest challenge and conversely, the biggest opportunity in St. Paul?
I see racial inequity as the biggest challenge to Saint Paul, Minnesota, and this country. Systemic racism has caused more harm than any other problem facing this country. Saint Paul was founded on Native land, the prosperous Black neighborhood of Rondo was cut in half by I94 intentionally. Refugee crises in several countries can trace their origins to colonialism. For these reasons I support several of Mayor Carter’s programs, including universal basic income and mortgage assistance. I would love the city to re-think I94 and find a more cyclist and pedestrian-friendly thoroughfare. I also can’t wait to see the new visitor’s center at Wakan-Tipi and support other similar projects.
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 seems a bit like the Wild West. Or should I say “Wild East?” We have lower taxes but we also provide subpar services. Because such a large percentage of our businesses are nonprofit, we don’t get enough from taxes to adequately fund basic services. This makes it difficult for people to patronize our businesses and makes it difficult to run a business. I say this as a small business owner. I would like our city to launch a PILOT program. Payment in Lieu of Taxes, in order to generate more revenue from the nonprofit sector. PILOT has been very successful in Boston. How can our businesses thrive if the city can’t deliver basic services like plowing, garbage removal and road repair?
What are your strategies to address public safety challenges in your community?
The loss of life in our city and across our country to gun violence is devastating to individuals, families and surrounding communities. I support instituting a program similar to the Violence Interrupters in Chicago. They saw a 40% reduction in homicides after the first year.
I also support a recent ordinance that holds irresponsible gun owners accountable for leaving unsecured firearms in their cars, allowing teenagers to steal legally-purchased firearms and then use them to commit violent crime.
In order to prevent violent interactions between marginalized communities and law enforcement, I would shift as many responsibilities as possible from the police to non-police entities like mental health professionals, allowing for a more holistic approach to community safety.
What ideas do you have to address housing shortages and affordability?
My approach includes:
Expanding Affordable Housing: Supporting the 2040 plan
Prioritizing "Housing First" for stable housing and supportive services for the unhoused.
Preserving Existing Housing: Prevent the loss of naturally-occurring affordable housing.
Housing Co-Ops: facilitate the creation of cooperative housing arrangements.
Developer Incentives: Encourage affordable units in projects for mixed-income neighborhoods and convert empty office space into apartments.
Streamlined Approvals: Advocating for smoother development processes aligned with affordability goals.
Innovative Solutions: Encouraging locals to buy multifamily housing and manage it to prevent absentee landlords.
By addressing housing from multiple angles and collaborating, we create an inclusive, equitable housing landscape in St. Paul that caters to residents of all income levels.
St. Paul candidates only: Do you support the rent stabilization ordinance in its current form? If not, what would you like to change?
I support the rent stabilization ordinance. I am tired of seeing friends forced to move suddenly due to huge and sudden increases in their rent.
How would you work to improve transportation options in your community, including improved safety for transit riders, pedestrian/bike, and drivers alike?
To achieve Streets for All, I will focus on several key areas:
Cycling Infrastructure Enhancements: I aim to expand and enhance cycling infrastructure, ensuring that we cater to a diverse range of mobility needs with safe and accessible bike lanes, paths, and bike-sharing programs throughout the city. By collaborating with urban planners and local cycling organizations.
Pedestrian Safety: In addition to cycling, I will advocate for improved pedestrian safety by implementing measures such as more pedestrian-friendly intersections, tactile cues, and traffic-calming initiatives to create a pedestrian-friendly environment so people can get around more easily and safely and enjoy all the great restaurants and other attractions of our city.
Improved Public Transit: I will work to improve public transit options for all residents by advocating for ADA accessible services (digital tools, transit stations, and ramp-equipped buses), increased routes, better connectivity, and reliable services. By investing in a comprehensive public transit system, we can provide efficient alternatives to private car usage, reducing congestion and emissions.
Integrated Transportation: I will focus on creating an integrated transportation system that seamlessly connects biking, walking, and public transit. This includes providing convenient bike parking at transit stations and improving first-mile and last-mile connectivity to make multi-modal commuting a convenient and attractive choice.
What will you do to expand St. Paul’s tax base?
Unfortunately I think Saint Paul does not get enough credit for being a great place to live, work and own a business. Sure, we some plowing issues and our roads could be better but with so many great places to eat, arts institutions and natural beauty, Saint Paul is an underappreciated gem. We could be doing a better job to promote small businesses as a city. I would love to see the city do a better job of encouraging tourism, showcasing our restaurants and other diverse business offerings, and make it easier to build apartments. When we integrate our housing into our transit plans, we can build density in a way that makes sense and brings more customers to live here and spend their money, which contributes to the tax base. I would also like to make it easier to locate businesses in Saint Paul so we can become an even more prosperous and diverse city.
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?
X
X
X
X