Trahern Crews
Name: Trahern Crews
Email: [email protected]
Campaign Phone: 651-398-6372
Facebook Page: THEBLACKINDEPENDENTCANDIDATE
Email: [email protected]
Campaign Phone: 651-398-6372
Facebook Page: THEBLACKINDEPENDENTCANDIDATE
1. Please provide a brief bio highlighting experience and accomplishments that qualify you to be the next Mayor of Saint Paul.
Business climate
2. How would you characterize the business climate in Saint Paul?
The business climate is good but can be better if we lower taxes for small businesses. We need to start attracting more corporations to Saint Paul that pay cost of living wages. Companies like Amazon are collaborating with suburban cities to build affordable housing for workers they transport from Saint Paul to work in these cities we have to stop that. We also need more business support services for women & minority owned businesses to become successful in our city so that our tax base can grow.
3. What role do you think the City should have in attracting and retaining jobs, and how would your administration actively solicit new businesses to, and retain existing businesses in, Saint Paul?
It is my belief that the city plays a big role in attracting jobs and new businesses to our city that pay cost of living wages. We have to take advantage of the diversity in our city to start attracting more international companies to keep young people in Saint Paul. I want to work on building an international business district in the city of Saint Paul and create the international engagement team which will work on getting international companies to invest in the city of Saint Paul. The development of rapid transit from Saint Paul to the East Metro will also help attract and retain more businesses in the city of Saint Paul and lower taxes for small businesses. We also must work on our infrastructure and make our downtown more vibrant.
4. Will you commit to hiring a business advocate as a member of your senior staff, to concentrate on business retention and expansion; new business recruitment; and business impact of proposed regulations on the business climate in Saint Paul?
Yes Similar to Mayor Chris Coleman’s Saint Paul Innovation cabinet I will bring forth a business engagement cabinet and the person I hire will work very closely with this cabinet that focuses on the above just mentioned including creating new vibrant business districts in our city creating a culture of entrepreneurship in our city by partnering with educational institutions from kindergarten to post-secondary schooling.
This cabinet will also focus on providing business support services for entrepreneur’s including low income residents in low income neighborhoods.
5. Do you support an increase to the minimum wage in Saint Paul? If so, what specific steps would you take to understand the impact of an increase on the many types of businesses in Saint Paul and do you support proposals to mitigate the effects on businesses like a tip credit, a youth wage, a training wage, and/or a phase-in?
I do support raising the minimum wage to a cost of living wage of $15 an hour Now!! For big corporations like Wal-Mart, Target, Mc Donald’s etc... I have already done engagement but would like to do more studies on the impact on smaller businesses. However I would like to come together with business owners to develop best strategies on how to make 15 a win win situation for everyone. For instance home health care providers who provide PCA services I have spoken with would love to pay their employees 15 but the most the state will reimburse them is 15 meaning their company would actually lose money and be forced to close. So here lies an opportunity where we can come together with community stake holders to lobby on the capital to get state lawmakers to raise the reimbursement rate for Home Health Care providers who provide PCA services, so that they can pay their employee’s a cost of living wage of $15 an hour. If we work together the city of Saint Paul can raise the minimum wage to a cost of living wage and begin bring 70,000 of its residents out of poverty.
Public safety
6. What is your strategy to address public safety concerns in the downtown core, including safety concerns in the skyway system and police force presence?
I would keep the police level at its current level. I will collaborate with more community organizations and businesses to transform the community ambassadors program to community liaison program. These community liaisons will do deep community engagement and will be armed to the tee with the knowledge & wisdom to motivate and point those in the right direction who are causing safety concerns in the skyway so they can get the goods and services they so desperately need.
7. What is your vision for these key downtown development opportunities?
Balanced budget
8. What are your priorities for the City’s budget?
Commercial property taxes are usually higher because they are used for generating revenue. Urban cities rely heavily on them both.
10. What changes need to happen to the City’s budget to avoid an increasing tax burden on businesses and residents, particularly to replace the City’s longstanding Right of way assessment program?
Increasing the cost of fees, optimizing payment methods, allowing more advertisement for businesses on city owned buildings, your billing statements from the city you get in the mail may have a fed ex coupon attached to it.
Workforce development
11. How will you work with K-12 and post-secondary educational institutions and businesses to ensure our region develops and retains an educated workforce?
I would look at and revisit our city 25 year strategic plan fine tune it with community stake holders and the community at large then see what kind of education our children will need to accomplish the goals we set for our future.
I will work to create collaborative partnerships between K-12 and post-secondary institutions businesses, nonprofits & community stakeholders to start teaching kids how to write a business plan in kindergarten to start fostering an entrepreneur psychology at an early age. We want our children to obtain and create the jobs of the future.
12. What do you see as the mayor’s role with regard to Saint Paul Public Schools?
My role would be to create partnerships & collaborations with businesses, non-profits, city departments & Saint Paul Public Schools that create strong after school and before the school day starts programs. Through these same partnerships I would like to see more internships apprenticeships & transportation collaborative.
Other
13. What is the biggest challenges facing the city and how would you address it?
The disparities that exist in our city are some of the worst in the nation. I think it is bigger than a skills gap but I think it is due to structural racism. Unemployment nationwide for Black Americans is at 10% unemployment in the State of Minnesota is at 3% but for African Americans in Saint Paul it is at 14%. The best way to combat this is by making sure women & minority owned businesses thrive and that will help close the employment disparities in the city of Saint Paul.
14. What would be your top three priorities if elected?
Economic Development
Public Safety
Eliminating disparities
15. What do you think should be the city’s top transportation related priority?
Infrastructure, keeping public transportation affordable, developing the RT line on the East Side and more private options.
16. Are there any services currently provided by the city that you believe should be cut back or eliminated? Or, are there new opportunities to share services with other entities?
I think that right track should have apprenticeship programs “that do not penalize low income families for allowing their children to work and gain valuable job experience” partner with the private contractors who do snow removal and our tree maintenance for the city. I believe this will bring down cost I also want to find more cost effective collaboration throughout our city government.
17. Is there anything else you would like to share with voters not covered above?
I want to work with the port authority to create more cost of living wage light industrial jobs.
Small businesses and the American worker are the engines that make our country work .We must help make them thrive.
- Campaign Manager For Marcus Walker for Senate 2012,
- Campaign Manager For Lena Denise Buggs For MN State Rep.
- Former Spokesperson For the Saint Paul Green Party of the fourth congressional District
- Former Community Liaison at Dayton’s Bluff Community Council connecting residents with the resources Dayton’s Bluff community council and the city of Saint Paul has to offer. Also worked closely with the Neighborhood Development Committee
- Recently started a company called Original Man Farms that does urban farming and teaches urban youth how to grow food and sell it we did this at New Lens Mentoring Society, Union Gospel Mission & Truth Preparatory Academy
- I am nonviolent advocate consultant with the organization Black Truce.
- I also am community organizer with the organization Black Saint Paul which focuses on community issues such as housing, transit, & public safety with a focus on equity. We worked with Metro Transits Better Bus Stops initiative for the East Side , Worked on housing issues with the Equity In Place East Side Table & The Equity In Place Regional Table
- I also have been helped shape the conversation around social justice issues locally & nationally
Business climate
2. How would you characterize the business climate in Saint Paul?
The business climate is good but can be better if we lower taxes for small businesses. We need to start attracting more corporations to Saint Paul that pay cost of living wages. Companies like Amazon are collaborating with suburban cities to build affordable housing for workers they transport from Saint Paul to work in these cities we have to stop that. We also need more business support services for women & minority owned businesses to become successful in our city so that our tax base can grow.
3. What role do you think the City should have in attracting and retaining jobs, and how would your administration actively solicit new businesses to, and retain existing businesses in, Saint Paul?
It is my belief that the city plays a big role in attracting jobs and new businesses to our city that pay cost of living wages. We have to take advantage of the diversity in our city to start attracting more international companies to keep young people in Saint Paul. I want to work on building an international business district in the city of Saint Paul and create the international engagement team which will work on getting international companies to invest in the city of Saint Paul. The development of rapid transit from Saint Paul to the East Metro will also help attract and retain more businesses in the city of Saint Paul and lower taxes for small businesses. We also must work on our infrastructure and make our downtown more vibrant.
4. Will you commit to hiring a business advocate as a member of your senior staff, to concentrate on business retention and expansion; new business recruitment; and business impact of proposed regulations on the business climate in Saint Paul?
Yes Similar to Mayor Chris Coleman’s Saint Paul Innovation cabinet I will bring forth a business engagement cabinet and the person I hire will work very closely with this cabinet that focuses on the above just mentioned including creating new vibrant business districts in our city creating a culture of entrepreneurship in our city by partnering with educational institutions from kindergarten to post-secondary schooling.
This cabinet will also focus on providing business support services for entrepreneur’s including low income residents in low income neighborhoods.
5. Do you support an increase to the minimum wage in Saint Paul? If so, what specific steps would you take to understand the impact of an increase on the many types of businesses in Saint Paul and do you support proposals to mitigate the effects on businesses like a tip credit, a youth wage, a training wage, and/or a phase-in?
I do support raising the minimum wage to a cost of living wage of $15 an hour Now!! For big corporations like Wal-Mart, Target, Mc Donald’s etc... I have already done engagement but would like to do more studies on the impact on smaller businesses. However I would like to come together with business owners to develop best strategies on how to make 15 a win win situation for everyone. For instance home health care providers who provide PCA services I have spoken with would love to pay their employees 15 but the most the state will reimburse them is 15 meaning their company would actually lose money and be forced to close. So here lies an opportunity where we can come together with community stake holders to lobby on the capital to get state lawmakers to raise the reimbursement rate for Home Health Care providers who provide PCA services, so that they can pay their employee’s a cost of living wage of $15 an hour. If we work together the city of Saint Paul can raise the minimum wage to a cost of living wage and begin bring 70,000 of its residents out of poverty.
Public safety
6. What is your strategy to address public safety concerns in the downtown core, including safety concerns in the skyway system and police force presence?
I would keep the police level at its current level. I will collaborate with more community organizations and businesses to transform the community ambassadors program to community liaison program. These community liaisons will do deep community engagement and will be armed to the tee with the knowledge & wisdom to motivate and point those in the right direction who are causing safety concerns in the skyway so they can get the goods and services they so desperately need.
7. What is your vision for these key downtown development opportunities?
- The empty lot near the Central Station stop downtown I would like to see an Office Max or Kinkos at site.
- The former West Publishing / Ramsey County jail site
I would like to see a small business hub center for artist and entrepreneur’s where people can share and rent open small office space, resources and wifi. With mixed income housing attached to it.
Balanced budget
8. What are your priorities for the City’s budget?
- Economic development/jobs,
- Public Safety
- Parks/Recreation/Library
- Equity
- Environment
Commercial property taxes are usually higher because they are used for generating revenue. Urban cities rely heavily on them both.
10. What changes need to happen to the City’s budget to avoid an increasing tax burden on businesses and residents, particularly to replace the City’s longstanding Right of way assessment program?
Increasing the cost of fees, optimizing payment methods, allowing more advertisement for businesses on city owned buildings, your billing statements from the city you get in the mail may have a fed ex coupon attached to it.
Workforce development
11. How will you work with K-12 and post-secondary educational institutions and businesses to ensure our region develops and retains an educated workforce?
I would look at and revisit our city 25 year strategic plan fine tune it with community stake holders and the community at large then see what kind of education our children will need to accomplish the goals we set for our future.
I will work to create collaborative partnerships between K-12 and post-secondary institutions businesses, nonprofits & community stakeholders to start teaching kids how to write a business plan in kindergarten to start fostering an entrepreneur psychology at an early age. We want our children to obtain and create the jobs of the future.
12. What do you see as the mayor’s role with regard to Saint Paul Public Schools?
My role would be to create partnerships & collaborations with businesses, non-profits, city departments & Saint Paul Public Schools that create strong after school and before the school day starts programs. Through these same partnerships I would like to see more internships apprenticeships & transportation collaborative.
Other
13. What is the biggest challenges facing the city and how would you address it?
The disparities that exist in our city are some of the worst in the nation. I think it is bigger than a skills gap but I think it is due to structural racism. Unemployment nationwide for Black Americans is at 10% unemployment in the State of Minnesota is at 3% but for African Americans in Saint Paul it is at 14%. The best way to combat this is by making sure women & minority owned businesses thrive and that will help close the employment disparities in the city of Saint Paul.
14. What would be your top three priorities if elected?
Economic Development
Public Safety
Eliminating disparities
15. What do you think should be the city’s top transportation related priority?
Infrastructure, keeping public transportation affordable, developing the RT line on the East Side and more private options.
16. Are there any services currently provided by the city that you believe should be cut back or eliminated? Or, are there new opportunities to share services with other entities?
I think that right track should have apprenticeship programs “that do not penalize low income families for allowing their children to work and gain valuable job experience” partner with the private contractors who do snow removal and our tree maintenance for the city. I believe this will bring down cost I also want to find more cost effective collaboration throughout our city government.
17. Is there anything else you would like to share with voters not covered above?
I want to work with the port authority to create more cost of living wage light industrial jobs.
Small businesses and the American worker are the engines that make our country work .We must help make them thrive.