Aisha Elmquist
Name: Aisha Elmquist
Email: [email protected]
Campaign Phone: (651) 300-2298
Campaign Website: www.voteelmquist.com
Twitter handle: N/A
Facebook Page: facebook.com/voteelmquist
Candidate Bio
I graduated from Mounds View High School and have lived in Arden Hills for 15 years, where my husband and I are raising our two children. I previously lived in Shoreview, and my husband grew up in New Brighton. We have deep roots throughout this district.
I have a background as a civil rights attorney and public servant, and I have spent my career working across nonprofit, business, and government settings to make life better for Minnesotans. I have helped families navigate complicated systems to find housing, elder care, disability services, mental health care, and other supports. I have also led statewide work bringing people together to improve opportunities in education, health care, housing, transportation, and employment.
I graduated from Carleton College and the University of Michigan Law School and completed the Humphrey School's Policy Fellows program. My work has taught me to listen to the people most affected by a problem, bring people together, and find practical ways to make systems work better.
What are your top three priorities if elected, and how might they be affected by growing uncertainty around state and federal funding?
My top priorities include making life more affordable, supporting strong public schools and pathways to good jobs, and building safe, connected communities.
Families are feeling the cost of housing, child care, health care, food, and utilities.
Strong public schools are central to what makes this area a great place to live, work, and do business. I want to protect strong public schools while expanding career and technical education, apprenticeships, and other routes into good careers.
Changes in federal funding will put real pressure on our state budget and on families who rely on critical programs and services. Minnesota will need to make thoughtful choices about protecting the services people rely on most and delivering them effectively. We must also keep making investments that strengthen our communities and economy for the long term.
How would you characterize the business climate in the East Metro? Please elaborate on your answer.
The East Metro has many strengths: strong schools, people with a wide range of skills and experience, established employers, small businesses, and communities where people want to live and work.
At the same time, employers are dealing with rising costs and workforce shortages, and small businesses often have fewer resources to adjust to changing economic conditions.
I want Minnesota to focus on what helps businesses and workers succeed: good schools, affordable and available child care, housing people can afford, reliable infrastructure, workforce training, and government that is clear and responsive. Protecting clean water, improving energy efficiency, and preparing our infrastructure for a changing climate are also important to keeping our communities healthy and costs manageable over time.
Our community has a significant opportunity at Rice Creek Commons. Thoughtful development of the former TCAAP site can bring new housing, businesses, jobs, amenities, and tax base to our area.
Please characterize your perspective on the ideal collaboration between government and the business community when it comes to tackling challenges such as education, housing, workforce development, or other priority areas.
The people affected by a decision should have a meaningful role in shaping it. That includes businesses and workers, along with residents, local governments, schools, and community organizations.
Many of our biggest challenges cross jurisdictions and cannot be solved by one level of government alone. Housing is a good example. Employers need workers who can afford to live near their jobs. Cities need infrastructure. Developers need reasonable and predictable processes. Residents want development that works for their communities.
I have spent much of my career bringing people with different perspectives together around shared problems and helping people navigate complicated systems. I would bring that same approach to the Minnesota House.
What policies, if any, would you support to help employers address our state’s critical labor shortage?
We need to look at what keeps people from working or forces them to cut back their hours. When parents cannot find or afford child care, employers lose workers. The same can happen when someone cannot find affordable housing near work, lacks reliable transportation, or needs to leave a job to care for an aging family member. Helping people overcome these barriers is one way to bring more people into the workforce.
I also support stronger partnerships among employers, our Mounds View and Roseville school districts, and local colleges and universities. Career and technical education, apprenticeships, and work-based learning should better connect education and training with jobs available in our region.
Throughout my career, I have supported Minnesotans who want to work but face barriers related to transportation, inaccessible workplaces, or systems that make it difficult to work without losing needed supports. Removing those barriers can bring more people into the workforce while helping employers find the workers they need.
The Legislature enacted several new workplace mandates in recent years, including Paid Family and Medical Leave, Earned Safe and Sick Time, and Worker Misclassification standards. If elected, how would you evaluate the impact of these policies on the East Metro economy and workforce, and what principles would guide any changes you'd seek to make?
I strongly support Paid Family and Medical Leave and Earned Safe and Sick Time. People should not have to choose between a paycheck and caring for a new baby, recovering from a serious illness, or taking care of someone they love. I also support worker misclassification standards that ensure businesses that follow the rules are not undercut by those that do not.
With any major law, the Legislature's job should not end when the bill is signed. We should pay attention to how implementation is working for workers and employers, particularly small businesses, and make administration as clear and straightforward as possible.
If there are unnecessary complications or unintended consequences, I would work to address them while protecting the purpose of these laws.
What are your strategies to address public safety challenges in your district and the state?
Public safety means being able to send your child to school, go to work, run a business, use a park, or be at home without fearing violence.
Our law enforcement, firefighters, emergency medical responders, people working in our judicial system, and other public safety professionals need the training and resources to do their jobs effectively. We also need strong mental health crisis response, services for survivors of domestic and sexual violence, and early support that keeps young people connected to school and community.
Gun violence prevention is an important part of public safety. I support banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, safe firearm storage, background checks, and keeping guns away from people who pose a danger to themselves or others.
We also need accountability and strong relationships between public safety agencies and the communities they serve. People are more likely to report crimes and help solve them when they trust the system.
How would you work to improve transportation options in the district/state, including improved safety for transit riders, pedestrian/bike, and drivers alike?
People need safe, reliable ways to get to work, school, child care, medical appointments, businesses, and home.
Our area needs well-maintained roads and bridges, better transit connections, safe walking and biking routes, and infrastructure that works for people of all ages and abilities. As a legislator, I would support state investments in local road safety, active transportation, and transit, and work with our cities, Ramsey County, MnDOT, and the Metropolitan Council to make sure our communities are well represented in regional transportation decisions. My career has given me experience bringing state agencies, local governments, and community partners together on transportation and accessibility issues.
We should also think about trails and bikeways as transportation, not just recreation, with safer connections among Arden Hills, Shoreview, New Brighton, Mounds View, and neighboring communities. I would support expanding flexible transit options in the northern suburbs, including services like Metro Micro.
As Rice Creek Commons develops, state transportation investments should support safe connections for drivers, transit riders, cyclists, and pedestrians, including people with disabilities.
What ideas do you have to address housing shortages and affordability?
We need more housing, and we also need more kinds of housing. Young families, first-time homebuyers, older adults, workers, and people who need accessible housing should have housing opportunity in our area.
A major reason housing costs have risen is that we have not built enough homes to meet demand. We need more choices at different price points, including starter homes, townhomes, apartments, and options for people who want to downsize.
I support working with communities and builders to increase supply, address infrastructure costs and unnecessary delays, preserve existing affordable housing, and create more opportunities for homeownership among diverse communities.
My work with older adults and people with disabilities has reinforced how important it is to have choices about where and how we live and to remain connected to our communities as we age.
Housing matters to employers because recruiting workers is harder when people cannot afford to live near their jobs. Rice Creek Commons is one of the biggest opportunities in our district to add a range of housing, along with other opportunities throughout our communities.
Minnesota's current two-year budget shows a surplus, but state forecasters project a significant structural imbalance beginning in the 2028-2029 biennium. What steps would you take to address this long-term challenge? Please include specific ideas for reducing spending, increasing revenue, or reforming state programs.
Minnesota needs to plan beyond the next budget cycle and make sure our ongoing commitments work with the resources we expect to have.
I support reviewing programs to make sure they are delivering results, combining duplicative functions where it makes sense, improving state purchasing, preventing improper payments, and finding administrative savings that do not come at the expense of essential services.
On revenue, I would review tax breaks and other provisions that no longer provide a meaningful public benefit before asking middle class families or small businesses to contribute more.
We should also focus on growing the tax base. Building more housing, including homes that workers and young families can afford, along with a strong workforce, infrastructure, thriving businesses, and economic development can all strengthen Minnesota's finances over time.
Minnesota has faced several high-profile fraud cases involving public programs in recent years. The Legislature recently passed a new Office of the Inspector General on a bipartisan basis. Beyond this new office, what additional steps would you support to strengthen fraud prevention and rebuild public trust in how the state manages taxpayer-funded programs?
The fraud we have seen in Minnesota is deeply troubling and undermines programs that people across our state rely on. I have worked with many people in our region who rely on publicly funded services for care, stability, and independence, and I know what is at stake when those dollars are misused. Taxpayers also deserve confidence that public funds are being used for their intended purpose.
My experience helping people navigate state systems has shown me how poorly designed processes and gaps between agencies can create barriers. It has also given me a practical understanding of how to improve oversight, reduce unnecessary complexity, and make government work better for the people it serves.
We need strong oversight from the beginning of a program, not only investigations after the fact. That includes careful provider screening, verification of high-risk payments, better information sharing across agencies, data to identify suspicious activity, whistleblower protections, and quick action when there is credible evidence of fraud.
We should also look more broadly at how public dollars flow through programs, including long-term care, and whether that funding is actually supporting the people and services it was intended to support. We must listen to the people who rely on these programs about what is and is not working.
Strong safeguards and clear accountability will protect taxpayer dollars, rebuild public trust, and ensure resources reach the people they are meant to serve.
Email: [email protected]
Campaign Phone: (651) 300-2298
Campaign Website: www.voteelmquist.com
Twitter handle: N/A
Facebook Page: facebook.com/voteelmquist
Candidate Bio
I graduated from Mounds View High School and have lived in Arden Hills for 15 years, where my husband and I are raising our two children. I previously lived in Shoreview, and my husband grew up in New Brighton. We have deep roots throughout this district.
I have a background as a civil rights attorney and public servant, and I have spent my career working across nonprofit, business, and government settings to make life better for Minnesotans. I have helped families navigate complicated systems to find housing, elder care, disability services, mental health care, and other supports. I have also led statewide work bringing people together to improve opportunities in education, health care, housing, transportation, and employment.
I graduated from Carleton College and the University of Michigan Law School and completed the Humphrey School's Policy Fellows program. My work has taught me to listen to the people most affected by a problem, bring people together, and find practical ways to make systems work better.
What are your top three priorities if elected, and how might they be affected by growing uncertainty around state and federal funding?
My top priorities include making life more affordable, supporting strong public schools and pathways to good jobs, and building safe, connected communities.
Families are feeling the cost of housing, child care, health care, food, and utilities.
Strong public schools are central to what makes this area a great place to live, work, and do business. I want to protect strong public schools while expanding career and technical education, apprenticeships, and other routes into good careers.
Changes in federal funding will put real pressure on our state budget and on families who rely on critical programs and services. Minnesota will need to make thoughtful choices about protecting the services people rely on most and delivering them effectively. We must also keep making investments that strengthen our communities and economy for the long term.
How would you characterize the business climate in the East Metro? Please elaborate on your answer.
The East Metro has many strengths: strong schools, people with a wide range of skills and experience, established employers, small businesses, and communities where people want to live and work.
At the same time, employers are dealing with rising costs and workforce shortages, and small businesses often have fewer resources to adjust to changing economic conditions.
I want Minnesota to focus on what helps businesses and workers succeed: good schools, affordable and available child care, housing people can afford, reliable infrastructure, workforce training, and government that is clear and responsive. Protecting clean water, improving energy efficiency, and preparing our infrastructure for a changing climate are also important to keeping our communities healthy and costs manageable over time.
Our community has a significant opportunity at Rice Creek Commons. Thoughtful development of the former TCAAP site can bring new housing, businesses, jobs, amenities, and tax base to our area.
Please characterize your perspective on the ideal collaboration between government and the business community when it comes to tackling challenges such as education, housing, workforce development, or other priority areas.
The people affected by a decision should have a meaningful role in shaping it. That includes businesses and workers, along with residents, local governments, schools, and community organizations.
Many of our biggest challenges cross jurisdictions and cannot be solved by one level of government alone. Housing is a good example. Employers need workers who can afford to live near their jobs. Cities need infrastructure. Developers need reasonable and predictable processes. Residents want development that works for their communities.
I have spent much of my career bringing people with different perspectives together around shared problems and helping people navigate complicated systems. I would bring that same approach to the Minnesota House.
What policies, if any, would you support to help employers address our state’s critical labor shortage?
We need to look at what keeps people from working or forces them to cut back their hours. When parents cannot find or afford child care, employers lose workers. The same can happen when someone cannot find affordable housing near work, lacks reliable transportation, or needs to leave a job to care for an aging family member. Helping people overcome these barriers is one way to bring more people into the workforce.
I also support stronger partnerships among employers, our Mounds View and Roseville school districts, and local colleges and universities. Career and technical education, apprenticeships, and work-based learning should better connect education and training with jobs available in our region.
Throughout my career, I have supported Minnesotans who want to work but face barriers related to transportation, inaccessible workplaces, or systems that make it difficult to work without losing needed supports. Removing those barriers can bring more people into the workforce while helping employers find the workers they need.
The Legislature enacted several new workplace mandates in recent years, including Paid Family and Medical Leave, Earned Safe and Sick Time, and Worker Misclassification standards. If elected, how would you evaluate the impact of these policies on the East Metro economy and workforce, and what principles would guide any changes you'd seek to make?
I strongly support Paid Family and Medical Leave and Earned Safe and Sick Time. People should not have to choose between a paycheck and caring for a new baby, recovering from a serious illness, or taking care of someone they love. I also support worker misclassification standards that ensure businesses that follow the rules are not undercut by those that do not.
With any major law, the Legislature's job should not end when the bill is signed. We should pay attention to how implementation is working for workers and employers, particularly small businesses, and make administration as clear and straightforward as possible.
If there are unnecessary complications or unintended consequences, I would work to address them while protecting the purpose of these laws.
What are your strategies to address public safety challenges in your district and the state?
Public safety means being able to send your child to school, go to work, run a business, use a park, or be at home without fearing violence.
Our law enforcement, firefighters, emergency medical responders, people working in our judicial system, and other public safety professionals need the training and resources to do their jobs effectively. We also need strong mental health crisis response, services for survivors of domestic and sexual violence, and early support that keeps young people connected to school and community.
Gun violence prevention is an important part of public safety. I support banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, safe firearm storage, background checks, and keeping guns away from people who pose a danger to themselves or others.
We also need accountability and strong relationships between public safety agencies and the communities they serve. People are more likely to report crimes and help solve them when they trust the system.
How would you work to improve transportation options in the district/state, including improved safety for transit riders, pedestrian/bike, and drivers alike?
People need safe, reliable ways to get to work, school, child care, medical appointments, businesses, and home.
Our area needs well-maintained roads and bridges, better transit connections, safe walking and biking routes, and infrastructure that works for people of all ages and abilities. As a legislator, I would support state investments in local road safety, active transportation, and transit, and work with our cities, Ramsey County, MnDOT, and the Metropolitan Council to make sure our communities are well represented in regional transportation decisions. My career has given me experience bringing state agencies, local governments, and community partners together on transportation and accessibility issues.
We should also think about trails and bikeways as transportation, not just recreation, with safer connections among Arden Hills, Shoreview, New Brighton, Mounds View, and neighboring communities. I would support expanding flexible transit options in the northern suburbs, including services like Metro Micro.
As Rice Creek Commons develops, state transportation investments should support safe connections for drivers, transit riders, cyclists, and pedestrians, including people with disabilities.
What ideas do you have to address housing shortages and affordability?
We need more housing, and we also need more kinds of housing. Young families, first-time homebuyers, older adults, workers, and people who need accessible housing should have housing opportunity in our area.
A major reason housing costs have risen is that we have not built enough homes to meet demand. We need more choices at different price points, including starter homes, townhomes, apartments, and options for people who want to downsize.
I support working with communities and builders to increase supply, address infrastructure costs and unnecessary delays, preserve existing affordable housing, and create more opportunities for homeownership among diverse communities.
My work with older adults and people with disabilities has reinforced how important it is to have choices about where and how we live and to remain connected to our communities as we age.
Housing matters to employers because recruiting workers is harder when people cannot afford to live near their jobs. Rice Creek Commons is one of the biggest opportunities in our district to add a range of housing, along with other opportunities throughout our communities.
Minnesota's current two-year budget shows a surplus, but state forecasters project a significant structural imbalance beginning in the 2028-2029 biennium. What steps would you take to address this long-term challenge? Please include specific ideas for reducing spending, increasing revenue, or reforming state programs.
Minnesota needs to plan beyond the next budget cycle and make sure our ongoing commitments work with the resources we expect to have.
I support reviewing programs to make sure they are delivering results, combining duplicative functions where it makes sense, improving state purchasing, preventing improper payments, and finding administrative savings that do not come at the expense of essential services.
On revenue, I would review tax breaks and other provisions that no longer provide a meaningful public benefit before asking middle class families or small businesses to contribute more.
We should also focus on growing the tax base. Building more housing, including homes that workers and young families can afford, along with a strong workforce, infrastructure, thriving businesses, and economic development can all strengthen Minnesota's finances over time.
Minnesota has faced several high-profile fraud cases involving public programs in recent years. The Legislature recently passed a new Office of the Inspector General on a bipartisan basis. Beyond this new office, what additional steps would you support to strengthen fraud prevention and rebuild public trust in how the state manages taxpayer-funded programs?
The fraud we have seen in Minnesota is deeply troubling and undermines programs that people across our state rely on. I have worked with many people in our region who rely on publicly funded services for care, stability, and independence, and I know what is at stake when those dollars are misused. Taxpayers also deserve confidence that public funds are being used for their intended purpose.
My experience helping people navigate state systems has shown me how poorly designed processes and gaps between agencies can create barriers. It has also given me a practical understanding of how to improve oversight, reduce unnecessary complexity, and make government work better for the people it serves.
We need strong oversight from the beginning of a program, not only investigations after the fact. That includes careful provider screening, verification of high-risk payments, better information sharing across agencies, data to identify suspicious activity, whistleblower protections, and quick action when there is credible evidence of fraud.
We should also look more broadly at how public dollars flow through programs, including long-term care, and whether that funding is actually supporting the people and services it was intended to support. We must listen to the people who rely on these programs about what is and is not working.
Strong safeguards and clear accountability will protect taxpayer dollars, rebuild public trust, and ensure resources reach the people they are meant to serve.