Christos Jensen
Name: Christos Jensen
Email: [email protected]
Campaign Phone: 763-900-9591
Campaign Website: https://votechristos.com
Twitter handle: N/A
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/p/Vote-Christos-Jensen-for-House-District-52A-61584179456096/
Candidate Bio
As with each of us, our experiences make us unique.
My experience has bridged small business, public service, and legislative work. I began my working career in the trades, for 10 years, as an interior/exterior painter for a small family business. I learned intimately what it takes to show up for up for each other, to show up for your community, to balance your books, and to make an impact in your work as so many small, successful businesses do, while providing jobs, throughout our district every day.
With service in my heart, I ultimately entered law school with hopes for a career in public service. That decision led to me becoming an assistant county attorney in Kandiyohi County, Wright County, and Ramsey County. I was also elected and served as a union steward for over seven years, fighting for strong wages and good benefits, to partner with the employer to serve our community as best as we can.
Three years ago, my boss John Choi graciously invited me to join his management team, where I directly supervise approximately 20 attorneys and support staff. I also represent our office and the Minnesota County Attorney’s Association on child welfare issues at the legislature, where I serve as the co-chair and co-legislative outreach point person representing over 200 county attorney practitioners in child welfare around the state. Each year, and this year was no exception, I serve as a leader on numerous statewide legislative working groups, meet with legislators, help prepare testimony before the legislature, meet with affiliated groups at the governor’s children’s cabinet, DCYF, DHS, and others, and track dozens of proposed bills. This has given me the experience and relationships at the legislature to know how the process works and to make an impact for our community.
My desire to serve has also led to me to serve locally in this community and this district. My wife and I have attended nearly every DFL senate district meeting for the last 11 years. I served as precinct chair during much of that time. I also joined our Eagan Advisory Planning Commission (APC). I have served on the commission for eight years, and I have served as the chair of the APC for the past four years with a special interest and focus on land use and affordable housing. I am also our district representative on the Met Council Land Use Advisory Commission. Finally, I may also be seen around Eagan as a sun-burned baseball and soccer coach, and active member and supporter of our local cub scouts troop.
I am running to address the affordability crisis in our lives and the integrity crisis in our government. I am also running for our children, our families, and our future. I believe my experiences and accomplishments above help qualify me to be the next house representative in this district.
What are your top three priorities if elected, and how might they be affected by growing uncertainty around state and federal funding?
My top three priorities if elected are:
How would you characterize the business climate in the East Metro? Please elaborate on your answer.
I think the business climate in the East Metro can accurately be described as “fair to good.” I also believe we can do more to improve opportunities for small businesses and entrepreneurs. On the one hand, we benefit from both a highly-educated work force and people wanting to live in the East Metro with its excellent parks (which my family enjoys), healthcare systems, and school districts (where my children go to school). The East Metro is also easily accessible to major interstate highways without the level of congestion typically seen in Minneapolis and the West Metro. On the other hand, we see the negative impacts of Operation Metro Surge throughout the East Metro, the struggles that small businesses have faced overall in employee retention, and the costs associated with the ever-changing and uncertain tariff environment. We also see downtown St. Paul continuing to struggle. Overall, I think we need to harness the strengths that we have in the East Metro while simultaneously reducing the burden to entry for small businesses that serve as an important backbone for jobs and growth in our communities.
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.
Paul Wellstone once said: “We all do better when we all do better.” While he said this in a different context, I think this principle applies here too. When businesses create jobs, drive innovation, and provide opportunities for their communities, Minnesotans thrive. At the same time, business cannot do everything. When government is responsive to the needs of its citizens (including small business owners) and enacts responsible, thoughtful policy decisions, Minnesotans also thrive.
To ensure that government and business work seamlessly together (including in the policy areas identified in the question), we need to work with government and business leaders to set shared goals. We must ensure an open dialogue exists between the business world (including businesses of all sizes) and leadership in St. Paul. And we need to ensure that union voices can be a part of this conversation.
One area that is a priority for my campaign is making housing more affordable. To make this happen, both businesses and government will have work together. Government should be taking the lead on streamlining permitting, investing in infrastructure, reducing zoning restrictions, and creating incentives for affordable housing development. Businesses, meanwhile, will be the ones responsible for building new housing, participating in private-public partnerships, and financing projects that increase long-term housing. Government and business must work together to bring about affordable housing. If elected, I hope to serve as a liaison between business and government to bring about safe, affordable housing for all Minnesotans.
What policies, if any, would you support to help employers address our state’s critical labor shortage?
I think the way that we address Minnesota’s labor shortage is by (1) opening up labor force participation and (2) investing in workforce development.
Right now, costs for daycare are far too high. Minnesota parents, who could otherwise be participating in the labor force, choose not to work because it is more cost-effective for them to stay home. The same is true for eldercare support. Minnesota adults, who could otherwise be participating in the labor force, choose not to because it is more cost-effective for them to take care of aging parents themselves. We need to bring daycare and eldercare costs way down, and, by doing so, we can help incentivize these working-age Minnesotans to rejoin the labor force.
Similarly, we need to expand apprenticeship programs and improve community college partnerships to give young people the skills they need to enter the workforce. Too many young people are not working because they have never been given the opportunity to succeed. If elected, I will work with others to help fix that problem.
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 think the first part of this question is the most crucial: how do we evaluate the impact of these changes? I think the answer lies within my response to question #3 regarding collaboration. We need to have open communication between our government officials and our business leaders to garner feedback and make improvements to existing programs. Unless we are able to receive accurate qualitative and quantitative data, it will be difficult to make meaningful or helpful policy changes.
As to principles that would guide changes, I am a big believer in data (both qualitative and quantitative) driving decision-making. Good policy requires good evaluation. I would want to meet with both labor leaders, employees, and local businesses to understand what impacts—both positive and negative—these mandates are having and what changes need to be made to ensure the mandates are having their desired effect (to improve the lives of workers) without creating unnecessary burdens on our business community.
What are your strategies to address public safety challenges in your district and the state?
As a career prosecutor and assistant county attorney, I think the heart of addressing public safety challenges is, once again, open communication and collaboration. If elected, I plan to continue to work closely with local law enforcement, businesses, schools, community organizations, and city leaders to address specific public safety concerns. I support investment in our heroic first responders while simultaneously supporting programs focused on responding to mental health crises and violence prevention. Finally, I believe that economic problems are often at the root of public safety challenges. I look forward to working with state and local business leaders to improve job opportunities for potential would-be offenders and young people.
How would you work to improve transportation options in the district/state, including improved safety for transit riders, pedestrian/bike, and drivers alike?
Minnesota needs transportation infrastructure that helps our communities grow, our economies develop, and connects individuals to jobs, schools, healthcare providers, and other essential services. I support investment in maintaining and modernizing our roads, bridges, and public transit systems. I also want to increase funding for Metro Transit to hire additional security and police officers to improve safety on public transit. If elected, I intend to advocate for transportation solutions throughout the East Metro by focusing on reducing commute times, improving our trails and bikeways, and improving public transit options in concert with more affordable housing development options.
What ideas do you have to address housing shortages and affordability?
Housing affordability and supply may be the biggest issue facing Minnesotans (and Americans) today. We need to increase the supply of housing at all price points, while ensuring that people can stay in the communities where they live and work. If elected, I want to expand opportunities for first-time homebuyers (through a financial credit), encourage the redevelopment or rezoning of vacant buildings that could be used for housing, partner with local jurisdictions to help remove restrictive zoning, and formalize and streamline the permitting process for builders to reduce administrative costs in housing development. I further want to address the homelessness challenges facing our communities through new emergency shelters, supportive housing for vulnerable families, residents in recovery, and veterans. My goal is to make sure all Minnesotans, and particularly those in the East Metro, have a place to live where they can grow and thrive.
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.
I think addressing this challenge will require a multi-faceted approach. First, I think we need to consider increasing revenue from the wealthiest one percent of Minnesotans who have generally seen outsized growth in the value of their assets without corresponding tax increases - leading to extreme wealth inequality in our state. Second, I support rooting out fraud and waste in all of our state programs. We need to, as described below, provide additional tools to the Attorney General and others to root out and address fraud and ensure taxpayer dollars only go to those in need. Finally, we need to cut unnecessary or duplicative state programs, improve our cost-effective state services, and help thereby reduce overall spending statewide. By following these three separate steps (among others), I believe we can tackle the upcoming budget imbalance.
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?
I think the first step involves prosecuting and convicting the individuals who have criminally defrauded our state. Stealing from our taxpayers, and the vulnerable residents our tax-payer dollars serve, is completely unacceptable. We need to hold those who committed fraud accountable to deter others who may consider engaging in similar despicable behavior.
Second, I want to expand the power of the Attorney General to investigate and root out fraud. I support strict oversight of government-contracted services, frequent audits, authority to freeze payments if necessary, and transparent electronic billing, review, and payment. It has become clear that the checks and balances that existed previously are insufficient. I believe that empowering the Attorney General through additional resources and investigative tools is an important next step.
Finally, I recognize that rebuilding public trust may take a long-time. As a life-long public servant, I believe deeply in responsive, transparent government. I work to return all calls and emails within 24 hours in order to ensure that residents get the services they need. As a legislator, I will extend this work to be responsive and transparent to everyone in our community and our state. Minnesotans deserve to know where their taxpayer dollars are going, have answers to their questions, and to have a voice in the process. It is my sacred duty and honor as a public servant to ensure these principles are made reality, and I will work as hard as I can to make that happen.
Email: [email protected]
Campaign Phone: 763-900-9591
Campaign Website: https://votechristos.com
Twitter handle: N/A
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/p/Vote-Christos-Jensen-for-House-District-52A-61584179456096/
Candidate Bio
As with each of us, our experiences make us unique.
My experience has bridged small business, public service, and legislative work. I began my working career in the trades, for 10 years, as an interior/exterior painter for a small family business. I learned intimately what it takes to show up for up for each other, to show up for your community, to balance your books, and to make an impact in your work as so many small, successful businesses do, while providing jobs, throughout our district every day.
With service in my heart, I ultimately entered law school with hopes for a career in public service. That decision led to me becoming an assistant county attorney in Kandiyohi County, Wright County, and Ramsey County. I was also elected and served as a union steward for over seven years, fighting for strong wages and good benefits, to partner with the employer to serve our community as best as we can.
Three years ago, my boss John Choi graciously invited me to join his management team, where I directly supervise approximately 20 attorneys and support staff. I also represent our office and the Minnesota County Attorney’s Association on child welfare issues at the legislature, where I serve as the co-chair and co-legislative outreach point person representing over 200 county attorney practitioners in child welfare around the state. Each year, and this year was no exception, I serve as a leader on numerous statewide legislative working groups, meet with legislators, help prepare testimony before the legislature, meet with affiliated groups at the governor’s children’s cabinet, DCYF, DHS, and others, and track dozens of proposed bills. This has given me the experience and relationships at the legislature to know how the process works and to make an impact for our community.
My desire to serve has also led to me to serve locally in this community and this district. My wife and I have attended nearly every DFL senate district meeting for the last 11 years. I served as precinct chair during much of that time. I also joined our Eagan Advisory Planning Commission (APC). I have served on the commission for eight years, and I have served as the chair of the APC for the past four years with a special interest and focus on land use and affordable housing. I am also our district representative on the Met Council Land Use Advisory Commission. Finally, I may also be seen around Eagan as a sun-burned baseball and soccer coach, and active member and supporter of our local cub scouts troop.
I am running to address the affordability crisis in our lives and the integrity crisis in our government. I am also running for our children, our families, and our future. I believe my experiences and accomplishments above help qualify me to be the next house representative in this district.
What are your top three priorities if elected, and how might they be affected by growing uncertainty around state and federal funding?
My top three priorities if elected are:
- Economic Success for all Minnesotans
- Strong, Safe Schools
- Healthy Communities
How would you characterize the business climate in the East Metro? Please elaborate on your answer.
I think the business climate in the East Metro can accurately be described as “fair to good.” I also believe we can do more to improve opportunities for small businesses and entrepreneurs. On the one hand, we benefit from both a highly-educated work force and people wanting to live in the East Metro with its excellent parks (which my family enjoys), healthcare systems, and school districts (where my children go to school). The East Metro is also easily accessible to major interstate highways without the level of congestion typically seen in Minneapolis and the West Metro. On the other hand, we see the negative impacts of Operation Metro Surge throughout the East Metro, the struggles that small businesses have faced overall in employee retention, and the costs associated with the ever-changing and uncertain tariff environment. We also see downtown St. Paul continuing to struggle. Overall, I think we need to harness the strengths that we have in the East Metro while simultaneously reducing the burden to entry for small businesses that serve as an important backbone for jobs and growth in our communities.
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.
Paul Wellstone once said: “We all do better when we all do better.” While he said this in a different context, I think this principle applies here too. When businesses create jobs, drive innovation, and provide opportunities for their communities, Minnesotans thrive. At the same time, business cannot do everything. When government is responsive to the needs of its citizens (including small business owners) and enacts responsible, thoughtful policy decisions, Minnesotans also thrive.
To ensure that government and business work seamlessly together (including in the policy areas identified in the question), we need to work with government and business leaders to set shared goals. We must ensure an open dialogue exists between the business world (including businesses of all sizes) and leadership in St. Paul. And we need to ensure that union voices can be a part of this conversation.
One area that is a priority for my campaign is making housing more affordable. To make this happen, both businesses and government will have work together. Government should be taking the lead on streamlining permitting, investing in infrastructure, reducing zoning restrictions, and creating incentives for affordable housing development. Businesses, meanwhile, will be the ones responsible for building new housing, participating in private-public partnerships, and financing projects that increase long-term housing. Government and business must work together to bring about affordable housing. If elected, I hope to serve as a liaison between business and government to bring about safe, affordable housing for all Minnesotans.
What policies, if any, would you support to help employers address our state’s critical labor shortage?
I think the way that we address Minnesota’s labor shortage is by (1) opening up labor force participation and (2) investing in workforce development.
Right now, costs for daycare are far too high. Minnesota parents, who could otherwise be participating in the labor force, choose not to work because it is more cost-effective for them to stay home. The same is true for eldercare support. Minnesota adults, who could otherwise be participating in the labor force, choose not to because it is more cost-effective for them to take care of aging parents themselves. We need to bring daycare and eldercare costs way down, and, by doing so, we can help incentivize these working-age Minnesotans to rejoin the labor force.
Similarly, we need to expand apprenticeship programs and improve community college partnerships to give young people the skills they need to enter the workforce. Too many young people are not working because they have never been given the opportunity to succeed. If elected, I will work with others to help fix that problem.
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 think the first part of this question is the most crucial: how do we evaluate the impact of these changes? I think the answer lies within my response to question #3 regarding collaboration. We need to have open communication between our government officials and our business leaders to garner feedback and make improvements to existing programs. Unless we are able to receive accurate qualitative and quantitative data, it will be difficult to make meaningful or helpful policy changes.
As to principles that would guide changes, I am a big believer in data (both qualitative and quantitative) driving decision-making. Good policy requires good evaluation. I would want to meet with both labor leaders, employees, and local businesses to understand what impacts—both positive and negative—these mandates are having and what changes need to be made to ensure the mandates are having their desired effect (to improve the lives of workers) without creating unnecessary burdens on our business community.
What are your strategies to address public safety challenges in your district and the state?
As a career prosecutor and assistant county attorney, I think the heart of addressing public safety challenges is, once again, open communication and collaboration. If elected, I plan to continue to work closely with local law enforcement, businesses, schools, community organizations, and city leaders to address specific public safety concerns. I support investment in our heroic first responders while simultaneously supporting programs focused on responding to mental health crises and violence prevention. Finally, I believe that economic problems are often at the root of public safety challenges. I look forward to working with state and local business leaders to improve job opportunities for potential would-be offenders and young people.
How would you work to improve transportation options in the district/state, including improved safety for transit riders, pedestrian/bike, and drivers alike?
Minnesota needs transportation infrastructure that helps our communities grow, our economies develop, and connects individuals to jobs, schools, healthcare providers, and other essential services. I support investment in maintaining and modernizing our roads, bridges, and public transit systems. I also want to increase funding for Metro Transit to hire additional security and police officers to improve safety on public transit. If elected, I intend to advocate for transportation solutions throughout the East Metro by focusing on reducing commute times, improving our trails and bikeways, and improving public transit options in concert with more affordable housing development options.
What ideas do you have to address housing shortages and affordability?
Housing affordability and supply may be the biggest issue facing Minnesotans (and Americans) today. We need to increase the supply of housing at all price points, while ensuring that people can stay in the communities where they live and work. If elected, I want to expand opportunities for first-time homebuyers (through a financial credit), encourage the redevelopment or rezoning of vacant buildings that could be used for housing, partner with local jurisdictions to help remove restrictive zoning, and formalize and streamline the permitting process for builders to reduce administrative costs in housing development. I further want to address the homelessness challenges facing our communities through new emergency shelters, supportive housing for vulnerable families, residents in recovery, and veterans. My goal is to make sure all Minnesotans, and particularly those in the East Metro, have a place to live where they can grow and thrive.
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.
I think addressing this challenge will require a multi-faceted approach. First, I think we need to consider increasing revenue from the wealthiest one percent of Minnesotans who have generally seen outsized growth in the value of their assets without corresponding tax increases - leading to extreme wealth inequality in our state. Second, I support rooting out fraud and waste in all of our state programs. We need to, as described below, provide additional tools to the Attorney General and others to root out and address fraud and ensure taxpayer dollars only go to those in need. Finally, we need to cut unnecessary or duplicative state programs, improve our cost-effective state services, and help thereby reduce overall spending statewide. By following these three separate steps (among others), I believe we can tackle the upcoming budget imbalance.
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?
I think the first step involves prosecuting and convicting the individuals who have criminally defrauded our state. Stealing from our taxpayers, and the vulnerable residents our tax-payer dollars serve, is completely unacceptable. We need to hold those who committed fraud accountable to deter others who may consider engaging in similar despicable behavior.
Second, I want to expand the power of the Attorney General to investigate and root out fraud. I support strict oversight of government-contracted services, frequent audits, authority to freeze payments if necessary, and transparent electronic billing, review, and payment. It has become clear that the checks and balances that existed previously are insufficient. I believe that empowering the Attorney General through additional resources and investigative tools is an important next step.
Finally, I recognize that rebuilding public trust may take a long-time. As a life-long public servant, I believe deeply in responsive, transparent government. I work to return all calls and emails within 24 hours in order to ensure that residents get the services they need. As a legislator, I will extend this work to be responsive and transparent to everyone in our community and our state. Minnesotans deserve to know where their taxpayer dollars are going, have answers to their questions, and to have a voice in the process. It is my sacred duty and honor as a public servant to ensure these principles are made reality, and I will work as hard as I can to make that happen.