One incumbent, two newcomers win endorsement in St. Paul Third, Fourth and Fifth Wards

Opinion editor's note: Editorials represent the opinions of the Star Tribune Editorial Board, which operates independently from the newsroom.

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Residents of St. Paul's Third Ward will be pleased to find four passionate and engaged City Council candidates on their ballots Nov. 7. Because of his balanced approach to the major issues facing the city, first-time candidate Isaac Russell gets the Star Tribune Editorial Board's nod (isaacforcitycouncil.com).

Russell's decade of experience working on policy — as a legislative assistant in the Minnesota state Senate and now as the director of public policy at the Center for Economic Inclusion — has produced a pragmatic approach to policy that we admire. And his past — having experienced homelessness and food insecurity at a young age — has given him a unique perspective that would be valuable for the City Council.

The board agrees with Russell's prioritization of public safety and the full funding of police while also engaging in violence prevention initiatives, like giving families the support and programming they need to keep young people busy and out of trouble. We also concur with him that St. Paul's rent control ordinance, while well-intended, has been ineffective in addressing the affordable housing crisis.

We are also aligned with Russell's perspectives on two proposed tax increases in St. Paul: He is reluctantly in favor of St. Paul's proposed sales tax increase to address years of deferred maintenance on its roads and other infrastructure, and deeply skeptical of a proposal that would raise the property tax levy to fund child care for lower-income families, citing a lack of a detailed budget. He also understands that the city must avoid becoming known as anti-business.

That isn't to say Russell's challengers aren't impressive. Saura Jost, the DFL-endorsed candidate and St. Paul native, comes to the table with the sensibility and expertise of a civil engineer — a perspective that would undoubtedly be valuable as St. Paul grapples with infrastructure issues (saurajost.com). Though we do not agree with Jost on a handful of the issues, including rent control, she shows considerable promise as a candidate.

Two more candidates join Jost and Russell on the ballot. Patty Hartmann, an attorney with an independent voice who is running for the Third Ward seat a second time (patty4ward3.com), does not support the sales tax increase or the proposed child care plan. Troy Barksdale, an impressive Macalester College student with an admirable interest in public policy (barksdale-for-citycouncil.info), lacks experience, but we applaud his candidacy at a young age and hope to see him on the ballot again.

St. Paul City Council member Mitra Jalali is a former teacher, and she certainly does her homework (mitrajalali.com).

Jalali was first elected to the council in a special election in 2018 and won a full term in 2019. She knows the challenges facing St. Paul's Fourth Ward — housing, zoning, transit, safety and more — and takes strong progressive positions on these issues. Yet she was fairly practical when discussing her preferred policies with editorial writers, acknowledging nuance and competing interests. As an informed candidate, she is the better option over challenger Robert Bushard, who, despite showing appropriate concern at the level of crime in the city and empathy toward homeless residents, is not the best choice for the Fourth Ward (bushard4ward4.com).

When asked about climate change, Bushard described it as "Bolshoi" — referencing the famous ballet and opera theater in Russia. In other words, it's an act. In another instance, editorial writers asked him about his opposition to the city's proposed 1% sales tax increase, and to identify and address the best counterargument to his own position. He said there wasn't one.

Jalali, on the other hand, not only cares about climate change but understands the role of a City Council in fighting it. One council member can't save the planet, but they can promote policies that encourage energy-efficient buildings and less driving — which Jalali has done. In an interview with editorial writers, she also thoughtfully incorporated opposing views into her own thinking. She easily named the best counterargument to her support of the 1% sales tax increase — that it's regressive — but she ultimately supports the proposal, as does the State Tribune Editorial Board.

The board also agrees with Jalali's assessment that the city's potential child care program is ill-defined and unwise as proposed. Her understanding of what a council member can actually do to solve the city's biggest problems, rather than merely naming them, makes her the better choice.

The Editorial Board does disagree with several of Jalali's positions. She favors St. Paul's rent control policy, although she did advocate for an exemption on new construction before the council approved a package of amendments she did not support.

Jalali is also a member of the policy advisory committee on the Rethinking I-94 project and is enthusiastic about a different future for that corridor, while the board has expressed skepticism of the project's seemingly conflicting goals.

St. Paul City Council President Amy Brendmoen has represented this north-central ward for 12 years but is not seeking another term.

Former Brendmoen aide Hwa Jeong Kim is best-qualified to step into the position. Kim currently serves as executive director of Minnesota Voice, a nonprofit that encourages voting and civic engagement. She was born in Korea, raised on a farm in rural Minnesota, and attended Hamline University. She has experience in policy research and a history of working with Fifth Ward residents and across several levels of government.

If elected, Kim would work to increase affordable housing across income levels and support making zoning changes that would allow for more density. Other priorities would include city policies to combat climate change, well-resourced and community-centered public safety, and workers and renters' rights and protections. The Editorial Board disagrees with her position on rent control — she wants to maintain the most restrictive interpretation of the city's current ordinance.

Kim is endorsed by the DFL, Democratic Socialists of America and numerous unions, progressive groups and DFL elected officials. She told editorial writers that the DFL and DSA have "overlapped, shared" values in areas such as LGBTQ rights, climate change and worker rights, so she is proud to have both endorsements.

Kim is in favor of the 1% sales tax increase to support roads and parks but adds that the council must find ways to alleviate the pressure on taxpayers. To that end, she hopes to explore a payment-in-lieu-of-taxes program to get contributions from city property owners such as colleges and other nonprofits that now benefit from exemptions.

Also running is Nate Nins, a technology professional who helps government improve communication and engagement. He is a military veteran and former librarian who describes his political ideology as nonpartisan. Nins, whose campaign has not appeared to be as active as we would like to see, told editorial writers that he worked with Kim on community councils and tended to agree with her on the issues.

Candidates David Greenwood-Sanchez, a political scientist and former program evaluator for the Minnesota Office of the Legislative Auditor, and Pam Tollefson, a former paralegal and editor, did not participate in the Editorial Board's endorsement interviews.

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For more on the Nov. 7 elections, see the Star Tribune newsroom's voter guides for Minneapolis and St. Paul. Our recommendation for approval of St. Paul's ballot question on a 1% sales tax increase is here. See also our full list of endorsements in City Council races in Minneapolis and St. Paul. The Editorial Board operates separately from the newsroom, and no news editors or reporters were involved in the endorsement process.