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Dear Neighbors,
Happy spring! My office has been keeping busy the last three months. We have been attentive and active in the broad policy discussions around the minimum wage, affordable housing, and domestic violence prevention. The council convenes weekly policy sessions on many of these issues and more information can be found here, under the organizational committee meetings.
The Citizen’s League conducted its first phase of the minimum wage policy and have published their findings here. The study raised more questions that need to be addressed by the city and my office will continue to have conversations about this with various stakeholders and work with the mayor’s office to ensure a process in which community members can be fully engaged.
Our affordable housing efforts continue to center around preserving and maintaining current affordable housing, tenant rights, and expanding affordable housing throughout the city. A part of that work includes the Fair Housing Work Group where it identifies ways in which the city can play a role in making sure everyone has access to housing free of unlawful discrimination. A full report can be found here. I’ve also been actively supportive on the rental rehab program where it benefits tenants to live in improved housing conditions without facing drastic increases in their rents. If you are a landlord, you can apply for improvement loans here.
My office has continued to advocate for strong commitments to community benefits in the soccer stadium development and we are excited to share that it is paying off. The stadium project is on track to exceed workforce goals of 32% minority and 6% of women worker participation as well as 25% Small Business Enterprise goal. To get up to date information, you can follow it here.
Once the weather gets warmer, please remember to help with cleaning up the neighborhood and the parks. Unfortunately, due to the city still being covered in snow, the city-wide clean up on Saturday, April 21st, has been cancelled. You can still help out by going to the Jimmy Lee/Oxford Community Center (270 N Lexington Pkwy)to get trash pick-up supplies (while supplies last), and clean your parks any time from April 28th - May 5th. More details below in the Upcoming Community Events section.
Finally, as the snow melts, we will see an increase in potholes, so please let the City know where they are and we will make sure our roads are safe for everyone who uses it. You can report online using this website (https://en.seeclickfix.com/st_paul), or send an email to potholes@ci.stpaul.mn.us.
We are going to have an exciting spring! Please stay involved and engaged!
Thank You,
Dai Thao
Stop by the coffee shop inside Heritage Tea House Boutique and Golden Thyme Cafe with questions and issues regarding Ward 1 or the city.
Councilmember Thao will be at Heritage Tea House Boutique (360 University Ave) the first Thursday of the Month quarterly, from 4:30 PM until 5:30 PM.
Upcoming 2018 Heritage Tea House Boutique Dates:
June 7, September 6, December 6
4:30 - 5:30 PM
Councilmember Thao will be at Golden Thyme Café (921 Selby Ave) the first Friday of the Month quarterly, from 1:00 P.M. until 2:00 P.M.
Upcoming 2018 Golden Thyme Cafe Dates:
June 1, September 7, December 7
1:00 - 2:00 PM
If your conversation requires more than 10 minutes, please contact the Ward 1 Office to schedule a separate meeting.
Mentoring Young Adults (MYA)
 (Picture courtesy of Jackie Cooper and MYA)
The March for Our Lives event held on Saturday, March 24, 2018, brought over 800,000 concerned citizens to the nation's Capital. Mentoring Young Adults (MYA) marched to D.C. under the guidance and leadership of Dora Jones, Executive Director, that provided this amazing opportunity for five (5) youth/young adults. As stated by the youth/young adults in their own words, "It was truly an amazing opportunity for us to be a part of this Historic event."
The following youth/young adults representing MYA
were: Ronnie McCrimmon, Jr, Jonnell Hart, Raniah Butler, Jania
Williams, Sayveon Collins, and also Jackie Cooper, who served as a
Chaperone and Coordinator for the trip. After the March for Our Lives,
the group had the opportunity to take a tour of the National Museum of African
American History and Culture and to go to the MLK Memorial Park.
The March for Our Lives provided the platform MYA is
seeking to have the issues of gun control, gang violence, etc., to be addressed
by local and state government. To accomplish this, MYA plans to engage with
other non-profit organizations, elected officials, and the community to create
forums on these issues.
The first event will be held on Saturday, June 9, from
1-4 PM, at the MYA Annual Youth Summer BBQ. Elected Officials
from St. Paul/Ramsey County to be present include: Mayor Carter, Police Chief
Axtell, Councilmember Thao, Ramsey County Commissioner Carter, Ramsey County
Attorney Choi, and Ramsey County Sheriff Serier. They are scheduled to give
remarks and provide opportunity for discussion re: gun control and the
prevention of violence in our community.
Cancelled - City Wide Spring Clean Up
Due to the recent snowfall and unseasonably cooler weather,
the Citywide Spring Cleanup will not be held on April 21, 2018. We do
understand the need to help take care of our environment by cleaning our parks
and streets, so we are asking the public to stop by a designated recreation or
community center from April 25 - 27 to pick up supplies to help clean up the
city anytime between April 28 - May 5.
April 25-27 supply pick-up locations:
- Ward 1: Jimmy Lee/Oxford
Community Center (270 N Lexington)
- Ward 2: El Rio Vista
Recreation Center (179 E Robie St)
- Ward 3: Highland Park
Community Center (1987 Ford Pkwy)
- Ward 4: Hancock
Recreation Center (1610 Hubbard Ave)
- Ward 5: North Dale
Recreation Center (1414 N St. Albans)
- Ward 6: Phalen
Recreation Center (1000 E Wheelock)
- Ward 7: Dayton’s Bluff
Recreation Center (800 Conway St)
Please note that you must pick up supplies during open
hours. We thank you for being patient with us in making this decision and
we hope to see you out in the parks soon!
For more locations/information and registration, please visit www.stpaul.gov/citywidecleanup.
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