Governing Report 2021

Work I Led this Year

Championed

• Established an Anti-Displacement Workgroup within the Blue Line Extension Light Rail Transit (BLRT) Project

  Worked with Commissioner Lunde to establish a first of its kind anti-displacement initiative that will center community voices in developing actionable strategies and policies, in order to maximize benefits of the BLRT to current corridor residents, and to prevent residential, economic, and cultural displacement in our communities. This effort is in partnership with the Met Council and is embedded within the Blue Line LRT Project. It seeks to prevent the harms that occur due to large-scale infrastructure projects, with specific goals to reduce racial disparities, help communities build wealth in place, and to create more equitable economic strategies and outcomes.

• Expanded Embedded Social Worker Program

  Worked to expand the Hennepin County Police Embedded Social Worker Program to the communities of Golden Valley, Eden Prairie, Edina, Richfield, Hopkins, Deephaven, Orono, South Lake Minnetonka, Wayzata, Corcoran, Minnetrista and Medina. This program adds a social worker to 911 dispatch centers for the purpose of collecting data, including pilots related to data-sharing, and making recommendations on the types of responders best equipped to respond to calls from residents.

• Established Juneteenth as a County Holiday

  Worked with Commissioner Conley to make Juneteenth (commemerating the end of chattel slavery in the US) a permanent paid county holiday for Hennepin employees. Employees now have Juneteenth off and are encouraged to reflect on the importance of this day in our history.

• Expanded Voter Access

  Secured $1.3M to support a countywide voter registration effort, an absentee voting education campaign, and the purchase of an additional high speed absentee ballot scanner. This effort prioritizes populations with higher barriers to voter registration, such as those who have never been registered, renters, people experiencing homelessness, students, people of color, and veterans.

• Funded a Study for Hwy 55 Bus Rapid Transit (BRT)

  Advocated for $250K from the State of Minnesota to study service needs and safety improvements, including BRT, in the Highway 55 corridor between Medina and downtown Minneapolis. And worked with Commissioner Anderson to secure $150K from Hennepin to expand this study. This study will define a combined scope to identify opportunities to increase safety, connectivity, and multi-modal options. Findings will position the corridor for success in the future for BRT, and support our broader goals including disparity reduction and climate action.

• Created a Workgroup to Connect Youth Education to Future Ready Hennepin

  Led the creation of a workgroup that will evaluate Hennepin’s current and future job needs, as well as evaluate the types of recruitment, skills, and training needed for various positions. The work group will identify the educational attainment needs for these vital roles, and the barriers to hiring, with the intent to initiate efforts and establish programs that both improve outcomes for Hennepin residents and youth, and to create pathways to Hennepin County jobs.

• Created a Workgroup to Research Watershed Impacts on Developable Land and Hennepin Priorities

  Led the creation of a workgroup that researches our watersheds, floodplains, and the future of land use in Hennepin County, with a particular focus on the impact watersheds will have on developable land over the next 50-100 years. This group will produce data that will inform Hennepin and our partners where it is safe and cost-effective to develop, in alignment with Hennepin’s growing population, demands, and needs.

• Ensured a Commitment to Understanding and Addressing the Benefits Cliff

  Highlighted the need to understand and address the Benefits Cliff, which is a harmful experience that occurs when a minor increase in wages results in a loss of benefits eligibility. People and families rely on assistance to access food, housing, healthcare, transit, and more. We must be thoughtful about how income interacts with these vital services, to ensure residents can strengthen their self-sufficiency.

• Supported Small Businesses and Entrepreneurs

  My leadership supported small businesses, entrepreneurs, and our local economy through the Small Business Relief fund, Elevate Business resource, and Certified Access Academy training. These programs funded small businesses across Hennepin during the pandemic, offered business assistance to entrepreneurs, and advanced certification for women of color business owners to contract with government and corporate entities.

Work I Advanced this Year

Supported

• Eliminated Pay-to-Stay in Hennepin Shelters

  Supported the elimination of the pay-to-stay model in Hennepin shelters, in an effort to keep homelessness rare, brief, and nonrecurring. This new model allows residents experiencing homelessness agency to keep their monetary resources and build assets.

• Expanded Supportive Housing for Veterans

  Partnered with Commissioner Anderson and the Minnesota Assistance Council for Veterans to implement a disposition strategy for vacant tax-forfeited land, in order to expand supportive housing with integrated services for veterans.

• Expanded Benefits for Non-Unionized Hennepin Employees

  Increased the amount of Paid Parental Leave for Hennepin employees from 3 weeks to 6 weeks and improved Bereavement Leave, effective January 2, 2022.

• Created Climate Action Plan

  Supported the creation of Hennepin’s first-ever Climate Action Plan. This ambitious plan addresses the inequitable impacts of climate change along the lines of race and income.

• Funded Gun Violence Prevention Efforts

  Secured $5M to improve the health and safety of residents and to use a holistic approach to reduce gun violence, by identifying the root causes and adopting evidence based policies and programs that improve outcomes for communities impacted by gun violence. This action funded several immediate responses to prevent, reduce, and mitigate gun violence in our community.

• Increased Minimum Wage to $20/hr for Hennepin Employees

  Supported Commissioner Greene’s initiative for a $20/hr minimum wage for Hennepin employees.

• Expanded Renter Funding and Supports

  Expanded efforts that help residents maintain housing, such as an affordable housing stabilization fund, tenant-based rental assistance, and opportunities for counsel and representation in housing court.

• Funded Anti-Hate Initiatives

  Supported Commissioner Lunde’s initiative to secure over $1M to fund anti-hate initiatives.

• Funded Black Maternal Health

  Supported Commissioner Conley’s initiative to secure $10M for Black maternal health.

• Expanded Community Asset Transition Fund into North Minneapolis

  Awarded $3M in the Community Asset Transition Fund to Pillsbury United Communities, specifically their innovative community development organization called Justice Built Communities, in order to build equitable wealth for Black, brown, Indigenous, immigrant, poor, and working class families.

What we lobbied for

Legislative advocacy

• Expand Bus Rapid Transit service across the region, specifically the E Line, F Line, and Hwy 55.
• Consider Anti-Displacement Measures in federally funded transit projects because large-scale infrastructure investments often result in residential, economic, and cultural displacement in our communities.
• Include Transit Access in the environmental study for the 94 corridor, specifically in North Minneapolis.
• Revise Social Studies Standards for Grades 6 and Up to include benchmarks related to civic advocacy, decennial Census, voting, and the 1st amendment.
• Allocate $20M for Youth and Family Homelessness because poverty and housing insecurity are problems that affect all Minnesotans.
• Relieve Property Tax Burden from Lower-Valued Homes through outreach regarding existing programs and updating the Homestead Market Value Exclusion language.
• Update Criminal Sexual Conduct Laws regarding the definition of rape and the ability to consent when mentally incapacitated.

2021 appointments & District 2 team

Appointments and team

Appointees and representatives

• Amani Stumme-Berry, Racial Equity Advisory Council
• Shelby Couch, Board of Appeal and Equalization
• Christina Perfetti, Capital Budgeting Task Force
• Kristel Porter and Billy Binder, Active Transportation Committee
• Lyssa Washington, Designer Selection Committee
• Warren McLean, Davis Senseman, Sergio Manancero, and Alex West Steinman, Business Advisory Council