10/17/22 Connect. Cultivate. Contribute.

GUEST BLOG: Connect. Cultivate. Contribute
from Kari Wiley, Leadership St. Paul Alumni (Class of 2015) and LSP Curriculum Chair 
 
The three goals of Leadership St. Paul are not only a fun collection of words that start with C but the framework for this premier leadership program. For me, going through the cohort in 2015, planning Healthcare Day for 6 years and now as the curriculum chair, this program has brought deep appreciation and understanding of what is amazing about St. Paul and the East Metro and has opened my eyes to where there are disparities. Being a part of Leadership St. Paul allowed me to see what organizations and the community are doing to provide solutions to the issues we face and where there are opportunities for me to contribute. With program days that span all industries and sectors, I’ve been introduced to the breadth of what makes this city and region tick. Additionally, this program helped me learn more about myself with the embedded leadership curriculum that encourages self-reflection and provides a lens to approach each program day.

I am very thankful for LSP and the deep and lasting friendships, connections, and knowledge I carry forward with me. 

Applications for the next Leadership St. Paul Class of 2023 are now open. My ask of you is to consider who in your network belongs in the next Leadership St. Paul "Best Class Ever" and encourage them to apply or apply yourself and join the more than 2,000 LSP alumni in making the St. Paul region a more vibrant place to live, work, and play.

Kari Wiley, Leadership St. Paul Alumni (Class of 2015) & LSP Curriculum Chair

B's blog, It's Our Business will be back next week! 

• Meet St. Paul's police chief finalists.

• Drying Mississippi River Threatens U.S. Supply Chain. Shipping and tourism businesses are searching for alternatives as barges are grounded on sandbars and prices soar.  This is especially troubling during Minnesota’s crop harvest.

• Twin Cities prices leap 7.4%, not as high as rest of U.S. It's the first time the increase as measured by the CPI for the metro area has fallen below 8% since January.  At the same time, Minnesota home sales decline 18.2% in September, though prices continue to trend upward.
• Worsening inflation will pressure the Fed to keep raising rates (anticipated to raise by another 75 basis points at its meeting next month). Inflation in the U.S. accelerated in September, with the cost of housing and other necessities intensifying pressure on households, wiping out pay gains and ensuring that the Federal Reserve will keep raising interest rates aggressively.  And it is hitting small businesses especially hard.

State

• The St. Paul Area Chamber submitted comments in opposition of the Minnesota Housing rent control proposal to adopt a 5% rent increase limitation on its 2024-25 Qualified Allocation Plan (QAP). The effect of this proposal would be statewide rent control on affordable Housing Tax Credit (HTC) projects, which already are subject to federal guidelines. You can read our comments here.  MN Senate Housing Policy and Finance Committee Chair Rich Draheim also released a statement in opposition to Minnesota Housing’s proposal. 
• MN will pay $487 bonuses to frontline workers.
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Regional

• Saint Paul’s local ordinance for the Mississippi River Corridor Critical Area (MRCCA) zoning regulations will be going to the Planning Commission with the recommendation for it to be released for public review on October 14, 2022.  Here is the draft local ordinance to be recommended.  The Commission will also be asked to set the public hearing date – the City tentatively expects that they will agree to this for Nov. 18, 2022 at its regular meeting. The draft local ordinance being considered for public comment in the coming months would replace the existing River Corridor Overlay Districts chapter of the St. Paul Zoning Code and move the newer, 2010-era floodplain management ordinance based on FEMA flood insurance requirements back into the Zoning Code. 
• Maplewood considers dropping support for BRT line

 
Election season is ramping up. Be sure to reference our East Metro Voter Guide to learn more about your candidates!

Subscribe to our Chamber Advocacy Update to keep up with advocacy news.

• Build a network to last the rest of your career. Join the LSP Class of 2023. Applications are now open!
• Our first annual Career Connect Day is here: Oct 18, 9am – 4pm.  Looking forward to seeing you there!
• Our next Equity Leadership Series session is here: Oct 19, 7:30am. Register here!
• Our next Public Affairs Issue Forum, “Business Deregulation: Oct 20, noon-1pm.  Register here!

• Fascinating article on the explosion of “non-routine work,” and what it means for the future of employment.

• The U.S. Chamber wrote a compelling piece on the benefits of joining a local chamber. We are, indeed, “an integrated business network” working towards the common interests of businesses both large and small. We can create business contacts, increase credibility, expand your network, provide resources, and support professional development.  
• A trend to pay attention to: Gen Z organizes. People born between 1997 and 2012 view unions more favorably than do other age groups and are unafraid to fight for change on their campuses – and in their workplaces.

• DEED announces 2 RFPs:  new Pilot Re-Entry Competitive Grant Program ($3M to help reintegrate justice-involved Minnesotans into the workforce); and the MN Tech Forward Training Competitive Grant.

• Saint Paul looks for ways to curb displacement. Preliminary number show that barriers may be growing for homeownership – and the racial disparities remain stark. The effort is separate from rent stabilization discussions, although it’s a “parallel concern,” said Luis Pereira, the city’s planning director. The consultant may look at rent control’s impact on displacement.
• From the Federal Reserve: How the racial wealth gap has evolved – and why it persists. New dataset identifies the causes of today’s wealth gap.
• Women’s return to work a stop-and-start struggle. Most of those parents are back at work, now that schools and day care centers are open again — but fewer women than men. According to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are 225,000 more men in the labor force now than before the pandemic, but 427,000 fewer women. Men have recovered all the jobs they lost in the pandemic; women are still down by 515,000 jobs compared to February 2020.

• The Saint Paul City Council last Wednesday voted to continue to work with a coalition of nonprofit organizations intent on developing six units of deeply affordable housing at 652 Sherburne Ave. in Frogtown, even though the project likely would entail $1 million in future city funding. The Sherburne Collective plans to rely on $1.68 million from Ramsey County, which has created a deeply affordable housing fund backed by federal dollars from the American Rescue Plan Act.  ​