Public Safety is Job 1

First of all, happy new year. I was so glad of the break, though I am still recovering from too much food and too few wins at cards with the family.
 
While I was gone, of course I kept up on the news – as I’m sure you all did. Public safety is really heavy on my heart today – and still.  Like most of you, I’m sure, I’ve been stewing on the latest crimes in St. Paul – a brazen mugging of an elderly woman followed by a carjacking of a young mother and her child – both by 1 adult and 2 teenagers with criminal histories. At least two of these young men highlight an additional challenge – they should have been detained as a result of previous serious convictions. 
 
So many of these crimes are being committed by known offenders, as in the two incidents above. Which takes me to another article from Dec 22, about long time Ramsey County and Washington County prosecutors who walked away from their jobs last year, one “citing his frustration with policies he says are designed to keep offenders out of jail.”
 
We need a victim-centered approach to our public safety, one that includes the police making the arrests and the judicial system actually holding the offenders responsible – and detaining them. 
 
Separate and yet related is the upcoming federal civil rights trial of the 3 ex-Minneapolis police officers to be held in St. Paul starting this month (jury selection begins Jan 20). Why is it being held in St. Paul, you ask? Very good question. Cases are assigned randomly to federal judges, and U.S. District Judge Paul Mangnuson's chambers are in downtown St. Paul. The city had asked for the trial to be moved to Minneapolis. The St. Paul Police Department continues with their planning phase in advance of the trial in order to achieve their goal of protecting the people, property, and free speech of all involved parties - and helping minimize disruptions to those of you who live and work in the downtown neighborhood. 
 
One of the first things you will notice changing around the courthouse is the fencing that will be erected. The fencing will encompass the block the courthouse sits on and will require one lane closure on each street (Jackson, Kellogg, Robert and Fourth) along the curb line. We can expect that the lane closures will expand as we get closer to the beginning of the trial. Follow this link to sign up for BUSINESS information meetings hosted by the St. Paul police department.
 
Public safety has to be Job 1, which requires that all partners from the police through to the judicial system are in alignment. Your Chamber is making public safety a top priority moving forward, to ensure your voice, your concerns, are communicated. We all have a role to play in keeping our community safe, because the assurance of public safety is essential. Your Chamber’s public affairs department is convening a subcommittee looking at the business role in public safety. For updates on that work through the year, subscribe to our advocacy newsletter.  
 
See you in the trenches.
B​

• Scientists say that Omicron may peak in the U.S. in mid-January. New estimates suggest that the country’s cases could peak by Jan. 9 at around 2.5 million cases per week, though that number may go as high as 5.4 million. Still, the enormous numbers of people getting infected could greatly strain hospitals, especially in places with lower vaccination rates.
• The U.S. is averaging more than 386,000 cases a day, soaring to highest levels on record. Hospitalizations are growing at a much slower rate, and the death rate is falling.
• In Minnesota, we have surpassed 10K deaths.
• There was a bit of good news from the latest scientific reports:
  • People infected with Omicron were about half as likely to be hospitalized as those with the Delta variant, according to a report from British health officials, and they were only one-third as likely to need emergency care.
  • A laboratory study from South African scientists suggested that people who have recovered from an Omicron infection might be able to repel infections from the Delta variant.
  • Several studies have offered a possible explanation for Omicron’s milder effects: It often concentrates in the nose, throat and windpipe rather than damaging the lungs, as previous variants did.
• More employers are delaying return-to-office plans as the Omicron variant continues to spread.​​

• U.S. jobless claims drop to 198K, more evidence that the job market remains strong in the aftermath of the coronavirus recession.
• Here’s what real estate economists are predicting for the 2022 housing market. Included is the anticipation of a much less frenzied pace.  
• Economists say 2022 is the Year of Inflation. Can the public and policymakers get on the same page?

State:

• Year in Review: the 6 biggest things that didn’t happen at the Minnesota Legislature in 2021.
• Minnesota has a $7.7B surplus. Here are 9 ways lawmakers could spend it. Key is business relief.

 
Regional

• St. Paul’s Mayor Melvin Carter was sworn in for a second term today.

 
Read more updates in our weekly Chamber Advocacy Update.

• Looking for an update on the economy? Inflation? Workforce? Join us on Jan 12 at the MN Humanities Center for our Lunch With Leaders, guest speaker: Neel Kashkari, President and CEO of the Mpls Fed.
• St. Paul and Minneapolis have significant challenges ahead. Join us on January 27 at the University of St. Thomas to hear what our mayors have to say at our annual Breakfast With the Mayors.
• Our biggest event of every year is our Annual Meeting. More crucial than ever today is cyber security, and we’ll be hearing about that this year from this country’s preeminent voice: Join us on February 17 at RiverCentre to hear from the Director of the NSA/Cyber Command, General Paul Nakasone.

CEOs from some of public companies, private companies, professional services firms, health and insurance, hospitality and entertainment, media and communications, commercial real estate, construction, banking and finance all reflect on lessons learned in 2021.  From “permanent work from wherever, whenever” policies to digital transformation, to a greater appreciation for our resiliency, to the convergence of our personal and professional lives. Interesting read!
 
What work looks like in 2022: what do you think about a 4-day work-week? As we experience the Great Reshuffle, this and other issues contribute to employee retention– and preferences for the future of work.
 
The new CEO toolbox: Rethinking what it means to be a high-performing leader.​

St. Paul looks to attract more diverse developers – particularly for housing development services.

• Two more apartment complexes draw high prices – and are sold to out of state investors.
• JO Companies CEO, Johnny Opara, has closed on financing for an affordable housing project on the East Side, keeping a promise to his father.
• $4.1M flows from the federal government to the Saint Paul Port Authority – Barge Terminal 2 dockwall rehabilitation.
• Minnesota’s biggest VC deals of 2021 got fuel from coasts. We are seeing significantly more frequent and larger investments in Minnesota-based start-ups.
• Minnesota’s industrial demand remains strong, continuing a trend from 2020.