Saint Paul’s State of the City: Rising Together

Mayor Her’s inaugural State of the City made one thing clear: Saint Paul is being led with steadiness, collaboration, and purpose.

Reflecting on the first 100 days, Council President Noecker summed it up well: “Mayor Her is showing up collaboratively, representing, listening. The state of the City is strong.” Mayor Her herself noted that, though “you rarely know what you’re stepping into,” she wanted to set a tone of calm presence and care—grounded in an understanding that our community, government, and business sectors are deeply connected and must function as a shared ecosystem.
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As we all know, that leadership was tested almost immediately. Within her first week, the city was navigating Metro Surge—bringing profound public safety challenges and an estimated $129M in lost revenue over just two months, with some businesses experiencing losses of up to 60%.
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Mayor Her reminded us of her key campaign promises: running the city well, focusing on the basics, and growing our vitality.

And she’s made some key moves early: putting together an agreement with the Minnesota Wild on a $600M plan for arena renovations; prioritizing downtown revitalization; lobbying at the legislature for city priorities; strengthening the city’s financial foundation through an emphasis on economic growth/new development; investing in infrastructure; and increasing transparency—including moving City Council meetings live to YouTube. At the same time, public safety outcomes are improving, with significant declines in non‑fatal gun incidents and homicides.
Mayor Her spoke specifically to moves that will make it easier to do business in Saint Paul, including streamlined permitting and signage reform.

She also talked at length about getting her arms fully around the City’s current financial situation, which includes working on a 2-year budget cycle, detailing deferred maintenance needs, investing in road patching equipment, and network infrastructure updates (after last year’s cyber-attack).

My take? Strong starts matter—and this new Mayor is demonstrating the desire – followed with action - to “Rise Together.”

See you in the trenches,
B

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