Thanking Public Servants

It’s that time again – our annual Leaders in Local Government Awards, presented by Bremer Bank, is this Thursday, Sep 29. Why do we do this event? It’s simple. The importance of public services – and public servants – cannot be overstated. Public servants are the most under-appreciated and yet hardest-working (on our behalf) sector of our economy.  I’m tough on our political leaders, because I expect so much from them. We need so much from them.  Behind them, doing the yeoman’s work, are the servants within government. Police, Fire Departments, Economic Development, Permitting, Finance, Parks, these people devote more time and energy in service to use than we recognize – or honor.  I love this awards luncheon because, at least once a year, we can say THANK YOU for the people who serve us every day.
 
This Awards Luncheon is being hosted by several chambers partners: Dakota County Regional Chamber of Commerce, Midway Chamber of Commerce, Minnesota Black Chamber of Commerce, Minnesota Hmong Chamber of Commerce, Oakdale Area Chamber of Commerce, St. Paul Area Chamber, and Twin Cities North Chamber of Commerce. Together we want to say “thank you.”  I hope you’ll join us to honor the nominees and hear from retired St. Paul Police Chief Todd Axtell, !
 
On another note: as I talk with members, people from across the region, the resounding theme I’m hearing is one of “too much.”  People are really feeling pressure, the heat of too much on their plate. I get it. It takes me back to a challenging time in my life when I remember wishing that the merry go round would just stop for a minutes so I could sit in the quiet and figure out how I felt or what I thought.  Recently I was introduced to a book that speaks to this, and wanted to share it:  How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy, by artist Jenny Odell.  “To do nothing is to hold yourself still so that you can perceive what is actually there.”  Be encouraged, find your stillness, take time for quiet reflection so you can figure out how you feel or what you think about a particular situation in your life.
 
See you in the trenches.
B

• With 8 candidates selected for interviews, St. Paul police chief expected to be named by late October.​
• Good article by the NY Times on the shift in crime trends nationally: shootings nationwide have fallen 2% (still 30% above 2019 levels), but other types of crime are rising.​​

• How steep Fed rate hikes affect your finances.  Mortgage rates have jumped, home sales have slumped and credit cards and auto loans have gotten pricier. Savings rates are slightly juicier, though. As the Federal Reserve has rapidly increased interest rates, many economists say they fear that a recession is inevitable in the coming months — and with it, job losses that could cause hardship for households already hurt worst by inflation.
• Big bank CEOs face 2nd day of questioning from lawmakers. The CEOs of the nation’s biggest banks were in for a second day of tough questioning from lawmakers last week, as Americans face inflation not seen since the early 1980s – and a midterm election is only weeks away. Their message thus far: “The U.S. consumer is in relatively good shape but faces threats from high inflation and rising interest rates.”

State

• Early voting starts for November election. Early voting started Friday, Sept. 23. What you need to know.   
• Minnesota THC legalization puts workplace drug testing in limbo. Minnesota employers are on edge about potential liabilities stemming from their drug testing policies in the wake of the state’s recent legalization of consumable products containing the active ingredient in marijuana.

 
Regional

• St. Paul City Council amends rent control: 20-year new construction exemption and 8% cap on vacancy decontrol.

 
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.

• This Tuesday, Sep 27, the Saint Paul Downtown Improvement District (SPDID) is celebrating their Street Team Ambassadors with a community event in Landmark Plaza. City officials and downtown leaders, including Mayor Melvin Carter and SPDID Board Chair Clint Blaiser, will share their thanks for all that the Street Team has done for downtown during its continued recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic — from picking up trash and removing graffiti to helping visitors with wayfinding. Full details are below. Please join them for this celebration!
• Check out your Chamber’s calendar of upcoming events as well, which include:
  1. Election Preview Issue Forum: Sep 28, 1pm. Register here!
  2. East Metro Leaders in Local Government Awards featuring Todd Axtell, Presented by Bremer Bank, Sep 29. Register here!
  3. Leadership Burnout: part of our Business Education Series: Oct 6, 9am. Register here!
  4. Politics at the Pub: meet your candidates for office on Oct 6, 6pm. Register here!

• Pay equity: who should be in charge? As organizations seek to rightsize their compensation packages, especially given the pressures of the so-called Great Resignation and trends like quiet quitting, the focus on pay equity is becoming ever sharper. While fair pay practices are increasingly viewed as a must for a strong recruitment and retention strategy, ideas about who should actually be setting those policies are less clear. What is clear: CEO buy-in, leadership from DE&I officers and action by managers and employees are all needed to generate cultural change needed to make DE&I work sustainable.  On that note, Minnesota has the fourth-lowest job resignation rate.
• Pohlad brothers selected as Twin Cities Business People of the Year. Bob, Bill, and Jim Pohlad will be honored for their commitments to alleviate poverty, bolster racial justice, and rejuvenate downtown Minneapolis.

• IT'S OFFICIAL! The Minnesota Startup Awards have been announced!
• Bremer/Habitat partnership approaches 500 homes. And more are on the horizon. As of 2017, Bremer partnered to be the sole source of capital for the Home Loan Impact Fund.​

• Minneapolis: Sherman plans $400M downtown development. Planned for the site is a 25-story mixed-use high-rise, a 20-plus story market-rate apartment building, and a 10-story mixed-income mid-rise apartment building with an “amenity courtyard” and “feature restaurant plaza” in the middle, Sherman said.
• St. Paul: Paster pays $1M for Highland Park development site. The plan: 4-story, 91-unit, market-rate apt bldg. on the site of a former church (2315 Highland Parkway).
• Maplewood: Plans afoot to raze Maplewood’s Myth nightclub, built apartments.