The City of St. Paul is at a crossroads. We will select a new mayor this fall. This quadrennial transition affords us an opportunity to step back and take stock of where we are as a city, examine the major challenges we face and explore options to develop bold and creative solutions to address them.

Minneapolis, for example, has seen over $2 billion of private and public economic development in their downtown in just the last five years and is developing a long-range, aggressive growth and transformation plan looking out to 2030. The City of Rochester, with its Destination Medical Center, expects to see almost $7 billion of public and private investment over the next 20 years. This investment will totally transform and redefine that community. These two cities are thinking big, taking risks and investing in their futures. What is the City of St. Paul’s design plan for the future? What are the 21st century big ideas for the next decade and beyond?

Over the past decade, St. Paul has much progress to celebrate; but there are still many challenges and much opportunity in the city’s future.

The next administration will have major budget issues to confront, with the loss of the Right-of-Way Maintenance Assessment fee and probable additional state cuts to Local Government Aid. The ROW was implemented to address the fact that a third of the city is off the tax rolls, including churches, non-profits, government, school and university buildings. Formulating and adopting a plan to minimize double-digit tax increases for many St. Paul properties needs to be a high priority. Given this reality, the city needs to look for ways to cut expenses and hold property taxes down. A critical look at how city government operates and delivers services is in order.

Fostering creative, collaborative partnerships with Ramsey County, other governmental agencies and the private sector could eliminate duplicative services, decrease cost, and increase efficiencies. Adopting best practices, and striving for a lean, streamlined government is in the best interest of the residents of St. Paul. These are important ideas about which city, county, and state elected officials, as well as area residents and businesses, should be thinking.

With St. Paul’s population increasing to over 300,000 and home prices rising rapidly, it is becoming increasingly difficult to find quality, affordable housing in St. Paul. An aggressive and comprehensive effort needs to be developed to expand affordable housing throughout the city to meet the needs of working families and millennials. With the help of the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency and use of federal tax credits, a workforce housing initiative to build, remodel or expand a thousand or more units over the next four years is possible and could be considered.

Job growth in St. Paul has lagged Minneapolis since the recession. Gaining and retaining new businesses and corporate headquarters that provide a living wage is essential. Strategies to develop a more highly skilled workforce for employment in the 21st century needs to be aggressively pursued. The next mayor, working hand in hand with labor, higher education and industry, could make it happen.

Strong public schools are a vital part of a strong community. A city cannot be truly successful without a quality education system. While the mayor is not in charge of the school system, he/she can work in concert with the St. Paul School Board, the new superintendent, teacher leaders, parents and students to transform the current system so that all students have access to the education opportunities they need and deserve. Different delivery models, new approaches and perhaps radical change should all be on the table for discussion.

An aggressive plan to revitalize our aging commercial corridors penetrating our neighborhoods needs to be developed. Downtown, the heart of our city, needs a comprehensive vision and reimagining. Significant additional redevelopment of our riverfront is possible and, working with the county and other partners, this tremendous asset can be harnessed to help redefine the aesthetics, beauty, and vibrancy of our downtown riverfront area.

St. Paul is unique, diverse, historic, and has many strengths and assets. The residents of St. Paul want the city to prosper and be a stimulating, vibrant, safe, and affordable place in which to live, raise their families, work, play and visit. The next mayor has an opportunity to grasp the moment, articulate a bright, bold vision, and take St. Paul to new heights. The people of St. Paul should expect nothing less and perhaps hope for something more.

Randy Kelly of St. Paul was mayor of St. Paul from 2002-06 after serving in the Minnesota Legislature for 25 years.