City/Town: Stillwater
Legislative District: Senate District 33
Party: Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party
Candidate responses in italics.
Q1: Housing plays a critical role in economic stability, health, and quality of life for individuals and families. However, disparities in housing continue to affect communities of color, people with disabilities, rural communities, and other historically underserved populations. What meaningful actions should be taken to acknowledge, address, and eliminate housing inequities and advance housing opportunities for all Minnesotans
Every Minnesotan deserves a safe, stable place to call home. But rising housing costs and barriers to homeownership are putting that opportunity out of reach for too many families, especially people with disabilities, communities of color, seniors, and residents in rural communities.
We need to expand the supply of affordable housing, strengthen protections for people facing housing discrimination, and invest in programs that help Minnesotans find and keep stable homes. That means working with local governments, nonprofits, developers, and community members to understand local needs and develop solutions that work. I serve on the Washington County Community Development Block Grant Citizen Advisory Committee and have seen some of the amazing work done to ensure that all our neighbors have a good, safe, and decent place to call home.
As a state senator, I will support policies that expand access to housing, reduce unnecessary barriers to development, and make sure public investments reach the people who need them most. Housing policy should be driven by results and the experiences of the people affected, not partisan politics.
Q2: Supportive housing combines affordable housing with support services that help people who face the most complex challenges to live with stability, autonomy, and dignity. Supportive housing provides better outcomes and is fiscally responsible. What will you do to ensure community members who are unhoused or unstably housed receive the support they need to obtain or keep their own homes?
Everyone deserves the stability and dignity that come with having a place to call home. For Minnesotans experiencing homelessness or housing instability, that means more than putting a roof over their heads. It means connecting people with the services they need to stay housed.
I will support investments in supportive and transitional housing that pair stable homes with services such as mental health care, substance use treatment, employment assistance, and case management when needed. We should also strengthen partnerships among state and local governments, nonprofits, health care providers, and housing organizations to help people navigate available resources. We could also look at streamlining administrative requirements around local and statewide affordable housing aid programs.
We need to focus on what works. Supportive housing can improve outcomes for individuals and families while reducing costly emergency interventions. I will advocate for responsible investments, clear accountability, and better coordination across programs so taxpayer dollars make a meaningful difference.
People closest to these challenges—including those who have experienced homelessness—should have a voice in shaping the solutions. Our goal should be to help Minnesotans achieve lasting housing stability and greater independence.
Q3: Homeownership is a way to build generational wealth, provide family and household stability, and support community vibrancy. More and more Minnesotans are priced out of owning a home because of rising housing costs, including purchase price, homeowners’ insurance, and property taxes. What steps will you take to increase opportunities for renters and first-time homebuyers to purchase homes, condos, or cooperative ownership models?
Homeownership should be an attainable goal for working Minnesotans. Rising home prices, property taxes, insurance costs, and down payment requirements are making it harder for young families and first-time buyers to put down roots.
I will support expanding down payment assistance and first-time homebuyer programs, increasing the supply of starter homes and other attainable housing options, and reducing barriers that unnecessarily drive up construction costs. We should also explore opportunities for affordable manufactured homes, condominiums, and cooperative ownership models that give more Minnesotans a path to building equity.
We must consider the full cost of owning a home, including property taxes and insurance, and work to make homeownership sustainable over the long term. Public programs should be targeted, transparent, and accountable for helping people who otherwise would struggle to buy a home. Minnesota’s housing policies should help working families build a future here, strengthen our communities, and create opportunities for the next generation to build generational wealth.
Q4: In the last several years, bipartisan action to streamline building of new homes and apartments has passed in several states, including: allowing for multifamily buildings in select commercial areas, limiting parking requirements, allowing smaller homes on smaller lots, and more homes per lot in residential areas like duplexes, fourplexes, and accessory dwelling units. What reforms do you support to modernize zoning to both enable homes to be more affordable statewide and improve city tax bases?
Minnesota needs more homes, and we should make it easier to build the kinds of housing our communities need in partnership with local communities. Unnecessary zoning restrictions and lengthy approval processes can drive up costs, limit choices, and make it harder for workers and families to live near their jobs.
I support working with local governments to modernize zoning rules so communities can responsibly allow duplexes, triplexes, accessory dwelling units, smaller homes, and multifamily housing in appropriate locations. We should also look at opportunities to allow housing in underused commercial areas and remove excessive parking requirements where they are not needed.
These reforms should give communities more flexibility to respond to local housing needs while preserving meaningful public input. Local residents, businesses, and housing providers should have a seat at the table as these policies are developed.
Building more homes can help ease pressure on prices, expand housing choices, and strengthen local tax bases. The goal is to give communities the tools to grow thoughtfully while ensuring more Minnesotans can afford to live where they work, raise families, and contribute to their local economy.
Q5: Despite housing being the largest cost in the average household budget, housing receives only a small fraction of the total state budget at just 0.3%. A lack of ongoing reliable funding for housing in Minnesota’s state budget has resulted in an undersupply of stable homes affordable to our workforce, our elders, and our families. In recent years, a constitutional amendment for housing, which would dedicate revenues from a sales tax increase to housing, has gained momentum at the legislature. What revenue options will you champion to more adequately meet our need for reliable funding for homes we can afford?
Minnesota needs a reliable, long-term approach to housing investment. Families should not have to compete for a shrinking supply of affordable homes, and communities need predictable resources to address their housing challenges.
I will support sustainable funding for affordable housing construction, preservation, rehabilitation, and homeownership assistance. That includes evaluating existing housing programs to identify what is working, where gaps remain, and how we can make public investments go further.
I am open to evaluating dedicated revenue options, including the proposed constitutional amendment for housing, provided we carefully consider the impact on working families and ensure funds are used transparently and effectively. We should also pursue opportunities to leverage federal resources, public-private partnerships, and nonprofit investments.
As a whistleblower attorney, I have seen why accountability matters. Any dedicated housing funding should include clear goals, transparent reporting, and oversight to ensure dollars deliver real results. We should measure success by the homes created or preserved, the families helped, and whether investments improve affordability over time.
Q6: If you have other housing policy priorities, especially specific to your district’s housing needs, please share them here.
I believe Minnesota should focus on expanding the supply of attainable homes, helping first-time buyers build equity, and ensuring seniors can afford to remain in their communities.
In particular, we need more starter homes and housing options for young families, along with accessible housing that allows older adults and people with disabilities to live independently. We should preserve existing affordable housing and help homeowners maintain safe, energy-efficient homes without being priced out by rising costs.
In the St. Croix River Valley, we need to balance thoughtful growth with the character of our communities and the needs of local workers. That means listening to residents, partnering with local governments and housing organizations, and pursuing practical solutions that reflect local conditions.
Across all of these priorities, I will focus on responsible spending, transparency, and measurable outcomes. Minnesotans deserve housing policies that help more people find a stable home and build a future without placing unnecessary burdens on taxpayers.