Latest news with #MattPrivratsky
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Polls close in election for St. Paul City Council Ward 4
Polls closed at 8 p.m. Tuesday night in the election for the Ward 4 seat on the St. Paul City Council, though results were not expected until later in the night. Ward 4 is in northwestern St. Paul and includes all or part of five neighborhoods: Hamline-Midway, Merriam Park, St. Anthony Park, and parts of Macalester-Groveland and Como. Former City Council member Mitra Jalali vacated the seat in March. Mayor Melvin Carter appointed Matt Privratsky to fill the seat until the special election. Here's who was on the ballot: • Chauntyll Allen, a member of the St. Paul school board and a leader of Black Lives Matter Twin Cities. • Molly Coleman, founder of progressive court reform nonprofit People's Parity Project. • Cole Hanson, a statewide online education coordinator who teaches nutrition to recipients of federal food assistance who is endorsed by the Twin Cities Democratic Socialists of America. • Carolyn Will, founder of CW Marketing and Communications, a former TV newscaster and opponent of the city's proposed Summit Avenue bikeway. The winner of the special election will take the seat and represent Ward 4 through the November 2028 election. Under St. Paul's ranked-choice voting system, voters will be able to rank candidates in order of preference. There was no primary election. The race is officially non-partisan, and the St. Paul Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party did not make any endorsements this summer as it works to rebuild itself. A winner could emerge late Tuesday. However, if no candidate wins an absolute majority on election night — 50% plus one of the vote — election officials will begin a reallocation process. St. Paul voters rank candidates by choice on their ballots. If one candidate gets a simple majority, they win. But if there's no clear winner, officials will eliminate the candidate with the fewest first-choice votes and award votes to the second choice listed on the ballot. This process is repeated until one candidate has 50% support If reallocation is needed, the process is tentatively scheduled for Friday, Aug. 15, according to Ramsey County spokesman Casper Hill. Residents at the polls Tuesday named a variety of local issues on their minds this year, including affordable housing, bike lanes, road quality and property taxes. Como resident Jeanne Baumann said she wanted more affordable accommodations for unhoused people in the city instead of 'giant apartment buildings that they can't afford.' Hamline-Midway resident Annie Kuhn said she was concerned with rising housing costs and property taxes when ranking candidates. 'My one kid is probably going to be able to buy a house, the other one probably never, ever will,' Kuhn said. 'It's just ridiculous that housing costs have spiraled so much.' Val Woelfel, who has lived in the Hamline-Midway neighborhood for 30 years, said one of her voting priorities was city development issues, such as the vacant CVS on the corner of Snelling and University avenues 'sucking the energy out of the neighborhood.' Como resident Karen Lenander said she prioritized candidates who opposed cutting down trees in historic neighborhoods to create more bike paths. Como resident Gary Grave agreed, saying city bike paths 'are used four months out of the year and then block traffic.' Merriam Park resident Dylan Brooks said road quality was a top issue. 'City Council can help increase patrolling for police, then also they control how road maintenance is managed,' Brooks said. 'So those are kind of the two biggest things that I looked at.' Merriam Park resident Jeff Fugina said he wants a moderate viewpoint to the council, which he believes has 'drifted way to one side in recent years.' Hamline-Midway resident Eric Gustafson said he didn't feel like the policy positions of the four candidates were vastly different, and he voted for candidates he thought best understood the 'slow process' of implementing new policy. 'If I was looking at one thing or another, it was how I thought they would work to get things done,' he said. Kathyrn Kovalenko contributed to this story. Related Articles St. Paul Ward 4 residents vote in special election for city council St. Paul City Council Ward 4 special election Tuesday features 4 candidates Rep. Kaohly Her to run for St. Paul mayor, Mayor Melvin Carter files for third run Molly Coleman outshines Ward 4 candidates in fundraising Election 2025: St. Paul City Council special election (Ward 4) Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
St. Paul City Council Ward 4 special election Tuesday features 4 candidates
Voters are set to pick one of four candidates to represent St. Paul City Council's Ward 4 in a special election Tuesday. Ward 4 is in northwestern St. Paul and includes all or part of five neighborhoods: Hamline-Midway, Merriam Park, St. Anthony Park, and parts of Macalester-Groveland and Como. Former City Council member Mitra Jalali vacated the seat in March. Mayor Melvin Carter appointed Matt Privratsky to fill the seat until the special election. The winner of the special election will take the seat and represent Ward 4 through the November 2028 election. Here's who's on the ballot: • Chauntyll Allen, a member of the St. Paul school board and a leader of Black Lives Matter Twin Cities. • Molly Coleman, founder of progressive court reform nonprofit People's Parity Project. • Cole Hanson, a statewide online education coordinator who teaches nutrition to recipients of federal food assistance who is endorsed by the Twin Cities Democratic Socialists of America. • Carolyn Will, founder of CW Marketing and Communications, a former TV newscaster and opponent of the city's proposed Summit Avenue bikeway. For more information on the candidates go to Under St. Paul's ranked-choice voting system, voters will be able to rank candidates in order of preference. There was no primary election. The race is officially non-partisan, and the St. Paul Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party did not make any endorsements this summer as it works to rebuild itself. Allen, Coleman and Hanson have spent money to access progressive and Democrat-affiliated campaign software, such as ActBlue and the MN DFL Action Network. Coleman has a significant fundraising advantage over her opponents, with $57,000 raised as of late July. Those donations came in over five months. Her donors include the mayor, former U.S. Sen. Al Franken, and former Minneapolis Mayor RT Rybak. Hanson raised about $24,000 from donors, including St. Paul City Council Member Nelsie Yang, Minneapolis City Council Member Robin Wonsley and state Rep. Athena Rollins, as well as people involved with the Twin Cities DSA. Will had raised about $21,000 as of the end of July, according to the most recently available reports from Ramsey County Elections. Her donors include people opposed to the Summit Avenue bikeway and former St. Paul City Council Member Jane Prince. Allen had raised more than $10,000 as of the end of July. Her donors included Hoang Murphy, chief executive officer of the People Serving People emergency shelter, fellow school board member Carlo Franco and several educators and city employees. Polls for the Ward 4 special election open at 7 a.m. Tuesday and close at 8 p.m. A winner could emerge late Tuesday. However, if no candidate wins an absolute majority on election night — 50% plus one of the vote — election officials will begin a reallocation process. How does it work? St. Paul voters rank candidates by choice on their ballots. If one candidate gets a simple majority, they win. But if there's no clear winner, officials will eliminate the candidate with the fewest first-choice votes and award votes to the second choice listed on the ballot. This process is repeated until one candidate has 50% support. More information on polling locations can be found on the Minnesota Secretary of State's website: Some voters have already cast their ballots. Early voting started July 25 and ended on Friday, Aug. 8. Related Articles Rep. Kaohly Her to run for St. Paul mayor, Mayor Melvin Carter files for third run Molly Coleman outshines Ward 4 candidates in fundraising Election 2025: St. Paul City Council special election (Ward 4) St. Paul school board will ask voters for tax hike on November ballot St. Paul Ward 4 council race: Forums scheduled, endorsements roll in Solve the daily Crossword
Axios
21-07-2025
- Business
- Axios
Cub Foods closing Midway St. Paul store
Cub Foods will close its Midway St. Paul store on Aug. 2 and could lay off all 96 workers, parent company UNFI Inc. informed state and city leaders today in a required mass layoff notice. Why it matters: The pending loss of Cub means Midway is losing a second large discount grocer in six years, as Walmart closed it neighborhood store in 2019. Between the lines: The writing has been on the wall for a few years. The store has stopped stocking hand baskets, frequently ran out of shopping carts (citing theft), shut down self-checkout lanes and was often short staffed at registers, according the Pioneer Press. Yes, but: Cub Foods has struggled in recent years, executives at Rhode Island-based UNFI have told investors. Promises to resuscitate the brand have not produced the desired results. Sales in the company's retail division, which is 70% Twin Cities Cub stores, have declined 2.1% over the last three fiscal quarters, according to an SEC filing. UNFI also abruptly closed its Uptown Minneapolis store in June and has not said when it will re-open. What they're saying: "Like any food retailer, we're constantly working to optimize our footprint, which includes investing in stores — like our newly remodeled Cub in Burnsville... as well as closing underperforming stores where necessary so we can operate as efficiently and effectively as possible," UNFI said in a statement. Zoom in: With nearby Target and Aldi stores still open, the closure won't make Midway a food desert. But interim Ward 4 City Councilmember Matt Privratsky said it's unfortunate Cub didn't stick it out to benefit from the new hotel, offices and restaurants that are part of the latest phases of the new United Village development at that corner. Privratsky said he'd love to see a retailer like Mississippi Market open in the Cub space, because the neighborhood would like to shop at a grocer with union workers. UFCW Local 1189, which represents 84 of the store employees, said the majority if its members have layoffs protection and will be working to get them placed in other UNFI facilities.
