Star Tribune
St. Paul DFL party endorses 3 City Council incumbents
Three St. Paul City Council members seeking re-election this fall received the city DFL party’s stamp of approval Sunday.
Council Members Rebecca Noecker, Mitra Jalali and Nelsie Yang were all endorsed by DFLers at conventions that immediately followed caucuses Sunday afternoon. The party combined the two processes in wards where an incumbent candidate ran uncontested.
“I’m so proud of the progress we’ve made in eight years — and I know we have so much more work to do,” Noecker told an audience of about 200 in the Humboldt High School auditorium, in a speech asking delegates for support as she seeks a third four-year term representing St. Paul’s Second Ward.
Four of the council’s seven members are stepping down at the end of the year, spurring open races in the First, Third, Fifth and Seventh wards. DFLers in those parts of the city caucused Sunday and elected delegates for ward conventions in April, when the party’s endorsements will be decided.
Election Day is Nov. 7, and elected council members will take office in January 2024.
The DFL’s nod has long been a key endorsement in a city that consistently votes blue. Candidates who receive the endorsement also get resources from the party, including volunteer support and coordinated campaigning.
Residents who attended caucuses heard speeches from candidates and had the chance to ask questions of campaigns. Topics ranged from rent control to snow plowing to public safety.
On St. Paul’s East Side, blue signs lining the walkway to Hazel Park Preparatory Academy read: “Nelsie Yang for St. Paul City Council Ward 6.” Inside the school early Sunday afternoon, music bumped and neighbors chatted over snacks before caucusing.
Minutes later, Yang popped into a caucus room and thanked DFLers for turning out. She spoke briefly about a few of her policy positions, highlighting the future development of the former Hillcrest Golf Course, a 112-acre site that the St. Paul Port Authority is planning to use for 1,000 new units of housing and 1,000 new jobs.
“It is the most exciting time to live on the East Side of St. Paul. Thank you for your investment in our community. Thank you for continuing to choose the East Side as your home,” Yang said.
Yang is running for a second term leading St. Paul’s Sixth Ward. Jalali, who first joined the council after a special election in 2018, is seeking her second full term representing the Fourth Ward.
“Our work isn’t finished, but together, we’re leading progress for our city,” Jalali wrote in a tweet Sunday.
Four St. Paul school board seats will also be on the ballot this fall. Delegates will endorse candidates for those offices at the citywide DFL convention June 11.
Star Tribune
St. Paul planning commission to discuss a potential citywide ban of new fast food drive-thrus
Twin Cities franchisees and business advocacy groups have already voiced their concerns about the potential drive-thru restrictions to the planning commission.
Over 80% of Taco Bell transactions in St. Paul are done via drive-thru windows, according to Zach Zelickson, vice president of Marvin Development, which develops Taco Bell restaurants for Border Foods. A ban on new drive-thrus could limit what can be done with existing restaurants and make customers travel to locations outside the city, he said. In 2022, Border Foods opened a futuristic Taco Bell Defy location with four drive-thru lanes in Brooklyn Park.
“We believe that drive-thrus play a vital role in serving the needs of our communities across Minnesota,” Angie Whitcomb, CEO of Hospitality Minnesota, which represents the state’s hospitality businesses, said in a statement. Drive-thrus provide convenience for busy customers and contribute to the safety of fast food workers, particularly duing late-night hours, she said.
Drive-thrus have been synonymous with America’s fast-food culture since the concept became mainstream in the 1970s. During the pandemic, drive-thrus became even more important, allowing consumers to grab food while COVID-19 restrictions shut down many restaurant dining rooms.
Besides traditional fast food operations, other fast casual restaurants such as Chipotle have begun to add drive-thru lanes.
According to a study released last month by the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, drive-thrus are critical for many businesses. Average monthly visits to studied stores with drive-thrus were down a little more than 4% in December 2022 (post-pandemic) compared to December 2019 (pre-pandemic). However, traffic at stores without drive-thrus declined about 48%.
“[The most pressing issues] are everything from gentrification to community policing to climate change,” he told the Star Tribune. “MCAD’s role is: How do we begin addressing the most critical issues of our time? Frankly that’s got to be part of the work we do in educating the next generation of cultural leaders.”
MCAD’s Board Search Committee will begin a national search for the next president, working with executive search firm Isaacson, Miller, along with the MCAD community.
“We thank President Sethi for his dedication for the past five years, as he led the college through the challenges of COVID, acquired a new building for much-needed student housing, reimagined the campus of the future, and advocated for greater access to an art-and-design education,” said Board Co-Chairs Chris Barry and M.E. Kirwan in a joint statement.
Sethi is the 19th president in MCAD’s 139-year history, previously serving for four years as inaugural director of George Washington University’s Corcoran School of the Arts & Design, and previously holding leadership positions at Santa Fe Art Institute, Memphis College of Art and California College of the Arts.
The medical center is owned by a local nonprofit, but operated by Duluth-based Essentia under an affiliation agreement that dates back to 2009.
With the ruling announced Wednesday, Essentia Health says it will continue to operate the hospital, clinic, assisted-living and long-term care facilities in Fosston, plus clinics in Bagley and Oklee.
“Now that the arbitration process is over, Essentia is focused on the opportunity to engage our patients, colleagues and the community in building a shared vision for the future of health care in Fosston,” said Dr. Stefanie Gefroh, interim president of Essentia Health’s West Market, in a statement.
Arbitrators were asked to rule on whether Essentia eliminated a “core” service by discontinuing deliveries, since the city of Fosston would then have the right to terminate the affiliation agreement. But the panel in a 2-1 vote concluded that labor and delivery is just one aspect of obstetrics (OB).
“OB is a ‘core’ service under the agreement, encompassing labor and delivery as part of comprehensive care for pregnant women,” the ruling states. “Simply put, while the delivery of the baby is an essential component, it is not the sole care provided to a pregnant woman.”
Fosston officials, including the town’s mayor, were involved in the arbitration because the city has a legal connection to the nonprofit owner of the medical center, which historically was a municipal hospital.
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