Campaign mailing address: Sarah Steffen for SLP, MN. P.O. Box 16584, 5100 W 36th St., St. Louis Park, MN 55416.
Office Sought: City Council Ward 1 SLP
Are you an Incumbent or Challenger: Open Seat
City of Residence: St Louis Park
How long have you lived in your community?
2.5 years in SLP, 3 years in Uptown before that
Are you a Homeowner or Renter?
Renter
Do you own other real property (e.g. Business, Cabin, Investment, or Rental Property)? If so, which?
No
Describe your civic and/or community engagement.
Events Chair, Minnesota Community Care Staff Well-Being Council (2024 – Present). Member, UMN Alumni Association Student & Recent Alumni Council (2024 – Present). Director, SD46 DFL (2022- Present)
What are the most important housing challenges facing your community?
Affordable housing is scarce in our community. In Ward 1, there are currently only 4 homes for sale under $250,000. We need higher wages to afford to live in this area.
The Twin Cities Metro is facing a housing shortage unlike any we have experienced in recent history. What will you do to increase the number of homes available to residents of your community?
When building new units, we need a percentage of these units to be affordable units. We can codify this in city policy.
Minnesota has one of the largest homeownership gaps between Whites and Blacks, Indigenous, and People of Color. This is one of MAR’s primary concerns. What would you propose at the local level to close this home ownership gap?
We can address this with first time homeowner assistance programs. We can also ensure that there are appropriate homes on the market with culturally appropriate number of bedrooms available.
How do you think your city can best balance the rights of tenants and property owners to effectively manage rental housing?
It is important for the city to allow public comment periods that are accessible for tenants and property owners when there are proposed changes to policy that affect them.
What are your views on property tax rates in your community? Do you have concerns related to your city’s property tax rate? If so, how would you address those concerns once elected?
Property taxes in SLP are necessary to pay for the city budget and services that we enjoy. If we would like to lower our property tax rate, we would need to either raise property values or increase the amount of housing stock in SLP.
Please provide links to all social media accounts connected to you or your campaign.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahforslp/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sarah-steffen
Please list any notable endorsements for your campaign.
Letter of support from DFL SD46
