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DFLers fight for Ward 6 city council seat
Dan Bostrom and Pakou Hang
In the Sixth Ward, former community organizer Pakou Hang is squaring off against DFL incumbent Dan Bostrom.
Neither candidate has the DFL endorsement, as Hang’s strong convention showing blocked Bostrom from receiving the endorsement and the convention ended with a vote for no endorsement.
St. Paul’s Ward 6 covers large areas of the east side of St. Paul, including much of the Phalen Corridor and Payne neighborhood. Like the First Ward, Ward Six is comprised of a diverse mix of races, cultures and incomes. According to Hmong Today, Ward 6 “holds perhaps the most densely Hmong populated pocket in the United States.”
Bostrom hadn’t faced a challenger since his first campaign in 1995.
Bostrom does have the endorsements of AFSCME Council 5, Saint Paul Area Chamber of Commerce, Saint Paul Area AFL-CIO Trades & Labor Assembly, Saint Paul Building and Construction Trades, Saint Paul Police Federation, Saint Paul Police Retirement Association, and Minnesota D.R.I.V.E. – Teamsters.
Among his accomplishments on the city council, Bostrom notes economic and job creation in Ward 6, adding police officers to St. Paul’s police force, a new radio system for police, fire, and other public safety officials, rebuilding and rehabilitating two recreation centers, and creating new housing as well as authoring requirements that landlords maintain quality rental housing.
Bostrom said he plans to “continue to promote home ownership and rehabilitate abandoned housing as well as removing the blighted housing when necessary,” if re-elected.
Other Bostrom priorities include “invest[ing] in our recreation centers, libraries, and schools to offer our youth better, healthy choices,” expanding the ward’s tax base and rehabilitating commercial strips like Payne Avenue, Arcade Street, White Bear Avenue, and 7th Street. Bostrom also lists living wage jobs as a priority.
When asked why he is the better candidate, Bostrom replied that “As a lifelong east sider, I know the people of Ward 6 well. I have decades of first hand, personal experience fighting crime [as a former police officer]. I have been a leader through tough economic times and have had to make hard choices before while in my role as a member of Saint Paul’s Board of Education. I have worked extensively and developed relationships with developers and planners.
“In short, I am a seasoned leader, and have already acquired and developed the vital relationships and knowledge to move our community forward during this difficult period and give the people here hope.”
Challenger Pakou Hang may not have held office before, but she brings considerable political experience to the table. Hang was deputy political director for Paul Wellstone’s 2002 campaign and was campaign manager for state senator Mee Moua. After graduating from Yale University, Hang garnered considerable experience as a community organizer, experience that helped her forge relationships that she says will help her be an effective city council member.
A Ward 6 resident for more than twelve years, Hang said she is saddened when she sees trash on the streets and vacant, boarded up storefronts. “I am running for Saint Paul City Council because I want to be part of the solution,” she said. “I want to take the skills I’ve learned working statewide and use them to help the East Side.”
She also maintained that “There’s a very protective circle of power on the East Side and the incumbent certainly hopes to keep it that way… And at the same time as I visit residents of this ward, I am realizing that there are a lot of people who feel they are not being served adequately.”
Hang’s three main concerns are:
• Public safety: “We need a comprehensive approach to public safety on the East Side. Increasing library hours and access to youth programming, cleaning up our parks, getting better lighting on our streets, and working closely with the St. Paul Police Department are just a few necessary measures that need to be addressed by the city council.”
• Education: “We need to work together as neighbors to continue to model and support learning for young people on the East Side. The city council should work with both traditional and non-traditional learning institutions in Ward 6 to better prepare our children for the global economy.”
• Sustainable economic growth: “We need to invite small businesses and people with an entrepreneurial spirit to join us in the revitalization of the business corridors on the East Side. The city council should work with existing businesses while fostering new business relationships to create a vital, sustainable economic community for the East Side.”
At the end of Hang’s term, she said she would gauge her effectiveness by asking herself these questions:
• Are people better off economically, socially, and politically than they were before I came into office?
• Have the number of foreclosed or vacant homes gone down?
• Do we have more successful, locally owned businesses along the major economic corridors?
• Are more people employed and owning their own homes?
• Have the rates of crime, especially those against children, gone down?
• Have voting rates risen on the East Side?
• Have I been visible and accessible?
• Have I communicated what is going on at City Hall to the people in Ward 6?
• Have I developed new leaders to continue to do the work of community building?
Isaac Peterson is a free-lance writer in St. Paul.
Comments
Mr. Peterson, thanks for
Mr. Peterson, thanks for this article and for trying really hard to balance the story. However, when you listed Mr. Bostrom’s endorsements, I think it would only be fair if you also listed Ms. Hang’s endorsements. Otherwise, you make it seem as if Ms. Hang has NO endorsements of any kind…which is grossly misleading and wrong. Here is a list of her endorsements, missing from your story!!!
Asian American Action Fund
womenwinning (formerly the Minnesota Women’s Campaign Fund)
Progressive Majority St. Paul Firefighters IAFF Local 21
DFL Feminist Caucus
Stonewall DFL
SEIU Minnesota State Council
TakeAction Minnesota
Minnesota Women’s Political Caucus
Minnesota ACORN
And:
* U.S. Representative Keith Ellison * Senator Ellen Anderson (DFL-66) * Senator Mee Moua (DFL-67) * Senator Sandy Pappas (DFL-65) * Senator Patricia Torres Ray (DFL-62) * Senator Satveer Chaudhary (DFL-50) * Representative Sheldon Johnson (DFL-67B) * Representative John Lesch (DFL-66A) * Representative Carlos Mariani (DFL-65B) * Representative Karen Clark (DFL-61A) * Representative Frank Hornstein (DFL-60B) * Ramsey County Commissioner Toni Carter * Bill Finney, former St. Paul Chief of Police * St. Paul School Board Member Anne Carroll * DFL endorsed candidate for St. Paul City Council in the 1st Ward: Melvin Carter IIIExperence?
Can any tell me what actual community organizing experence does Ms. Hang have – besides working on/with two DFL endorsed canidate’s election committees? Has she worked for a district council? Has she ever tried to find homeless folks a place to live? Has she been one of the few in town who have been trying to preserve neighborhood livability by developing an area Weed and Seed effort in her neighborhood? I would be interested to see if she has any real, street leval organizing work under her belt or it it just more partisan bs! My guess is the latter.
Experience!
twinsfanam – Great questions for Ms. Hang. It’s obvious Mr. Bostrom has been in office for how long? Can you tell me what actual community organizing experience he has – besides never having to work on his own campaigns the last two times he was elected? Oh, and let’s not forget he WASN’T endorsed by the DFL this time around! And that’s the result of experienced leadership? Actually, Mr. Bostrom, much unlike Ms. Hang, has actually been working on/with NON-DFL endorsed candidate’s in most of the past elections!, including Randy Kelly! That kind of experience?
You asked, “Has she [Ms. Hang] worked for a district council? No, but is that THE like only approved political path to serve on the City Council? The district councils are great, but if the leadership there is so great, why isn’t Mr. Bostrom overwhelming endorsed by the majority of DFLers on the Eastside? Hmm.
You asked, “Has she ever tried to find homeless folks a place to live?” Tried? Do you need to be a City Council person to take those actions? Ms. Hang personally knows people she has helped get into homeless shelters. Not just “tried.”
Then, you said, “I would be interested to see if she has any real, street leval organizing work under her belt or it it just more partisan bs! My guess is the latter.”
Dan Bostrom has been the Eastside City Council person for how long? It’s not a stretch to say that entire neighborhoods haven’t a clue who he is – forget “street level organizing work.”
What “partisan bs” are you talking about? Both are Democrats (though one has been known to support many Republican candidates over the years). And it ain’t the Wellstonian organizer, Ms. Hang. Don’t even go there!
Do all of us Eastsiders a favor, don’t just “guess” about the future of our city and our neighborhoods. Get to know the facts about who and what can bring out the very best for all of us in Ward 6. And vote on that!
Is she, was she?
To whom: You missed my point entirely. I wanted to know what your candidate has actualy done during her short time in the Twin Cities (or anywhere) so she can truthfully make the claim that she is a “former community organizer”. I listed these three examples to give you the opportunity to point to something, anything that Ms. Hang has done either on a volunteer or professional level to warrent such a claim. But you instead chose to trash the current council member because he did not get the endorsement of 100 political hacks who happened to stick it our longer then the other group of dfl’ers. Why didn’t you just point to a time that she organized anything more extensive than a Saturday morning doorknocking session for a dfl politico. You can not confuse nor should you be allowed to say what you do in order to elect someone to office is equal to the work that is needed to help residents organize their block to keep out the druggies, to get folks excited enough to want to put in a community garden on that area vacant lot or to make sure the neighborhood clean up has enough volunteers.
I have worked most of my adult life as a real, day-to-day organizer here in St. Paul and Minneapolis. So I take great offense to someone who can not back up their words with the facts.
If you can’t back it up than I ask that you stop making this claim.
Oh, by the way, anyone can drive down to Dorothy Day and drop somebody off for the night.
Run for office yourself!
twinsfansam:
First of all, I merely point out what are some basic, public and general facts about the current councilman. What part of what I said is NOT true? I stand to be corrected, and willing to learn, of course. That’s not trashing!
Secondly, anyone who have been living in one neighborhood or city for more than 5 years, 10 years or 20 plus years…is not only quite normal, but actually above the average length of residency for any American nationwide these days. The fact that Ms. Hang grew up in St. Paul since she was 12 makes your statement, “...her short time in the Twin Cities (or anywhere),” totally irrelevant. It’s my understanding that she’s barely in her 30s! I mean, Mr. Bostrom or you, clearly have age on your side as having been on the Eastside longer.
I know you mean well about “community organizing” and it sounds like you’re a seasoned “organizer”, which should suggest that you know a thing or two about all the different types of “organizing” in our side of town. I know for a fact that many many segments of the Eastside have NOT been touched one bit by such “organizing” efforts that’s been happening over the last however many decades. There’s clearly a huge gap between the “established” organizers of our community, and the vast majority of the newer, more transitory, disadvantaged, and recent residents to the Eastside. In fact, the “organizing” has always been with the same people, the same groups, the same issues, for far too long. I know that because I’ve been to many such “organizing” functions, and the majority of the folks there are from a completely different generation, perhaps yours and mine, the generation that I must admit, still cares very deeply about their neighborhood, but often times, are quite afraid of any change. The majority of folks that are clearly invisible or absent from these “organizing” efforts over the years…are the folks who lined both sides of White Bear Avenue Parade! I’ve been here long enough to know and notice the sea of change!
But I can tell you, if St. Paul and our Eastside will stand for a better and brighter future, we must start to transfer that spirit of activism and sense of community (which you’re interested in, of course) to a new, excited and hopeful generation.
I think Ms. Hang represents that new, exciting and hopeful future of the Eastside and the City of St. Paul. You don’t have to take my words for it because she’s my candidate, but what you should do is sit down with her so that your questions can be individually and accurately answered. She is more than all ears, from my experience.
And, I’ve lived on the Eastside my entire life, perhaps yours and Mr. Bostrom’s generation of folks…and I’m voting for the future, Ms. Hang.
Organizing.
Well, if that is the problem Ms. Hang isn’t the answer.
I looked over her website. No listing of any neighborhood or social VOLUNTEER work whatsoever. Just some paid political jobs.
I realize everyone (most everyone) has to have a job, but I am looking for someone who has maybe started a block club, been a PTA president, served as a precinct chair in their political party, maybe something with the district council (I know they don’t count as much for one poster). How about service on any kind of non-profit board of directors? Humane society? Friend of the Parks? How about block collector for the March of Dimes? NAACP? Something…..
Maybe she has done some of this. If she did she should put it on her website or literature.
One recent poster wrote “There’s clearly a huge gap between the “established” organizers of our community, and the vast majority of the newer, more transitory, disadvantaged, and recent residents to the Eastside.
So then, please tell us, aside from her own campaign what is this candidate’s record of UNPAID, VOLUNTEER, NON-PARTISAN work for the “newer, more transitory, disadvantaged, and recent residents to the Eastside.” or anywhere else for that matter.
And if you can find it, please tell you candidate to add it to her website.
Before someone wants to be a city council person I would like to see some leadership in the neighborhood, not just paid jobs.
VOLUNTEER
Hey Jules, great list of volunteer work. As an sobserver of these comments, and I’ve checked both candidates websites.
I don’t see the “volunteer” list you’re talking about for Dan Bostrom either! Where are Dan Bostrom’s NAACP, March of Dimes, Friends of the Park, Humane Society, non-profit Board of Director list?
The majority of the listings I see for Dan Bostrom are a lot whole of business organizations and incumbent job description duties listings. What about the public and community consumers of those businesses and government services? Who’s on their side, who’s fighting for them….the Distritc Council?...not coincidently, they’re also the same people as those on the business associations and government entities, of course.
So, let’s be fair to both candidates: What is Dan Bostrom’s record of “UNPAID, VOLUNTEER, NON-PARTISON, work for the “newer, more transitory, disadvantaged, and recent residents to the Eastside.” ??? Yes, besides all the duties and related duties as the paid current City Councilman.
After all, after serving so many years, should his list should be much much longer than a 30-something candidate, you think?
In any election cycle, even an incumbent must run as just another candidate.
I’m glad that you” would like to see some leadership in the neighborhood, not just paid jobs,” before anyone become your choice for the city council position.
How does being paid to do your job, especially being involved in your neighborhood groups as part of your current job description (city council Dan Bostrom)...qualify as “unpaid, volunteer and non-partison” work?
And, what if that work is deficient in many of the neighborhoods…who for the most part haven’t a clue what is his PAID job, and what is his volunteer job?
VOLUNTEER work
I haven’t followed Dan Bostrom too much recently but when I lived on the East Side, near Beaver Lake, he was our community council president and also I recall him as PTA president. That was before he was elected to the school board and then later to the city council.
I hope that any candidate for city council in any ward in the city has that type of grassroots volunteer involvement before running for public office.
There is a nice profile of Bosrom on page 2 of his website that talks about Dan’s service on the community council and the board of education. The previous poster must have missed it.
Just curious
I’m curious as to WHO and HOW MANY elected officials are publicly supporting Dan for this City Council race. I was looking for that list on Dan’s website and I can’t find it.
The only thing close to that is the web page titled, “Photo Album”. There, I suppose one can glean that the elected officials appearing with Dan on those photos are at least publicly supporting Dan.
http://www.danbostrom.com/page10.html
They include: Represenative Tim Mahoney, St. Paul School Board Member John Brodrick, Ramsey County Commissioner Jim McDonough, City Council Member Dave Thune, and Mayor Chris Coleman (?).
I guess I didn’t know that Mayor Chris Coleman has endorsed Dan Bostrom. When did that happen, before the DFL endorsing convention, or after? Am I missing something here?
Another perspective
Hey, I looked too!
Looks like all the elected officials who actually live in Ward Six are supporting Bostrom (Mahoney, McDonough) and when you look at his opponent’s website, the elected officials from Minneapolis and others who are not residents of Ward Six are trying to tell those of in Ward 6 who to vote for.
I am sure both candidates would like the actual voters to think for themselves.
As a young eastside
As a young eastside resident, I see the need for change. Mr. Bostrom has been our council member for the past 12 years, and if you look around people are moving out of ward 6, either because of the growing rate of crime, or the lack of economic stability here on the east side. Its time we take back our east side and make was it once was. I can only imagine but from the stories my grandma tells me, it was a beautiful place unlike today. Come November 6, I will go out and vote for Pakou Hang because I KNOW she will lead us to a better east side. You ask yourself this question, Has Mr. Bostrom sat down with you personally and ask you what how the east side can be better or what problems are facing the east side?
Bottom line, Mr. Bostrom has not been a leader for Ward 6 in a long time and its about time to let someone lead us.
-Ward 6 homeowner
Perspective!
Pamela, per your argument about “all the elected officials who actually live in Ward Six are supporting Bostrom…”: You mean Dave Thune lives in Ward Six? Wow, and John Brodrick also lives in Ward Six, as well as Mayor Coleman? So, Thune and Brodrick and Coleman actually DON’T live in Ward Six, but how come they’re telling the residents of Ward Six who to vote for, just as well? Isn’t that what they’re doing when they pose for photos with Dan on his campaign website? Hmm, are you sure you thougth this one through? Anyway, since you “looked too,” where’s that elected official list for Dan that Ruth was looking for, again?
Time for change.
I’ve been a resident of this ward for half my life. I’ve seen Mr. Bostrom’s work. It’s time for new leadership. I voted for Mr. Bostrom. As an Eastsider I’m voting for Pa Kou Hang.
Thank you for the work you’ve done Mr. Bostrom. I’d like to see some fresh ideas. Hope to see you running this city Ms. Hang.
Changed my mind
Well I was voting for Hang but after her dismal performance at the Payne Avenue debate last night I am thinking I will go back to the old guy. Wow. Talk about the difference between experience and depth (Bostrom) vs. platitudes and shallowness (Hang).
Sorry Pakou, just can’t do it.
-Lee
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