Meet Kaohly Her, the new mayor of Saint Paul
By Eleanor Anderson
On Nov. 5, Saint Paul residents elected Kaohly Her for mayor - the first woman and first person of Hmong descent to hold this office. Her and her family immigrated to the United States from Laos in the 1970s and moved around the Midwest before settling in North Saint Paul. She then went on to earn her bachelor's from the University of Wisconsin - Madison and a master's in business administration from Northeastern University.
Her garnered experience in the financial industry and as a stay-at-home mom before shifting to government work. Her public service career includes being the administrator for the St. Paul Public Schools, serving on the city Human Rights commission, founding Minnesota’s first Hmong political action committee, and acting as former Mayor Melvin Carter’s public policy advisor during his first term – all before running for election herself in 2019.
As a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives for the Summit-Hill/ Mac-Groveland/ Merriam Park neighborhoods, Mayor-elect Her’s most recent work focused on protecting renters' and tenants' rights as well as bolstering the pension system for state workers. Endorsed as a career-long Democrat, Her’s election marks a shift in the Democratic Party values within the residents of St. Paul.
Her ran for office on several relatively simple platforms: make neighborhoods safer, increase affordable housing and develop St. Paul’s economy. Emergency calls for mental health and drug crises nearly doubled in frequency in the last year, according to Her, signaling a need for greater support in promoting the wellbeing of the residents of St. Paul. Safety does not just include criminal threats, but also the personal and social barriers, including recent federal attacks on immigrants' rights and LGBTQIA+ rights. Throughout her term, Her hopes to restore the social safety nets for these groups to rebuild a safe and welcoming community.
At the same time, there can’t be a community if residents can’t afford housing. Her promises to work with local officials to build affordable public housing so that everyone, from students to seniors, can choose to live in our capital city. All of these initiatives aim to reinvigorate the St. Paul economy. St. Paul’s unions, community groups and organizations are struggling to maintain development in the age of online retail and fast fashion. Her sees it as the role of the city to ensure that residents have access to thriving local opportunities.
Regardless of Mayor-elect Her’s policies or political leanings, there has never been a better moment to be a student at a women’s college in the heart of St Paul. Not only will Her be the first female mayor, but Saint Paul currently has an all-female and BIPOC majority city council. With eight inspirational female leaders (seven of whom also identify as people of color), St. Paul is inching closer toward a representative model of governance where everyone’s voice can be heard - especially women's.
Cover photo credit: The Star Tribune
