Ward 2 — Bill Hosko

Candidate Questionnaire — Ward 2 — Bill Hosko

Ward 2 contains the neighborhoods of 7th Street, the West Side, Summit Hill, Railroad Island, Lowertown, and Downtown. It is currently represented by Councilmember Rebecca Noecker. There are five candidates running: Sharon Anderson, Bill Hosko, Lindsay Ferris Martin, Helen Meyers, Rebecca Noecker. We have received responses from Councilmember Noecker, Sharon Anderson, Lindsay Ferris Martin, and Bill Hosko.

1. How do you plan to increase housing affordability in St. Paul?

If elected, I will work to see that the power of increased property, fee and assessment taxation is given to citizens via referendums. With responsible city spending under control, increases in housing costs can be slowed.

Hundreds of housing units are being constructed, hundreds more are planned. Many thousands of housing units with income-based rents exist. More are to come.

2. What do you see as the main cause for the shortage of affordable housing in St. Paul?

No response.

3. How can the city eliminate homelessness?

Our incumbent has had 3.75 years to eliminate it. It has increased. During election season, incumbent politicians say everyone deserves housing — in order to get Votes.

On Memorial Day and July 4th of this year, I went out and photographed places (not individuals) where people where living out of doors within site of downtown. Most sites where surrounded by trash and debris that had been accumulating for weeks and months. This happened under the incumbent’s watch. As we approached election season, the people here where moved out and everything was cleaned up.

Slowing the rate of housing costs (see questions 1 and 2 above) is one step. As said previously, many thousands of housing units with income-based rents exist. More are to come.

Politicians could start a pilot program whereas they sponsor a person(s) without a home and lead by one example — for others to follow if they so choose.

4. Do you support changing the city’s zoning to allow quadplexes everywhere in the city? If not, please explain why.

Many citizens purchased homes in neighborhoods with high concentrations of single family homes, for that reason. There remain many areas, within this ward and city where multi-tenant residences can be built.

Most of us would agree, that this could be an important referendum question for citizens to decide.

5. Do you support eliminating minimum parking requirements? If not, please explain why.

Personally no, and I don’t own a vehicle. However, this too is an important question citizens could be allowed to decide through a referendum. Many citizens do not want additional vehicles parked in their neighborhoods.

Metro Transit, including LRT, continues to see misconduct and fare-theft being commonplace. We owe it to riders, young to older, for public transit to always be a safe, pleasant experience.

If we truly want people to drive less and or to consider doing without vehicles, potential new users of Metro Transit must be assured of a safe, pleasant ride.

6. Do you support funding the city’s 4(d) affordable housing program? If not, how will you preserve at-risk Naturally Occurring Affordable Housing (NOAH)?

Again, this too is another important question citizens could decide through a referendum.

As well, going back to my previous answers, out of control spending and poor city planning and poor care of our business sector are leading to ever higher residential property taxation. While the 4D program can indeed help some, others would say it further raises residential taxes, and cost, on the rest. Further harming people on fixed incomes and those with lower wage jobs. It is a vicious cycle which the current city council won’t address.

This fall, voters can decide whether or not they want things to stay as they have been. My 100% non-partisan candidacy gives voters a clear new option. There is much we can accomplish together, in short order, for long term, which restores Saint Paul’s luster and affordably, improves many people’s quality of life.