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The historic Saint Paul City Council is inaugurated today. We will be following council discussions as part of our "Diversity in Politics" series. We started with a conversation about their goals, expectations, and distinct gifts.
Says Rebecca Noecker, the elder council member who first took office at age 29 in 2016:
“I come from a faith and a culture that values question-asking and critical thinking and doesn’t see argument as a negative thing or a hostile thing. I think that’s important in this work, because you need to be able to disagree constructively while still being respectful and courteous. Being able to express disagreement and question things is how we make progress."
Says Hwa Jeong Kim: “I feel like we will govern differently, not simply because of our gender, but also because of our experiences, our identities, our ethnicities, our religions.”
Says Nelsie Yang, one of three incumbents: “I expect change with the election of an all-women’s city council. I already feel that shift. We really value work-life sustainability. I have a one-year-old, and am expecting, and plan to have a large family. I absolutely can and should be able to do that as well as being a council member. That’s what we should be building towards — a caring community and economy. We can build that if we have leaders ingrained in the value of building care for every person.”
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