Vote for your SAPCC Board!

The 2022 Board Elections for the St. Anthony Park Community Council will be starting on November 1st and running through the month. In order to create greater access, this site will contain information on how to vote online or in person at throughout November.

For for a mail-in ballot, please email jessica@sapcc.org or call 651-649-5992.

CLICK HERE TO VOTE ONLINE

In Person Voting Times & Locations

Polls will close on Wednesday, November 30th at 11:59pm. Elected delegates will be officially seated at our December 8th, 2022 meeting at 7pm via Zoom (link below).

Join Zoom Meeting https://zoom.us/j/94313936880?pwd=MVVwU2xGTkJGVE1YM1g2Z2Z5UGhHdz09

Meeting ID: 943 1393 6880 Passcode: 361515

ST. ANTHONY PARK COMMUNITY COUNCIL BOARD CANDIDATES

North SAP Candidates

JOHN MAURER – North SAP

Please tell us a little about yourself and why you want to serve on the Board of Directors for the St. Anthony Park Community Council.

I’ve lived in SAP for 10 years, and served on the SAPCC for the last 4 years.  The council gives me an opportunity to be aware of and help in service of the neighborhood’s needs. 

What do you believe makes you a good candidate to serve in this role? What skills will you bring to the SAPCC Board?

Primarily an interest in the neighborhood makes a good candidate. Additionally, some attention to Council priorities and communications are important. Finally, a willingness to work as team with committees and fellow members is very helpful. I have an interest in the neighborhood, can pay some attention to Council issues and concerns, and enjoy working with others. Finally, I have some time to offer.

As a board member, how will you help foster the future of St. Anthony Park?

In the ten years that I have lived here, I’ve urged both my adult children and their families, and my sister to relocate to SAP. I remain a cheerleader for the assets we. currently offer to families and others. I am interested insuring the value of education and quality living in our neighborhood. 

As a board member, how will you fulfill and build upon the commitment SAPCC has made to equity, diversity, and inclusion in our organization?

I will remain as a member on the Equity Committee and work to achieve and set it’s goals. Additionally, I will continue to work to achieve additionally funds to help make our goals more attainable.

CAMBRAY CROZIER – North SAP

Please tell us a little about yourself and why you want to serve on the Board of Directors for the St. Anthony Park Community Council.

My exposure to the culture of Saint Anthony Park and the community itself is the reason I long dreamed to live in this neighborhood. Now, as a young parent living in SAP, I hope to contribute to and continue this community tradition  through service on the Council.

What do you believe makes you a good candidate to serve in this role? What skills will you bring to the SAPCC Board?

I’m a partner, a parent, a professional and passionate about policy. By day, I lead policy and governance work for the responsible sourcing and sustainability function at Target. I just finished the last piece of coursework for a graduate degree in Sustainability Leadership, and the focus of my dissertation research was on motivating sustainable behavior transitions in consumer demand.  Previously, my professional background includes government, policy and public affairs. These experiences equip me to see connections between our local choices and systems impacts, and to understand the critical need for community engagement and hearing many diverse perspectives to inform these choices.  

As a board member, how will you help foster the future of St. Anthony Park?

I aim to contribute to change at the systems level by supporting the collective capacity of the SAP community, and by considering the diversity and strengths across the community as a whole.

As a board member, how will you fulfill and build upon the commitment SAPCC has made to equity, diversity, and inclusion in our organization?

I value leaders who are able to demonstrate emotional intelligence and empathy, have the ability to actively listen, who are aware of and address unconscious bias, and who are open-minded, inclusive and curious. I aim to uphold these values in my own words and actions.

JOY GERDES – North SAP

Please tell us a little about yourself and why you want to serve on the Board of Directors for the St. Anthony Park Community Council.

I am passionate about making the world a place where everyone’s voice is heard and we all have equal opportunity to live a healthy life of our own choosing. I’m Mpls/St. Paul born and raised and a current renter in SAP north. I moved here 2 years ago and immediately noticed the sense of community. I care about continuing that and working to include all members of our community. I was a science teacher/substitute teacher for 10 years but switched to public health during the pandemic. When I saw SAPCC was looking for new members, I realized there’s no better time to fight for the things I’m passionate about and advocate for my community.

I am passionate about education, environmental issues, public health, and social justice. While I worked on the COVID-19 response for MDH I saw health and access disparities in a way I hadn’t before through interviewing COVID-19 patients and their families and hearing their stories. This inspired me to want to get more involved in my community.

What do you believe makes you a good candidate to serve in this role? What skills will you bring to the SAPCC Board?

I am passionate, detail oriented, and care about educating and empowering others. I love collaborating and using insight from my years teaching to help facilitate better communication and dialogue for better informed decision making. I have an eye for efficiency and making processes work smoothly. I believe that my perspective as an educator, renter, and neurodiverse woman who cares about our community makes me a good candidate to serve on the board.

I enjoy taking complicated concepts and making them accessible. I am passionate about community and want to live in a place that supports both its residents and business owners. This is the longest I’ve lived in a single neighborhood and over the pandemic I’ve enjoyed building community by meeting neighbors and business owners and starting to put down roots. I want to move on to the next step and get involved and become an active member of the community.

As a board member, how will you help foster the future of St. Anthony Park?

I intend to work on increasing the visibility of SAPCC and to increase engagement in events/activities and board meeting attendance by the public. I will support the efforts of the environmental committee to increase environmental and community member health because better health for all is important and that starts with improving the environment we live in. As a renter I will advocate for affordable housing and support efforts to improve the boards outreach to renters in SAP.

As a board member, how will you fulfill and build upon the commitment SAPCC has made to equity, diversity, and inclusion in our organization?

I will be welcoming to different perspectives and ideas and encourage increased engagement in community decision-making. I will work to include more voices and perspectives from the community. I will engage with the community through events and personal conversations to understand more about them and their needs. I will do my best to make decisions and support policies that create a more accessible community for all ages, cultures, abilities. I will support involving health inequality monitoring as part of the board’s process in creating and implementing environmental programs and policies. 

South SAP Candidates

JENNIFER PAWLOWICZ – South SAP

Please tell us a little about yourself and why you want to serve on the Board of Directors for the St. Anthony Park Community Council.

Hello! I lived in Loring Park for 30 years – the last 28 of those years in an old brownstone that I could no longer afford when it was sold to developers from Chicago and they are now charging 1350/mo for the 1-br apt that I paid 899/mo for.  I moved to Union Flats in St Paul excited by the rent control that had been implemented while Mpls had not yet implemented theirs. While my rent at Union Flats is 200/mo more than I was paying in Mpls, I was excited to live in a new building that was clean, had my own washer/dryer, a diverse community and beautiful courtyard with pool.  I know you are all well-acquainted with the issues that have occurred at Union Flats from poor building upkeep, insects and criminal activity.  I share in the disappointment of my neighbors as to the rent hikes we face and the fear of uncertainty of what is next.  It’s easy to get online and complain on our private FB groups but I want to be a part of the solution as our neighborhood continues to grow. 

What do you believe makes you a good candidate to serve in this role? What skills will you bring to the SAPCC Board?

I was a flight attendant for 25 years. I retired in 2021 and now I work full-time for the State of MN as a legal assistant at the Hennepin County Public Defender’s Office.  Both jobs have exposed me to people from all economic, social and cultural backgrounds.  I love my job at the Public Defender’s Office because every single person in that office truly wants nothing more than to make sure people who often suffer from poverty, abuse, neglect and addiction are represented to the best of their ability. I live in a diverse, affordable housing building.  I know a lot of my neighbors are afraid to write letters to city council as the letters are public and they fear social media postings will get printed and handed to building management.  I would be able to talk to people and bring their voices to the table.  

As a board member, how will you help foster the future of St. Anthony Park?

I think we need to go back a little bit and bring back a sense of community.  We have a lot of little kids who play outside in our courtyard that is a courtyard built for adults.  There is a jungle gym but the kids often play with rocks.  Kids who are a little older shoot hoops through the beams above our grilling area.  The SAP Rec Center is right down the block from us, but do the kids in our building know much about it?  Are there more programs we could do for kids in our neighborhood?  I understand we need growth and development besides more affordable housing but we also need to have more places for families and kids to go to. Could we plant some flowers in the park that volunteers could tend to?  Have a community garden closer?  I lived very close to Loring Park dog park and that was a GREAT way to meet neighbors who formed bonds. 

As a board member, how will you fulfill and build upon the commitment SAPCC has made to equity, diversity, and inclusion in our organization?

I read an article recently about a street that was upset that low income housing was being put into their St. Paul neighborhood. There was an interesting comment that sarcastically  stated “Oh, it can’t be that neighborhood.  They have ‘All are Welcome Here’ signs everywhere”.  I think some of those neighbors don’t even realize their own unconscious bias.  Everybody has them.  If SAPCC is committed then we need to start by educating ourselves on how to recognize our own, stop denying we have them and build from there.  It starts from within.  Have we ever actually asked our neighbors what makes them feel excluded in our neighborhood?  We can have talks with neighbors about crime but can we have talks about equity, diversity and inclusion?  People want to feel like they have a voice and are heard.  As a NEW board member, I wouldn’t be afraid to speak up or offer suggestions but I also would be there to learn from more seasoned members on how to be a good board member.  

MELISSA PAPPAS – South SAP

Please tell us a little about yourself and why you want to serve on the Board of Directors for the St. Anthony Park Community Council.

I have lived in South St. Anthony Park for 24 years. I am a writer, hobby photographer, and do computer support work. I have been involved with my hi-rise Resident Council since 2000 and a member of the SAPCC board since 2019. I love being involved in my community and doing what I can to make a difference. (Whether on a small scale like helping a neighbor or picking up recycling or on a larger scale like serving on a board or getting involved politically.)

I live in the Seal Hi-Rise with my kitty, River Song.

What do you believe makes you a good candidate to serve in this role? What skills will you bring to the SAPCC Board?

I have been on the board for three years and involved with my hi-rise board and the PHA Presidents Council for much longer. I am intelligent, compassionate, and comfortable with diverse groups of people. I have excellent computer and bookkeeping skills and know a lot about leading meetings and working in groups. I am dependable, respectful, and eager to learn new things.

As a board member, how will you help foster the future of St. Anthony Park?

I will continue working to make our community a better place through better food Equity and increased knowledge of renters rights. I will continue working to foster change in my own hi-rise as well as in the greater neighborhood. I see a bright future for the neighborhood if we all work together.

As a board member, how will you fulfill and build upon the commitment SAPCC has made to equity, diversity, and inclusion in our organization?

I will continue serving on the Equity Committee and working to bring people in the neighborhood together. I will also work on sharing knowledge of things like community resources and renters rights.

SCOTT JENSON – South SAP

Please tell us a little about yourself and why you want to serve on the Board of Directors for the St. Anthony Park Community Council.

I’ve been a resident of South SAP for fifteen years, and operated my business here for a few years above the Coop. I currently serve as president of my townhome homeowners association. As a SAPCC board member I hope to help develop and preserve this neighborhood as a good place to live and work.

What do you believe makes you a good candidate to serve in this role? What skills will you bring to the SAPCC Board?

I’ve been on the SAPCC transportation committee for several years now, serving as co-chair for the last few. In my time there I’ve learned much about what the SAPCC does and how it works, as well as engage with the community in our projects along Territorial Road.

As a board member, how will you help foster the future of St. Anthony Park?

As a resident of South SAP, my focus has been on ensuring the rapid development and growth of this residential neighborhood includes what it needs to become a livable and sustainable community, while respecting and supporting the needs of neighboring businesses in the adjacent industrial area. I would continue this as a board member, for all of St. Anthony Park.

As a board member, how will you fulfill and build upon the commitment SAPCC has made to equity, diversity, and inclusion in our organization?

I imagine my role is to listen to everyone in the community, especially taking notice and seeking out those who are not contributing their voice to our discussion for whatever reason. The goal is to build the neighborhood for all who live and work here, not just the outspoken.

CLICK HERE TO VOTE ONLINE

FAQs

What does the Board do?

Our board members direct the work of the St. Anthony Park Community Council (SAPCC) and weigh in on important community issues at monthly meetings. Board members also provide leadership to our four standing committees with other community members. Our Board approves the initiatives of each committee in addition to providing leadership for our organization.

How long is the service?

Elected board members serve a 2-year commitment to the SAPCC Board of Directors. Board members can expect to spend about 5 hours per month supporting community meetings and projects, with additional time for specific initiatives you become involved in.

Am I eligible?

Our Board is made up of up to 5 residents from South St. Anthony Park and up to 5 residents from North St. Anthony Park, elected by their neighbors.

The Board also appoints up to 5 business and organization representatives and 2 leadership representatives including area students and others developing leadership skills.

Any resident 16 years and older can vote for and run in SAPCC elections. Board members and resident voters do not need to be U.S. citizens or meet other eligibility requirements for Municipal, State, or Federal elections.

When are elections?

Elections will be held online at this webpage between November 1st and 30th, 2022. We will also have in person locations listed above. For a paper ballot, please email jessica@sapcc.org or call 651-649-5992. Candidate information is available online and at neighborhood locations. (www.sapcc.org/boardelections)

SAPCC Board candidates will be voted in by St. Anthony Park residents to represent your community on the Council. Candidates will be approved at the Board meeting on the second Thursday in December from 7:00-9:00pm. Email jessica@sapcc.org or call 651-649-5992 for Zoom Virtual Meeting information.

Who else is on the board?

Learn more about our current SAPCC Board of Directors on our webpage. The Board is comprised of 5 representatives from North SAP and 5 from South SAP elected by residents to 2-year terms, and up to 5 organization and 2 leadership delegates appointed by the Board to 1-year terms.

How else can I get involved?

There are many ways to make a difference with SAPCC! You can apply to join the Board of Directors, attend a Board or Committee meeting to speak on a specific issue, or join one of our four standing committees to get involved in issues you care about: 

  • Equity
  • Environment
  • Land Use
  • Transportation

All Board and Committee meetings are open to attend and participate! Learn more about our committees and find meeting information online.  

Please email any other thoughts, concerns, or questions to info@sapcc.org.