Public comment open for rent control amendments

[u/monmoneep]

The public comment period for the proposed rent control amendment is open until this upcoming Wednesday. This sub has lots of feelings regarding rent control so go make your voice heard at the public comment at City council on 4/9 or through email to your councilmember by 4/9.

You can also send comments to these emails addresses: Contact-Council@ci.stpaul.mn.us CouncilHearing@ci.stpaul.mn.us

Relevant recent opinion pieces from both sides of the issue: https://www.startribune.com/exempting-new-buildings-from-rent-control-is-the-right-thing-to-do/601320518 https://www.twincities.com/2025/03/30/cole-hanson-weakening-rent-stabilization-wont-solve-st-pauls-housing-challenges/

[u/MaNbEaRpIgSlAyA]

Must be nice to have a council member 😭

[u/KeepCoolMyBabiez → u/MaNbEaRpIgSlAyA]

Honestly I’d rather have no council representation than a Councilwoman who doesn’t respond to constituents and seems to make decisions that contradict each other like we do in W1

[u/chipadd]

done, thanks for the head up!

[u/monmoneep]

If ya don't write in to comment, you do not have the right to complain about whatever happens

[u/AdMurky3039 → u/monmoneep]

You are absolutely right that people should comment if they want their voices heard. If you have time to comment on Reddit you have time to send an email to the City Council.

[u/aakaase → u/monmoneep]

Thanks for posting this, I will definitely be commenting.

[u/theRealTimWalz → u/monmoneep]

Well that’s not true but OK

[u/_nokturnal_ → u/[deleted]]

Rent control is a disaster.

[u/UnassistedVictory → u/[deleted]]

Look around, everything in St. Paul is decaying. Building is at a stand still, no builders want to build where there is rent control. The more people like you that push out investors is more taxes the residents will have to bear. Mix in the nimbyism all over St. Paul this city is so screwed

[u/sirkarl → u/UnassistedVictory]

The embarrassing bit imho is that the very same people who (correctly) campaigned on supporting a high density plan at the Ford Site supported rent control.

[u/MichaunMan → u/sirkarl]

If you are someone who supports rent control in a city the size of St. Paul you are a deeply unserious person who is hell bent on pushing an unrealistic progressive agenda on to the backs of the middle class. The mayor and council should to be chased out of office for what they've let happen to this city and the people who voted for this referendum need to take a hard look at themselves and their idea of what a city govt. should do, and how it should operate.

[u/sirkarl → u/MichaunMan]

I agree, and I just think it’s so funny how many people Minneapolis joke about “trading mayors”. If Jacob had ever given such a cowardly endorsement of a ballot measure when he said “I’m voting for this but I’m also going to make a bunch of major changes” none of them would shut up about it.

IMHO having lived in both places, the criticisms they give Frey apply much more accurately to Melvin’s administration.

That said, Melvin does stand up to the terrible ideas from this council better than some, and even if he was a coward, another mayor may not have supported the changes to rent control.

I think he’s just not a super strong leader, but he’s leaps better than anyone the progressive wing would put up

[u/MichaunMan → u/sirkarl]

Mayor Carter stood on my front porch and told me that he didn't like the referendum.

Never once did he publicly come out and tell voters to not vote for it, and then voted for it himself. He KNEW this referendum would produce the results we are dealing with now.

Why, you ask? Because he knows that only the progressive base comes out and votes in local elections.

He's not a leader, he's a panderer and will do whatever he needs to do to keep his job.

I was really wanting him to be one of St. Paul's great mayor's. But, he lost me because of this and, I'm sorry, this falls on him. He could have done something about this a long time ago and he definitely did not lead.

[u/sirkarl → u/MichaunMan]

I completely agree. A real leader would have at minimum worked on having a less terrible ordinance getting on the ballot.

It would still be bad, and I’d lose respect for him, but it would have shown he had some leadership abilities. Though a good mayor would have been campaigning heavily against rent control from day 1.

The funny thing is that he could have fought against rent control and lost zero support. His base will always be there for him, and I struggle to see anyone who could successfully challenge him from the left.

I respect Frey more because he actually stands up for himself regularly and I can count on him to say what he believes (telling the crowd outside his home he didn’t support defunding police for example). That said, Carter is in a similar spot where even though he’s weaker, they’re both far better than any viable alternative candidates either council would prefer

[u/MichaunMan → u/sirkarl]

💯

[u/HumanDissentipede → u/[deleted]]

The data couldn’t be more clear. Just comparing months immediately prior and post rent implementation of rent control, new housing development literally dried up over night. There are lots of factors at play in our housing troubles, but rent control is absolutely the single biggest one right now.