Meet Your Candidates: María Isa Pérez-Vega for Ramsey County Commissioner, District 5

María Isa Pérez-Vega for Ramsey County Commissioner, District 5

Sean: We're very grateful to welcome back State Representative María Isa Pérez-Vega, who is currently campaigning for Ramsey County Commissioner for District 5. We look forward to connecting and interviewing all candidates who are available in advance of the November 3rd election day. Thank you so much for joining us, Representative Maria Isa.

Maria Isa: Thank you for having me back.

Hans: So Representative Isa, when you looked at the list of things that were available for you to take on, you were like, "Hmm, county commissioner — that's the ticket, that's the one for me." First of all, what does a county commissioner do? Second, what parts of it drew you into this? Because you could just stay in your current elected position and make change in your community.

Maria Isa: I could just stay, but I'd have to run for that seat again.

Hans: That's fair — you can't just stay.

Maria Isa: Yeah. Well, I'm the only candidate in this race who has finished their term, and I'll answer your first question — what does the county commissioner do?

The county commissioner does a lot, and it's kind of been one of the levels of government that's not very transparent. But as the direct lead administering human services, and the decisions on ordinances and creating policies to serve the most vulnerable people within the county — for this seat, that's District 5 of Ramsey, which is the St. Paul neighborhoods of downtown St. Paul, the West Side community, parts of Highland Park, Mac-Groveland, West 7th — or if you're an original St. Paul or West Ender — and the East Side's Dayton's Bluff, and other neighborhoods. So it's a collectiveness of someone who is talking about infrastructure development — the county's annual board budget is usually a billion dollars, which is federally funded, state funded, and then funded by our property taxes, which are the highest in the state of Minnesota.

And I know that because I've served in our state legislature for two terms, and I've delivered for Ramsey County. I've delivered to all 87 counties, but I've fought really strongly for our revitalization of downtown. As a lifelong St. Paulite, it wasn't a matter of, "Ooh, which spot is open?" It was, this is an opportunity — Commissioner Ortega has been serving over 30 years and is now retiring, so it's an open seat. And to me, it's about where's the best way that Maria Isa can lead with the people she currently represents and always represents.

Because I'm the chair of the St. Paul Minnesota House delegation, I may not carry a lot of weight within the jurisdictions of other districts, like District 64 or District 67 — but in District 65B, being chair of the delegation, I've been able to facilitate and advise all of those members at the State House on what would be progressive for our overall city. How can we reduce property taxes? What does the infrastructure look like? What are their communities lacking? What county services need more support — children and family services, healthcare? Think about the county — that's healthcare, the Medicaid cuts happening at the federal level, SNAP, nutrition.

All that funding you get from the county is coming from your property taxes, and it's also coming from state and federal funding that's no longer going to be as accessible as it was when I first entered the state with an $18 billion surplus. So, someone who's already delivered millions of dollars for childcare services and housing, who helped approve the $1.3 billion historic housing budget in Minnesota legislation for all 87 counties — I've got to make sure that's going to be delivered, distributed, and accessible for the people of Ramsey County. St. Paul is where I'm from, and this is a large part of the leadership to determine our future — our businesses, our public safety, especially fighting ICE and what we've been dealing with. My background in youth services, working in juvenile detention centers on music initiatives and literacy programs — that's been my influence. So it wasn't about what seat's next, it's about how can I lead better and deliver.

Sean: There's a lot of people who could lead better — everyone who's trying to handle the unhoused population in the Twin Cities, because there is a crisis happening right now, and there's also some finger-pointing. And frankly, Maria, some of that finger-pointing has gone to the county level in a way I didn't expect, because I didn't know much about the county. I knew I lived in Ramsey County mainly when I filled out forms — I thought about living in St. Paul, and that was it. But when I hear about the problems we're having in the city of St. Paul with encampments, what I'm thinking about is that this is a greater metro-area problem that's falling on St. Paul's doorstep. And I'm trying to understand how activists and people who are really focused on these issues at the county level can actually help, because they're being accused of not helping very much at all. So how do you think county-level leadership can step in and improve the situation for unhoused populations in St. Paul and across Ramsey County?

Maria Isa: One of the things is listening to our own neighbors — you can't just make decisions without the source. And I think that's been an issue with all levels of government, local government in particular. When I got the news, as the representative and chair of the delegation, that our mayor had decided to close these encampments, it was a shock. There was no pregame — the county manager, Lynn Baker, didn't know. There was a lot going on. And what I see happen a lot in government, just from being in it and learning, is that there needs to be true partnership across all levels of government instead of pointing fingers to escape accountability.

So I want to mention that right now we're in a time where we have strong partnerships that we've got to put to work, and that's not going to happen with just the leaders. First and foremost is listening to our unhoused neighbors and listening to the frontline workers — the agencies coming from the county and the city. When you talk about the Department of Safety and Inspections, that's a city agency working with mental health and behavioral health resources from the county. So — what I feel has happened isn't a direct attack on one politician or leader in government. It's an overall spectrum of, how are we going to have the creativity to deliver essential services? What we're facing right now is a deficit of those services, and how do we create the opportunities for folks in leadership to make these ordinances happen? That takes action — it takes folks with energy, and folks who come from different lived experiences.

And I want to highlight — this is myself running, but it's with a community that's been working together to become those progressive champions, to secure that funding. I don't know everything, and neither does my colleague. But we need to bring in the voices of people who've experienced unshelteredness, whether it's been for three months or three decades, and that's what it's really going to take — that direct service and impact. That's what I feel the county needs a refresh on. We've got a lot of great leaders at the county already, in Ramsey County. And they need someone to partner with who knows how to create different avenues. And I'd say it's not just about avenues, it's about rhythm — and we've had a lack of rhythm in St. Paul and in Ramsey County. That's not just happening here, it's happening across the country. But when we think about the pits and the peaks, the peaks are finding creative initiatives for infrastructure and building a tax base so we can have funding, because it's more than just a bed. It's more than just a cot. It's more than just creating more shelters. It's actually crossing the full circle of the policy sector — healthcare, right? You can't talk about housing without healthcare. Workforce — you need a job to pay your mortgage and your rent. And youth services — a lot of our young people who aren't sheltered, it's not necessarily that they don't have a cot or a bed, it's whether they feel safe, whether there's cultural competency in that. So I think we need bold leadership that comes with partners at every level of government. And definitely the county has a big hand in that, and that's also why I'm excited to run for this. This isn't anything new to me — it's about culturally connecting, and as someone with a cultural studies background, that's the influence I look forward to bringing to the county board.

Hans: So we talked about rhythm — I love that idea, thinking about our government as rhythm. So let's talk about the rhythm of — let's say you get the votes you need, you're elected. Can you run through your priorities? What's your priority day one? What do you pivot to for month one? And then what's your priority for the first 100 days you're there? What's the rhythm of the things you're going to set up, the things you think need the most attention or tending right now that you can really make a difference with?

Maria Isa: Well, as the candidate with the majority of the county board's endorsement, I've been having conversations with those who are already sitting on the board, about the differences among our county districts, as well as the similarities. What's similar is — and I say "we," because it takes a board, you need four votes — is amplifying, my vote is prioritizing direct services, protecting against the federal funding attacks, and ensuring that those dealing with the aftermath and continuance of Operation Metro Surge are getting support.

And then, for the 100 days — I look at it as, here's a timeline, here's our goals. Let's try to get one through within the 100 days, and if we get one, let's get more. Can we get two birds with one stone, so to speak? So: direct services, and then community input and meeting with community — not saying "here's where I'm at," but going to where our community is at. Going to the spaces, going to where the unsheltered are, going to our juvenile detention centers, where there are kids who need love because they're still kids. Going to the food and mutual aid services that are continuing, and partnering with organizations whose budgets are also getting cut at the federal level. How do we build sustainability for these organizations in the county that offer great services — workforce training, afterschool and childcare programming — so they're not competing against each other between Maplewood and St. Paul, but partnering so we have sustainability there.

And we're going to need to do that through a third major priority of mine, which is increasing the tax base — I'm going to keep saying that. We've got to fund these county projects, and we have to reduce property taxes, or those of us so-called lifelong St. Paulites can hardly afford to manage in the spaces that are our front yards and our backyards. So it's going to take creativity — how can we do things, and what's not working? Let's not circle back to the things that aren't working. If they're outdated, we need to contemporize them. If we're still going into film, are there ways we can collaborate and digitize it? I think about things as an artist, because we know how to make things out of means of nothing — it creates an opportunity, like Basquiat's legendary artwork. Let's do that with county services. We don't have to overthink things, and I think that's an issue — there's this whole status-quo movement to politics, when really the movement is with the people. So: making sure people are engaged, direct services, community input and meeting where the community's at, and making sure we're increasing the tax base so we can fund county projects.

Sean: Let's keep this artist comparison going. Maria and Hans, we probably both know people who are awesome at leading a quintet and would be completely out of their league handling a 15-piece band. Maria, you'll be serving a larger population, and I want to understand how you'll be able to lead this, quote-unquote, "15-piece band." Maybe you've been comfortable representing a smaller population, but now you've got to answer to more people and serve more people. How are you going to scale up to make sure you keep that contact with citizens and individuals?

Maria Isa: Let me get this on the record, and on rhythm, for everyone who may not have been on beat so far. I've served five million people in the state of Minnesota. I've carried legislation — I've served alongside colleagues to get laws passed, with 133 other members in a tied House. You don't get things through to the Senate unless they pass in the House, and the Senate can't get anything through with a one-person majority unless it gets through the House. So when you think about leadership, I prioritize working and pushing in collaborative efforts with those who have the political — the elected — position, and, most importantly, the crowd of people you represent. I think of it as a crowd because I'm an artist, and I'm hearing things, and I'm listening constantly.

So, being able to do that — if I've been able to do that with 133 other people in a tied House, to pass laws that folks said, "You're never going to get any capital investment this year, forget about it. You're not going to get health services after the federal government cut HIV and AIDS healthcare services — you're not going to get that at the state level" — I don't take no for an answer. And then you look at what the Ramsey County Board is: it's seven people, seven elected commissioners representing seven different districts. I'm confident I can handle representing the people who voted for me in District 65B, and it's about those partnerships. I have a great group across all levels of government who have endorsed me and want to continue partnering with me — and none of them have said, "Maybe you should stay in the House." I've heard, "Go for it, we need you at the county level, we need someone to take that action." To me, it's not about the title — representative, senator — it's about where can I get this ball in the hoop so that all the people get enough food in their stomachs and a roof over their heads. That's where I'm going to keep leading.

I also want you to know — I come from a community of activists and leadership that I was born into. I'm a Puerto Rican woman, and I worked hard to make sure our ancestral land and our families and friends were able to get access to emergency essentials. We delivered, through my leadership and partnerships with leaders throughout the state — before I even held elected office — emergency essentials to Puerto Rico during the first Trump administration. So dealing with this federal administration isn't anything new to me. It's actually — why aren't we proactive enough here in Minnesota? Why aren't we proactive enough in county services? We have to be, because I've seen the deterioration of the island of Puerto Rico due to the first Trump administration, and the negligence that's happening now in the water crisis there.

And I also want to talk about organizing a statewide Latino outreach, revamping the Latino caucus — the Movimiento Caucus — in 2022, so we could get a trifecta, so we could have accessibility to healthcare, where everyone in the state of Minnesota who pays taxes has access to it, so our kids can have breakfast and lunch. These are important values and virtues, and I'm part of that leadership. So when you ask what's going to happen as we grow into this, I think — I come from spaces where we were kids trying to figure out how we were going to afford insulin. This isn't David and Goliath to me. It's, let's pull up our bootstraps, let's get the work done, and let's be proactive about what we're dealing with right now, instead of waiting three months for an ordinance so our communities feel safe.

Hans: So, as a lifelong St. Paulite and Ramsey Countian — Ramseyian?

Maria Isa: I wouldn't say that. Let's just say St. Paul. A member of Ramsey — how about "a member of Ramsey," as I'm called by my speaker of the House.

Hans: As a lifelong member of Ramsey — if you have what seems like, based on how you're talking about your work, a rare day off where you're not doing any politicking, where would we find you?

Maria Isa: Oh my goodness. For breakfast, I'm definitely going to catch Lost Fox, or I like Cafe Story too — they've got a really good breakfast sandwich. I also enjoy coffee at the new Cafe Milagro on the West Side — shout out to Ale Diaz, a fantastic queer Latina-owned business in the heart and pulse of our barrio. I'd also like to say I'm going to be popping into the White Squirrel, 620 West 7th, for a good happy hour, or a late-night surprise karaoke, or maybe a DJ set I could hop on. I definitely enjoy a good steak at Mancini's with my dad and my mom. And my daughter is a huge fan of going to Cecil's in Highland Park for a good hot dog, while Mom gets a good bagel pastrami sandwich. Let's see — oh, Cafeto, great coffee, Latina-owned business on the East Side, and Mañana for an awesome pupusa. Crosskey's for some arepas. Boca Chica for a good happy hour. El Burrito—

Hans: You're going to be so full by the end of this day.

Maria Isa: Believe it or not, this is kind of like my campaign life — and honestly, it's not just my campaign life, it's my everyday life. I'm from St. Paul, and when I see a business shut down, it hurts me — it pierces a little bit. And I'm always thinking, "How can I—" Oh, and Run Mit (name unclear in audio) — shout out to Nia. These are folks we've grown up in our neighborhoods with, and been supportive of each other's businesses and families. We're a village in St. Paul, and that's what the county is about — providing access to essential services for the village. So you're going to see me there every day, bouncing around. Vina's in Highland for some pho. I just love our downtown spaces that need to be revamped — Gambit, shout out to all the spots that are giving heart. We're fighting hard to get the boat floating and provide some life jackets.

Sean: Maria Isa, I'm going to go eat about 4,000 calories, as it sounds like you're also doing on your day off. This sounds wonderful. Thank you for your time today. We look forward to talking to everybody who's running for one of these positions, and we appreciate you taking the time to talk about your campaign for Ramsey County Commissioner, District 5. Have a great rest of your day, and thank you for your time.

Maria Isa: Thank you, Sean. Let's get it — Cinco de Maria Isa!