CHANGES CONTINUE AT HMC

Changes continue at the Hamline Midway Coalition (HMC). Jenne Nelson resigned as executive director on April 4 and will continue serving as the legislative aide for the Ward 4 office, which she had taken a leave of absence for earlier this year. Lisa Nelson (below) has been hired as interim executive director; she also serves on the board of the Union Park District Council and was up for the interim Ward 4 council appointment. “So far, I’ve been spending my time learning the ropes, answering a lot of emails, keeping the paperwork wheels turning, and getting to know HMC behind the scenes,” said L. Nelson. “Justin Lewandowski is here as Organizing Director and has been great at helping me get up to speed at HMC.”
Board member and presidents Cole Hanson (who is running for the vacant Ward 4 seat) and Grace Liu resigned, as did Anna Best (secretary) following the resolution by the board disavowing Cole Hanson. Per public campaign donation records, donors to Cole Hanson’s campaign included Hamline Midway Coalition Board Members: Ilya Garelik, Anna Best, and Gunnar Aas. HMC intends to strengthen the board’s conflict of interest policy and expand board education moving forward.
The terms of the following board members ended in April 2025 and they did not seek re-election: Rayford Dixon, Ahmed (Meddy) Ali, Cameron Fure and Byron Arnold. As of press time on Monday, HMC had not yet announced the results of its board elections.
Learn more about L. Nelson, the resolution disavowing Cole Hanson, and Lewandowski being suspended after talking to the Monitor at www.MonitorSaintPaul.com. The Monitor sent a list of questions clarifying Lewandowski’s status and the unauthorized download of data by Hanson that were not answered as of press time.