Letter - Nov 2024

New leadership needed in St. Paul
Many articles have been written lately on the plight of the Midway. Anyone familiar with the Midway neighborhood along Snelling and University is aware of this issue: shuttered businesses, empty lots, open drug use and feces on the sidewalk. This issue is not new, but has reached a nadir this summer and fall.
My question is: where has the city been while Hamline Midway languished? Why hasn’t the city been acting to facilitate new businesses, new buildings and find solutions to open air drug use?
Attending Hamline Midway Coalition meetings, one can hear wonderful and innovative ideas to bring life back to University and Snelling. Where is our council and mayor, with their near-billion dollar budget? Only after several negative articles and bad press does our council president or mayor show any concern for our neighborhood. We need leadership who is proactive about the issues facing our community, not merely reactive in the face of bad press. I love our unique and caring neighborhood – we deserve new leadership who will address Hamline Midway issues in a proactive manner.
Stuart Orlowski