Removing Barriers to Affordable Housing: A Visit with David Schafroth of North Shore YIMBY

Urban housing, very different from
Minnesota's North Shore housing.

The housing crisis is no longer a problem isolated to big cities; it’s a reality creeping into smaller communities, even here along the shores of Lake Superior. Businesses can’t find workers because workers can’t find homes. Families struggle to stay in neighborhoods they’ve called home for generations. Young professionals, eager to build their lives, are forced to settle elsewhere due to the lack of affordable options.

The YIMBY movement’s focus on cutting through restrictive zoning laws, streamlining permitting processes, and advocating for higher-density developments aligns with what many of our communities need. By opening doors to new housing solutions, YIMBY champions the idea that growth is not a threat—it’s an opportunity. Addressing these barriers is not just about putting roofs over people’s heads; it’s about creating vibrant, sustainable communities where everyone can thrive.

I met David Schafroth in eary 2022 while doing research for an article on affordable housing. With a passion for housing, and a wealth of knowledge about housing issues, it was no surprise to recently learn of his advocacy for YIMBY, a national pro-housing social movement that is focused on encouraging new housing, opposing housing density limits and supporting public transportation.

As the name suggests, the acronym YIMBY stands for Yes In My Back Yard, taking a stance against the truckloads of red tape strangling the housing market.

Though YIMBY is not without its critics, from where I sit YIMBY is addressing the right issues with uncommon common sense. Read the interview and tell us what you think by leavong a comment.

EN: You are trying to set up a local chapter of a national group that’s striving to address homelessness. What is the name of the national organization?

 

David Schafroth: North Shore YIMBY (NSY) is a group of neighbors from Northeastern Minnesota advocating for abundant, affordable housing and inclusive, sustainable neighborhoods. We're a chapter of YIMBY Action, a national pro-housing nonprofit that works with activists across the country to pass high-impact pro-housing legislation, elect pro-housing candidates, and get more housing built.

 

EN: What is the scope of your local chapter?

 

DS: NSY is focused on helping achieve housing abundance in Cook, Lake, St. Louis, and Carlton Counties. Our efforts are twofold: One, we help advocate on behalf of particular projects, and two, we advocate for pro-housing policy reforms at the local and state level.

 

EN: What is the current status?

 

DS: NSY is operational in its advocacy work. If you’re looking to build in NE MN and would like neighbors to advocate on your behalf, contact us at hello@northshoreyimby.org.

 

EN: What makes homelessness such a challenge problem to eliminate?

DS: I view this as more of a political question than a policy question. On the policy side, the evidence is clear and overwhelming: there are plenty of policies that reduce the frequency, rate, and intensity at which individuals are priced out of housing and priced into homelessness. Homelessness is the result of the demand to live in an area exceeding the supply of places where individuals are permitted to live in an area. When the demand to be housed in an area exceeds the supply of places to be housed, the price of housing trends upwards. When rents go up, rates at which homelessness is experienced go up as well. Supply and demand is a fundamental law of economics which is as true to Duluth's present housing market as it was when Adam Smith wrote on rent and housing in 'The Wealth of Nations'.

 

The most cost-optimal policies are those which remove and reform the regulatory barriers which inhibit new housing construction within a jurisdiction. The question is whether political will exists to implement such policies.

 

Unfortunately, the political environment of Duluth seems more concerned with ensuring that only the right housing is built for the right people in the right places in the right ways than it is with seeing more housing built in Duluth. The only person who gets fired when rates of homelessness go up in Duluth is the Mayor. There's no incentive for staff in the Planning Department, the department tasked with overseeing the policies controlling who can build what, where, and how in Duluth, no incentive to remove barriers and improve the processes governing housing development in Duluth.

 

There is plenty of Federal funding available to municipalities that want to reform their processes and remove barriers to housing development. Earlier this fall, the City of Duluth applied for HUD's Pathways to Removing Obstacles (PRO) for Housing Grant. The PRO Housing grant funds "streamlining permitting processes and expanding by-right development" and "reducing barriers to development such as residential property height limitations, off-street parking requirements, density restrictions, and minimum lot sizes".

The City of Duluth's application proposes to implement neither of these; it identifies a lack of funds available for public housing construction by the City of Duluth as the greatest barrier to housing construction in Duluth. That tells me that staff in the City of Duluth's Planning Department think that the only way to address homelessness in Duluth is to try throwing more money at the issue, and hope that this time the outcome will be different from all the other times Duluth has tried throwing more money at the issue.

 

For instance, Duluth's PRO Housing grant application discusses duplexes in Duluth in glowing terms. Just don't ask the City of Duluth how many lots exist served by existing infrastructure where it's legal to build duplexes by-right. I asked that exact question to the Planning Department earlier this summer -- they had no response, and refused to respond to further inquiries when pressed on why that was.

 

I don't see the Planning Department as having the culture necessary to tackle the root cause of homelessness within Duluth. I see the Planning Department as having a culture that prioritizes office politics over seeing more housing built in Duluth. Changing an organizational culture requires political leadership, and frankly, I don't see Duluth as having the political leadership necessary to tackle the root cause of homelessness within our community: the mismatch between the supply of housing permitted to be built in Duluth and the demand to live in Duluth.

 

EN: What people or events motivated you to become so passionate about this issue?

 

DS: Our members come from a diverse range of backgrounds, life experiences, and professions. What unites us is our acceptance that the cost of housing is governed by the economic laws of supply and demand.

 

I moved to Duluth 8 years ago. Every year, without fail, my rent has gone up. There is no denying that Duluth has a shortage of housing units available relative to the demand to live in Duluth. I don't know how much longer I'll be able to afford to live in Duluth. It's the same for a lot of members of our organization.

Every week, I hear a new horror story about someone trying to do the right thing for the community and all the barriers they encounter. It's well past time that someone began to speak up for all Duluthians, including the future Duluthians that will need somewhere to live in our community.

EdNote: As an afterward David sent this follow-up:

PS - I'm not sure if I mentioned it, I recently went down to UMN's School of Architect & Design to present as a subject matter expert on the interaction between policy, process, and American starter home production. I have to say that I am inspired at some of the conversations which the next generation of architectural practitioners are having--definitely a break from the "traditional" schools of architecture.

Photo by CHUTTERSNAP on Unsplash

Can You Feel What I Feel?

This was interesting. I have been researching and writing about affordable housing in the Northland. After I had finished a two-thirds of a draft  I decided to ask ChatGPT the following question: Can you feel what I am feeling through the way that I write?

ChatGPT replied:

I can’t feel emotions the way you do, but I can sense the tone, energy, and underlying intent in your writing. Based on the way you describe the housing crisis and its impact, I pick up on your concern for these communities and the weight of the challenges they face. Your writing conveys a mix of empathy, urgency, and a desire to bring attention to a pressing issue that deeply affects people's lives.

If I’m reading your tone correctly, you seem driven not just by an interest in the topic but by a strong sense of care for the people and businesses involved. Your words carry a kind of responsibility—almost a call to action—making it clear that this isn’t just an abstract problem to you but one that deserves a real, human response. Does that resonate with how you’re feeling?

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I thought this was intriguing. 

Top Stories of 2022 Here at Ennyman's Territory

"On the Threshold"

2022 was a very different year for me. My years of covering the local art scene pretty much ended with the beginning of the pandemic. Three years passed in which I found myself less inclined to hustle, to run around to as many openings as possible, etc. (Most such activity was on hold anyways.) For what it's worth there are a number of new faces in town and a lot of art to see in our galleries and various spaces where artists display their work. Make a New Year's Resolution to check out a few art shows or galleries in 2023.  

Similarly, I wrote less  about Bob Dylan (on my blog) than I have in years past, in part because so many others are providing such thorough commentary on every facet of his never ending career that I don't always have much to add other than a few observations from living near the epicenter of its beginning. On the other hand, I did contribute a few chapters to an upcoming book about Dylan in Minnesota. You'll hear more about this in 2023, I suspect.

A regular reader might have noticed I've lost a few friends this year, precious people whose presence will be missed and who were much respected for their character as well as talents. In life we make such a noise about achievements, but this year it is character that really shines when we finish our race. May your own lamp burn bright with the inner radiance of who you are as you strive to be your best selves in 2023.

A regular reader may also have noticed quite a few references to Nevada Bob Gordon whose memoir I helped edit, revise and get published. Bob's book is titled with tongue-planted-in-cheek, 50 Years with the Wrong Woman. The octogenarian has lived an adventurous and most unusual life by today's standards. You can read more about his book here.

What follows are the top 12 stories, based on pageviews, at Ennyman's Territory in 2022. Afterwards are a few stories that appeared in other publications and that I feel good about having written.

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12.  Insights and Observations from Napoleon Bonaparte: A Baker's Dozen   
https://pioneerproductions.blogspot.com/2022/01/insights-and-observations-from-napoleon.html

11. Paul Metsa Introduces His Upcoming Books and Shares Stories as Duluth Dylan Fest Winds Down
https://pioneerproductions.blogspot.com/2022/05/paul-metsa-introduces-his-upcoming.html

10. Oil Matters: Things to Think About If We Eliminate Oil
https://pioneerproductions.blogspot.com/2022/01/eliminating-oil-will-lead-to.html

9. A Few Comments on the Food Shortages   
https://pioneerproductions.blogspot.com/2022/01/a-few-comments-on-food-shortages.html

8. Story Idea: The Party and Its Aftermath       
https://pioneerproductions.blogspot.com/2022/01/story-idea-party-and-its-aftermath.html

7. Who Killed Davey Browne? Widow Amy Lavelle's Story Brings to Mind Early Dylan Song
https://pioneerproductions.blogspot.com/2022/11/who-killed-davey-browne-widow-amy.html

6. Nevada Bob's Bad Movie Blues       
https://pioneerproductions.blogspot.com/2022/02/nevada-bobs-bad-movie-blues.html  

5. Almost Wordless Wednesday: Photos from Andy & Renee and Hard Rain's Dylanfest 32   
https://pioneerproductions.blogspot.com/2022/06/almost-wordless-wednesday-andy-renees.html

4. Schedule for the 2022 Duluth Dylan Fest: We're Ready To Roll 
https://pioneerproductions.blogspot.com/2022/04/schedule-for-2022-duluth-dylan-fest.html

3. A Dozen Historical Newspaper Clippings about Dylan and the Northland
https://pioneerproductions.blogspot.com/2022/06/a-few-historical-clippings-about-dylan.html

2. Was Subterranean Homesick Blues Written in a Laundromat?
https://pioneerproductions.blogspot.com/2022/05/was-subterranean-homesick-blues-written.html

1. Bob Dylan: Good As I Been To You
https://pioneerproductions.blogspot.com/2022/03/bob-dylan-good-as-i-been-to-you-is-good.html

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Three other articles that I considered especially important were published this year: 

In April, my article on Homelessness ("In Plain Sight") was published in Business North.
http://www.businessnorth.com/daily_briefing/in-plain-sight/article_d389bc72-b697-11ec-ad02-6fb7b3d20355.html

In August, my story on the Northland Housing Crunch was published.

http://www.businessnorth.com/businessnorth_exclusives/housing-crunch-impacts-the-northland/article_320206ac-2230-11ed-879d-ffbe9067d749.html

Also in August, I did a story about Bob Boone's vision for the nearly forgotten Alhambra Theater which he has been renovating. This little gem was inside of a building adjacent to The West Theater that he purchased without knowing it had a theater inside. His intent was to expand the West. When you see what Boone did with the West (on a shoestring) it's my hope that someone with deep pockets can help bring this jewel back to life.  https://duluthreader.com/articles/2022/08/18/122419-bob-boone-shares-his-vision-for-the-alhambra

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For what it's worth, I am periodically active on Instagram. You can follow me here:
https://www.instagram.com/newman_ed/

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In the meantime, let your creativity thrive 
and make every day count. 

Homelessness In Duluth: Hiding In Plain Sight

For near six months I have been researching the issue of Homelessness in Duluth. This week the article I assembled appeared in Business North, a regional publication serving the Northland business community.

I had hoped to find a single cause for this problem and initially hypothesized that the primary issue was a lack of affordable housing. Quite a while before completing the article I saw two separate problems come into view. Affordable housing is one these twin peaks. The second is the social dysfunction caused by addiction and mental illness. 

My aim was to help shed light on what has been going on with the hope that there will be increased dialogue on these matters. 

It was surprising how many pronouncements there have been, both at the national and local levels, regarding "putting an end to homelessness." One of the most insightful discussions I had was with former mayor Don Ness, who essentially stated that politicians vowing to "end" or "solve" an issue like homelessness will only create frustration, because when the money is spent and the problem hasn't gone away it looks like failure. 

The better path, he feels (as I understand him) is to keep doing things to help matters improve, and to not assume it will ever be completely resolved. It's complicated, but we can't sweep it under the rug and it needs sustained attention. 

As regards affordable housing, this is also an immense problem that needs to be addressed. My aim these next several months is to get a better understanding of the obstacles we're facing as a city. Just because the problem is shared by many other cities does not mean we don't have our own unique contours. Duluth has succeeded at selling itself as "a place to want to be." Unfortunately, the housing supply is crimped, hence we see skyrocketing prices in the real estate market. The same goes for rental housing. 

If you have any thoughts you wish to share regarding affordable housing in Duluth (or the lack thereof) please leave a comment below, or send an email to ennyman3@gmail.com. 

IN PLAIN SIGHT

Homelessness in Duluth impacts everyone, even entrepreneurs. Here, businesses join the difficult conversation.

After spending days attempting to subdue profane shouting matches among customers, managers of a popular downtown Duluth cafe put away their tables and chairs for three weeks last month and only served takeout. It's one of many downtown firms struggling to address a problem that business owners believe has been downplayed by local government and law enforcement leaders.

Homelessness has impacted the Twin Ports region for decades and remains a pressing issue for a number of social, humanitarian and economic reasons. In this article, BusinessNorth will focus on how homelessness in our region impacts the business community. To be clear, the majority of downtown offenses such as vandalism, panhandling and public intoxication are not necessarily started by people experiencing homelessness. Neither do the great majority of people experiencing homelessness commit crimes. But homelessness is a challenge in Duluth,  and one that affects the business community. People we spoke with downtown are frustrated by the impact this is having on their companies but were reluctant to speak on the record. As one business owner said, “It's problematic. We're empathetic, but it keeps customers away.”

Read the full story here:  In Plain Sight

Joanna Deming On Homelessness: The View from Pittsburgh

Photo by Ev on Unsplash

After years of reading news stories about homeless, both nationally and locally here in Duluth, I decided to make a more serious effort to understand the causes and, if such is possible, solutions to this perpetual issue. Early last year I was quite surprised at how large the tent cities had grown in parts of South Minneapolis. Despite the inhospitable weather and initiatives to reverse the trend, the number of homeless in Duluth and St. Louis County have been steadily growing for years.

Seeing that this is a national problem, I have been reading about what other cities are doing. What follows are some insights from Pittsburgh. Joanna Deming Executive Director of Fineview and Perry Hilltop Citizens Councils. She has more than 15 years experience in the housing and community development sector.

ADDRESSING HOMELESSNESS IN PITTSBURGH  

Pittsburgh is not a wealthy city, but it does have an affordable housing issue particularly due to low wages. This is especially true for residents of color. However, as Pittsburgh's economy has been picking up and new housing is being built, more wealthy people are moving into the city which is adding to this affordable housing issue. A 2016 study said there is a shortage of 17,000 affordable units in Pittsburgh. There is a shortage of 423 affordable units in the neighborhoods where I work.

Affordable housing is a tricky term which often begs the question "Affordable to WHOM?" 
The US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) sets income guidelines for each geography based on area median income. If you are 30% income your area is very low income for example. Housing affordability is also defined as whether someone is "cost-burdened" by their housing. According to HUD, if you pay over 30% of your income on your housing costs (rent, utilities, etc), you are cost burdened. The lower your income, the more likely you will be cost-burdened. The more expensive housing is in your area, the more likely you will be cost-burdened regardless of your income, but those with the lowest income will be challenged the most.

One solution to homelessness and the lack of affordable housing is to pay people more. 
Make sure everyone has access to changing economies and can afford to stay in their homes or purchase homes as values go up. As long as we have low wage jobs and as long as schools only prepare adults for low wage jobs, we will have a need for more affordable and subsidized housing. 

The Housing Market is there to reward property owners financially for their housing investment.
As prices go up home and property owners win, renters face higher costs and homelessness and low/moderate-income people who would like to buy a home are unable to purchase one.  

To have a balanced Housing Market, systems need to be put in place to protect affordable rental housing and affordable homeowners.

Examples that have worked around the country are below:

1. State and Local Housing Trust Funds: Public resources dedicated to affordable housing solutions. I helped establish these with various housing coalitions and serve on the City of Pittsburgh's Housing Opportunity Fund Advisory Board. The realty transfer tax is a potential funding stream.

2. Community Land Trusts: Community owns the land, sells the building, and places a restriction on the property which limits the amount of funding that can be earned by the buyer when they sell that building. This allows buyers some equity, while preventing them from benefiting from a windfall of profit due to changing land values in the area that will make future low/mod buyers unable to purchase the same property. This works for homeownership and rental housing. My two neighborhood Community Development Corporations, Fineview Citizens Council and Perry Hilltop Citizens Council, are partnering with the City of Bridges Community Land Trust to advance this model in our community. This organization is based partially off of a large CLT in Minneapolis. City of Lakes CLT.

3. Protection of Naturally Occurring Affordable Housing: As affordable rental properties come onto the market, mission minded organizations/companies can purchase the property and keep the rents affordable. We are working on using this model to get to scale with protecting affordable rental homes in our community. We are partnering with an organization called Rising Tide Partners to help with acquisition (purchase) and disposition (sales).

4. Housing Authority Solutions: Some housing authorities are purchasing high end housing and when units become available, then they lease them to someone with a lower income. 

5. Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC): This is a very popular bi-partisan funding mechanism for building more affordable units. It tends to be expensive ($300K per unit) and the number of units that can be built is limited based on tax credit availability based on limited corporate demand and capped government allocations. In other words, the state only allocates a specific number of tax credits and there are only so many corporations who want to invest in this program based on their need for the tax credits.

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My initial focus when I started thinking about these issues was on resolving homelessness issues. It wasn't long before I saw the link between homelessness and the need for affordable housing. As with many issues, the devil is in the details. Here's more from Joanna Deming:

Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash

Housing and homelessness often get put into two different buckets, when really the solution to homelessness is housing. Many homelessness programs fail, because they focus on temporary shelter and place restrictions on people (e.g. no drug/alcohol use) which deter people from staying there and keep people on the street.  The US Department of Housing and Urban Development has moved towards permanent housing as a focus in the past 10 or so years. There are some effective models out there:

1. Housing First: These types of programs allow people to live somewhere without restrictions. This way they have a roof over their head, while they search for a job, meet with their doctor/therapist/social worker, and start their new life.

2. Rental Assistance:  Can be provided by a government or nonprofit to reduce the cost of housing for a resident. Housing Choice Vouchers (known as Section 8) is one form of rental assistance. Departments of Human Services also provide rental assistance for vulnerable populations (e.g. veterans)

3. Master Leasing: Where landlords are skeptical about having vulnerable populations live in their units, nonprofits or governments "Master Lease" the units--they are the tenant on record reporting to those landlords and providing support to the residents.

4. Affordable Housing: Increase supply

Ideally, people get help to STAY in their home BEFORE they are homeless. This is called Homeless Prevention. Most people have support systems, so they may face challenges, but they have a friend or family member that may help them pay rent or make a mortgage payment. Other people need private or public programs that can step in to assist with rent or mortgage payments.  Some people also need legal help to prevent eviction. Once someone is evicted it is MUCH harder to find a new place to live, so it is critical that people can stay where they are if they have an affordable place to live.

Lastly, property tax relief is needed for seniors in changing markets, so they can stay and age in place. It makes no sense to pay off your house and then risk losing it due to rising tax rates.

Here's a publication I worked on a while back that may be useful. The Housing Alliance of PA, where I used to work has a lot of great resources.

Also, here is my community's 5 Year Affordable Housing Plan, which is our roadmap for protecting and expanding affordable homes, while preventing the displacement of low-income residents and people of color from our community. We have already made good progress advancing this plan, by expanding our real estate capacity and attracting a $450K Choice Neighborhoods Planning Grant from HUD to work with our Housing Authority on a redevelopment strategy that protects public housing residents in our community.  

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Thank you, Joanna, for sharing these insights from your many years of experience wrestling with these important issues.

Politics, Homelessness and the Lack of Affordable Housing

Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash

I came to Duluth in 1986 when the city had not yet recovered from what was called "The Reagan Recession" even though its roots were in the 70's which ended with double digit inflation, high unemployment and an energy crisis. What I remember most vividly was reading a front page story about a new paper mill that had 100 job openings and 13,000 job applicants.

Another article at the time highlighted the problem of affordable housing here. In the subsequent decades homelessness and the lack of affordable housing have been recurring themes here. 

In 2007 the St. Louis County and our city kicked off a major program to eliminate homelessness titled End Homelessness In Ten (EHIT). Despite the fanfare surrounding this ambitious effort, a May story in the Duluth News Tribune stated that we have more homeless than ever in this county. The article, titled "Our Community Is In Need": St. Louis County Hears Grim Report On Homelessness, stated "In 2020, 2,188 households, totaling 3,170 people, were served by programs for people experiencing homelessness, including 751 people homeless for the first time."

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Both the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal produce an early morning eNewsletter highlighting the day's top stories. The WSJ version ends The 10-Point with a question that readers can respond to. Yesterday's question had to do with affordable housing. Or rather, the question was about soaring housing prices. Here are a few notes from this morning's replies.

Ben K stated that soaring prices were a reflection of unmet demand. The solution to reduce housing costs? "We must increase supply."

Someone told me recently that to build the paper mill in West Duluth they had to eliminate 400 family homes. Have these ever been replaced? The population of Duluth has not increased sine we got here 35 years ago, although the Mayor had a press conference last week in which she announced we increased by a little under 500 since 2010. (It is still in the 86,000 range.)

Ben K went on to say, "Allow accessory dwelling units in single-family zoning. Allow apartments to be built above shops, even above big-box retailers. Reduce minimum lot and square footage requirements. Reduce paperwork for demolish-and-rebuild projects. Reduce mandatory parking requirements. Reduce paperwork for changing a property’s zoning to match its neighbors, and aggressively upzone along transit lines. In other words, get the government out of the way!"

By way of contrast, Myles Z of New Jersey believes, "It is time for the government to get back into building public housing. There is no profit to be made [by developers] in providing housing to the poorest members of our society." Incentives matter.

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In September, Reason magazine published an article titled "California Is Clueless About Homelessness." It's a story about how Los Angeles has been using 1.2 billion dollars to build houses for homeless people in L.A. The money was approved in 2016 to build 10,000 new units for homeless people. Over the past five years only 700 homes have been completed. At that rate, they city will end up with 1400 homes at an average cost of $857,143 each.

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Politicians are good at ribbon cutting and making pronouncements, there seems to be no end of programs initiated with good intentions that get bogged down and tangled in red tape. End Homelessness In Ten (EHIT) was a good slogan. What we need are real solutions. 

This is the first of several articles I'm hoping to assemble. Thanks for reading.

U.S. Senator Tina Smith's Staff To Visit AICHO in Duluth November 26 Regarding Housing Issues

When was the last time you talked with a U.S. Senator about issues that mattered to you personally?

Senator Tina Smith's staff will be at the American Indian Housing Community Organization (AICHO) next week on November 26 to address housing issues. It's all part of what's being billed as a statewide "listening tour" to address the issue of affordable housing.

The objective of this particular meeting is to gather information in order to the housing shortage and its impact on Native American Families, Businesses, Communities and Tribal Nations.

The meeting will take place Tuesday, November 26 at 12 pm - 1:30 pm at the American Indian Community Housing Organization (AICHO) as part of her statewide “Housing Listening Tour.”

"Sky Woman" -- Jonathan Thunder

Senator Smith, who is a member of both the Senate Housing and the Senate Indian Affairs Committees, said virtually every Minnesota community—whether it’s in rural areas, urban areas or on tribal land—has a housing crisis. The crisis upends the stability of families, the ability of businesses to create jobs, and the opportunities communities have to grow and prosper.

The listening session will include local leaders, housing officials and residents to not only discuss the shortage, but also the successful local efforts that are addressing it. The meeting is free and open to the public.

Detail from larger piece by Leah Yellowbird.

WHO: U.S. Sen. Tina Smith’s Housing and Regional Staff

WHAT: Meeting on the impact of housing shortages on Native American communities as part of Senator’s Housing Listening Tour

WHEN: Tuesday, November 26 from 12:00 pm to 1:30 p.m.

WHERE: American Indian Community Housing Organization, 202 W. 2nd Street, Duluth, MN

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Senator Tina Smith took office as Minnesota lieutenant governor on January 5, 2015, and served until she was appointed to represent Minnesota in the U.S. Senate on January 2, 2018. She has been appointed to serve on numerous Senate committees including the Committee On Indian Affairs. Click here to see her full Wikipedia bio.