This interview was conducted over email for accessibility and scheduling purposes

Southwest Voices: How has campaigning been going? What have voters been talking to you about?

Katie Jones: Campaigning has been going well! I love doorknocking and connecting with neighbors – it’s been a joy to talk one on one with people and see the amazing gardens in 61A. Our district is full of compassion and care for one another, and everyone has been generous with their time, their thoughts, and their stories.

I’ve been able to spend time in every precinct and voters' priorities are as diverse as this district is. But there are themes that have emerged in every neighborhood. Those issues include: our local economy and supporting Uptown and downtown, strengthening our public schools, and addressing community safety. These are priorities for our district that I am determined to dig into and work on at the Capitol.

I’ve met with the Downtown Council and organizers in Uptown and it’s clear we need a targeted plan that supports our commercial nodes. I’ve been talking about this since precinct caucuses, and I’ve been able to generate policy ideas that will incentivize growth where we need it. That includes piloting a land value tax for underutilized properties, and adaptive reuse of commercial buildings into residences wherever possible. I’ve also heard from multiple people that Uptown needs a comprehensive vision, which is why I’ve begun conversations with neighborhood and City leaders and with the Urban Land Institute to facilitate a planning process and jump start a return of Uptown. A thriving local economy is vital to a vibrant city like ours, and a necessary element to stabilize property taxes and adequately resource our city and schools.

Southwest Voices: You’ve focused a lot on policy in this campaign. Tell us a bit more about you as a person.‍

Katie Jones: I was born and raised in a rural city in Indiana to a family of small business owners. When they didn’t have reliable childcare, I would join my parents at their office and see how hard they worked to build something on their own. I spent my teenage years working in my uncle’s chocolate shop, which eventually closed during an economic downturn. This background is a big part of my decision to run, aside from my love for the district.  When I first learned Frank was retiring, I thought to myself “I can help Uptown” and have specific ideas on how to help small businesses.

I fell in love with Minnesota at an early age attending summer camp at Concordia Language Villages in Bemidji. After getting my engineering degree from Purdue University, I considered becoming a teacher and spent time teaching high school overseas hosted by the Fulbright Commission. Eventually I moved to Minnesota to work at Habitat for Humanity in Rochester before relocating to Minneapolis with my husband, Peter. We’ve been living in Lowry Hill East for over a decade.

I work at the Center for Energy and Environment developing policy, but much of my free time I put back into the community through volunteer leadership positions. I was chair of my neighborhood association where I spearheaded work to increase access to neighborhood services for renters. I served on Gov. Walz’s Sustainable Transportation Advisory Council and supported the development of Minnesota’s Climate Action Framework. And for the last eight years I’ve been on Minneapolis’ Capital Long-Range Improvement Committee guiding infrastructure budget decisions. I also enjoy undertaking (perhaps overly!) ambitious building projects - from electrification of our triplex to the building of the Uptown Strawhouse.

Southwest Voices: Your work and knowledge on mass transit, climate change abatement, and other “green” initiatives is strong. What other aspects of being a representative are you looking forward to learning more about? ‍

Katie Jones: I have already learned so much from my conversations with voters. People in the district are passionate and informed, and there are several issues that have come up in my conversations that have demonstrated specific ways our systems are broken for Minnesotans. I want to dig into those, and work to develop policy solutions for the state. That includes making child care more affordable, reigning in private equity and corporate interests in health care, pursuing harm reduction policies and addressing the fentanyl crisis, and strengthening our state's antitrust policies in order to protect consumers and ensure our state is an affordable place to live.

‍Southwest Voices: What is something that you haven’t been asked about yet that you want to talk about? ‍

Katie Jones: My day one policy is top of mind. I think every prospective representative should come in with a plan. For me, the legislation I would introduce on the first day of session is one that is generated by needs in our district while also benefiting the entire state.

Businesses on Hennepin Avenue are hurting and the task of navigating the small business grant system can be cumbersome. My proposal would establish a new statewide grant program that is incorporated directly into road reconstruction for commercial roads like Hennepin Avenue. I’ve thought about this issue a lot, and we should take lessons from the Green Line Light Rail Transit project which used state grant funding to successfully help independent businesses on University Avenue survive their construction period.

My proposal would bake this grant into road projects with a dedicated small percentage of each budget going towards affected small, independent and minority-owned businesses as small business grants. By building it into the road budgets this way it would be a durable solution embedded into our system and would benefit our district right now as well as other cities across the state, like Moorhead. These small walkable establishments like the ones along Hennepin, Lake, and Lyndale are valuable to our communities, and they should not suffer because of basic infrastructure maintenance. I shared this idea at the DFL Convention in March, and it's something I want to see through.‍

Southwest Voices: In a race that has three DFL candidates that would likely have similar voting records in office, how do you stand out? Why should people vote for you

‍Katie Jones: First, my background in engineering is rare at the legislature. The legislature has many lawyers, and lawyers are trained to craft an argument. Engineers, however, are trained to problem solve as a team.  My science-based, solutions-oriented, and collaborative mindset is how I’ve led within the community, and it’s how I would lead at the Capitol.

Second, it's not just about how someone will vote, but how effective they will be developing and championing new bills. I've worked closely with legislators to draft, pass, and implement policy. That includes working with retiring Rep. Frank Hornstein and Rep. Larry Kraft on landmark climate and transportation legislation that has made our state a national model. My words are in state statute and in ordinances across seven cities in Minnesota. I’ve also worked in city government implementing policy, so it’s important to me to design policy solutions in such a way that it is workable and can be rolled out successfully. I’m ready to hit the ground running to legislate and meaningfully contribute.

Third, just as important as the relationships I have inside the Capitol are those that I have outside. Solving our big issues from education to economic development will take partnership across jurisdictions and input from the community. I am someone who listens, and I’ve built productive connections at every level of government, across businesses, nonprofits, and with neighbors in 61A. I’ve been rooted in this community for over a decade and have delivered results through collaboration. I’ll bring these strong ties to the legislature. I’ve also worked in coalitions, with labor, industry, faith leaders, and advocates to advance policy on housing, so my ability to work in productive partnership with others towards positive results is proven. Our district deserves someone who can successfully continue the legacy of leading with collaboration and compassion.

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‍The primary election is Aug. 13. Voting information is available online.