Paula Chesley plans to bring a “sense of urgency” to Ward 7 if she’s elected to the Minneapolis City Council.

Shortly after Chesley became an East Isles homeowner in 2020, she was cited for being topless near Theodore Wirth Regional Park, successfully argued that it was gender discrimination, and prompted a change to the indecent exposure ordinance for Minneapolis Parks, all within a few months. She points to that as one example of how she would work quickly to resolve issues as a councilmember.

Chesley currently teaches yoga and meditation to people with eating disorders and other mental health issues for The Emily Program. She holds master’s and doctorate degrees in linguistics, with a minor concentration in statistics.

Chesley proclaims that she is a proud childless cat lady. She recently adopted Norma Jean to keep Elvis company while she’s away running her campaign.

Downtown Voices editor Brianna Kelly met with Chesley on May 2 at Spyhouse Coffee near Uptown to talk about what she would prioritize as the Ward 7 representative.

‍This is the fourth installment of Downtown Voices’ interviews with Ward 3 and 7 candidates. Questions for candidates are based on responses to an internal reader survey conducted earlier this year. 

‍The following conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

‍Brianna Kelly: How long have you lived in Ward 7?

Paula Chesley: I have lived in Ward 7 for just over five years. I bought my first home March 2 of 2020–it will always be a date that's etched in my brain, because it was right before COVID. But I also did live in the ward for four years during grad school too. From 2007 to 2011, I lived in Lowry Hill, and I really liked it. So, it was always kind of a dream to be able to come back, and I was really excited to be able to buy a home in the area. 

BK: Why are you running for City Council?

PC: Like I said, I bought my first home–it’s very close to Hennepin Avenue–right after the pandemic and the murder of George Floyd. I started stepping up in my community, first as a block captain. There was a lot of need at the time for just connecting people, safety issues, etcetera. After that, I started the East Isles Safety Walking Club, which is a partnership between the neighborhood organization and MPD to keep our neighborhood clean, friendly and a welcoming place for people to be. Then I sat on the East Isles Neighborhood Association Board, and through that, I saw various instances in which I feel like I could step up. You know, sending email after email after email and not getting the response I wanted, or not even getting a response at all sometimes; and thinking, if I’m in City Council, maybe those emails will get responded to. Maybe we can have some solutions around safety for everyone in the city. 

Also, focusing on economic development. I mean, this has been heartbreaking for folks–I’m referencing the decline of the Hennepin Avenue corridor–and there’s also been a lot of blight in Loring Park and the downtown areas of Ward 7. Also, affordable housing and homelessness. Our city has various challenges at this time, but we also have a lot of opportunities, and I want to be part of the solution. I think I have good, innovative ideas.

BK: What do you see as the biggest issue facing Ward 7? How would you address it?

PC: For Ward 7 in particular, I would say either public safety or economic revitalization of the corridors. I think that really varies depending on which part of the ward you’re in. Those are the two that I would say that I really want to focus on. They also go hand in hand, right? Because when we have economic revitalization, then there are just going to be more people out, and when we have more people out, like, activated spaces tend to be safer spaces. So they're also interrelated. Public safety is a big issue throughout our city. I really want to grow our police force. Then we also have the consent decree, so this is a real opportunity to be serious about police reform as well.

BK: What would you like to see implemented when it comes to economic development?

PC: In Uptown, people have been talking quite a bit about a business improvement district. I really like this idea. I think it needs to be equitable. I think that the businesses need to feel supported here. That includes safety ambassadors that are paid for through the business improvement district fund. It also includes cleanliness and hygiene, as well as revitalization efforts to bring people into the area, like a Prince statue or something.

For downtown, I think we need to be asking for more money from the State so that we can get grants to actively recruit businesses to come to the area, like startups throughout the country. I really want to see more  businesses be able to be in Uptown, downtown, and Loring Park. Then we need to think about things like potential Tax Increment Financing districts. I'm really open to a lot of different financial tools and resources. But first of all, starting off with public safety, I would say, because people need to feel safe in these areas.

BK: We’re at Spyhouse, in the midst of road construction, something lots of small businesses are struggling with lately. Do you think the City should do more to support them?

PC: Yeah, there are a couple of things that the City can do, like offering small business grants as much as possible. But also just really being mindful of how the closures are done. Why do we need five or six contiguous blocks closed off at the same time? For the whole summer? Could we have three blocks closed off? Could we have part of the road closed off? Could we have better signage? Could we have more outreach beforehand? Because there wasn’t a ton of that either. It’s important to be mindful of the residents in the area and the things that they have to deal with too.

PC: For me, that's one of the most fun parts of the job. In terms of engagement, either I or my staff would go to every neighborhood association meeting every month. We need that interaction in a predictable place where people can show up. I would like to bring my own monthly meetings to places that need specific support. We need to proactively engage people who are not so engaged typically. I would like to have cookouts in the park. Make things fun. Begin to build community. I think it’s really important to lead with excitement.

In terms of responsiveness–something I'm definitely hearing from residents that they're wanting in a councilmember–that is something that I am really focused on. Another thing is figuring out a way to really quickly take the pulse of the community on certain issues.

‍Downtown Voices also interviewed current Ward 7 Councilmember Katie Cashman. Our election tracker is keeping tabs on everyone in the mayoral and City Council races, including Elizabeth Shaffer, who's also running in Ward 7.