St. Paul’s problems are stark—a struggling downtown, high taxes, anemic housing construction—but none of the mayoral candidates could muster an endorsement from the St. Paul Area Chamber PAC.

The organization released a statement Friday stating “no candidate rose above the others as the transformative leader Saint Paul urgently needs.”

Mayor Melvin Carter is seeking a third term in the Nov. 4 election, and he’s never won the endorsement of the St. Paul Area Chamber PAC. In 2021, the PAC also didn’t make an endorsement. In 2017, the PAC endorsed Pat Harris, a former City Council member. In 2013, Chris Coleman, a multi-term mayor, got the PAC endorsement.

This year, the St. Paul Area Chamber PAC screened four mayoral candidates for a potential endorsement. They are Carter, state Democratic Rep. Kaohly Her, businessman Mike Hilborn, and Yan Chen, a scientific researcher at the University of Minnesota.

“Saint Paul faces real challenges, and our community deserves leadership that responds with perseverance, urgency, accountability, and effectiveness. While not every obstacle is within the city’s control, how leadership chooses to act is critical to shaping our future,” the PAC said in its statement.

“Our current reality includes an increase to the metro’s highest sales tax, a failed rent control policy that stalled housing development, ongoing public safety challenges, and a troubling pattern of overlooking the voice of business in shaping the city’s future,” the Chamber PAC said. “These realities have contributed to a sense of stagnation and highlight the importance of charting a new path forward.”

The PAC board is chaired by Marc Cove of First Resource Bank. The other members are: Bob Boullianne, Express Employment Professionals; Haley Cobb, Winthrop & Weinstine; Elizabeth Emerson, Goff Public; Ted Koeppl, Lifetime Navigators; B Kyle, St. Paul Area Chamber; Greg Larson, Drake Bank; Paul Reinke, Silver Oak Development, and Chelsea Thompson, K2&CO.

John Perlich, vice president of government affairs for the St. Paul Area Chamber, didn’t list which members took part in the endorsement decision, but said a quorum was present.

The Chamber PAC was explicit in explaining why it didn’t view any candidate as a strong leader for addressing the immense challenges that will face the mayor elected in November. Early voting started Friday, so St. Paul residents already are weighing in on their choices.

“Saint Paul is at a pivotal moment,” the PAC said in the statement. “A relentless focus on growth and revitalization is critical to a needed change of course. High taxes, declining commercial property values, and limited results at the legislature for funding critical infrastructure projects have left businesses and residents struggling. After careful consideration and recognizing that no single candidate best represented our priorities, the St. Paul Area Chamber PAC made the difficult decision not to endorse in this year’s mayoral election.”

The PAC also stated that the Chamber would work with whomever is elected mayor “to create a stronger, more prosperous city.” In particular, the PAC said, there must be “consistent attention to public safety, housing, a competitive business climate, reliable infrastructure, and a strong workforce.”

Huge concerns over tax burden

The pandemic, a shift to remote and hybrid work, and drug problems have affected the condition of downtown St. Paul, where many office buildings have either emptied out or seen high vacancy rates.

Twin Cities Business examined those issues in a major story in the fall of 2024. The Pioneer Press has been chronicling the city’s fiscal woes on an ongoing basis. On Tuesday, the newspaper carried a front-page headline that read: “How much will your taxes go up?” The decline in value in key commercial properties is shifting a greater portion of the property tax burden onto homeowners.

Rebecca Noecker, the St. Paul City Council president, indicated in a March TCB story that the city’s attempts at “rent stabilization” had stalled housing development. She also said that constituents are clearly speaking out about the cost of local government and rising property taxes.

Amid St. Paul’s revenue and spending problems, a citizens’ fiscal watchdog group formed in 2024. In$ight St. Paul, which recently unveiled a new website at insightstpaul.org, has been analyzing the city’s budgets and tax base.

In August, In$ight St. Paul released an initial report on tax increment financing. “The city of St. Paul has a critical need to increase its property tax base,” the organization said in a news release. “In$ight St. Paul has concluded after an exhaustive study that TIF—the public subsidy tool sought by developers, city leaders, and trade unions to increase the tax base—has been overused and places an undue burden on the city’s taxpayers.”

The organization’s research is available on the In$ight St. Paul website.