New interim St. Paul City Council member could become tie-breaking vote

[MUSIC PLAYING] NINA MOINI: Our top story this afternoon, the city of St. Paul swore in a new council member. Matt Privratsky is now the interim council member for Ward 4, replacing City Council President Mitra Jalali after she resigned in January, citing health concerns. He now represents the area of St. Paul that includes Hamline-Midway, Como, and parts of Macalester-Groveland.

Council member Privratsky could have a pivotal role in casting tie-breaking votes on important measures, and he joins me on the line now ahead of his first council meeting as a council member this afternoon. Thank you for being here, Council Member Privratsky.

MATT PRIVRATSKY: Thanks so much for having me, Nina.

NINA MOINI: A lot of people may not know that you have an extensive background at City Hall. You and I used to bump into each other a lot when you were working for Council Member Jalali for some time. Can you tell us a little bit about your background?

MATT PRIVRATSKY: Yeah, definitely. I moved to St. Paul in 2013 and really became an active advocate for better transportation options, more housing, more economic development, and all of those things, and quickly started helping folks who wanted to run for office and folks who wanted to make an impact in City Hall, helping them on their campaigns, and just being an active Midway resident, and then, in 2018, came and worked for then-council member and eventually, council president Mitra Jalali as her first legislative aide.

And so just always been really passionate about how the city can make an influence in our neighborhoods and in our community and now have the chance to do that as the interim member.

NINA MOINI: So you were actually appointed, for those who don't know, to the seat by Mayor Melvin Carter on Monday. That was after city council members couldn't come to an agreement about who should fill that vacant spot. Was this something you were expecting? Did you throw your hat in or throw your name in? Or how did that all come about?

MATT PRIVRATSKY: Yeah, there was an open application process a few weeks ago, and myself and I believe a couple dozen others threw our hat into the ring just to be considered. And from there, obviously, folks saw in the media that it was a little bit of a chaotic process. There were a lot of twists and turns the last couple of weeks.

But to be honest, I knew the work of getting things done in City Hall can be complicated. It can be messy at times. There's a lot of factors at play. So it didn't shock me too much to see there being a lot of back and forth and a lot of discussion about the appointment. And by the time it went to the mayor, I'm really happy to have the opportunity that he gave me. I'm happy for the opportunity that the council has provided me.

So I think for all of us who applied and had to live through the process, obviously, it was maybe a little more twists and turns than we would have predicted, but I don't think it was anything too far outside of what can happen in situations like this.

NINA MOINI: Yeah, and there's also, obviously, a lot of city business to attend to. But this council in particular, when they were all elected, they were the first all-women council. It was very historic. They received a lot of national media attention. And there was a lot of excitement around the group.

Now, fast forward a little more than a year later, and it does seem like things have gotten pretty contentious-- which is a part of doing city business. But we've also learned of interpersonal things that are going on. There was a staff member, for one, council member who filed a lawsuit and is now working for another council member. So with all of that in mind, I'm curious to know how the rapport is among the council, if you feel like the council is going to be in a good place and be able to work together in good faith.

MATT PRIVRATSKY: Yeah, I definitely think we'll be able to work together. I think being a city council member, especially in a major city like St. Paul, is really, really difficult work. It can be really complicated. There's a lot of things to balance. And even being a new staff member is a really big task to try and be supportive of your council member.

And I've been in both of those roles, and I just appreciate what it's like to have to be a new council and to learn how things work in City Hall. I've lived through that myself. So I have a lot of empathy for what it's been like for these new council members to come in and learn the ropes. And now I have to do that myself as well.

So I think you do see disagreement, and you do, at times, see maybe conflict at the table or disagreements at the table. But I think I'll definitely be able to work with everyone in this group. A lot of these folks are folks I've worked with previously, either when I was an aide or on community-based work. And I think it's a really passionate group and a lot of folks have complementary priorities. And so I think we will be able to work well together.

NINA MOINI: OK, so for the appointment, though, it's only going to be for about four months. A special election is coming up in August to permanently fill the seat. How are you approaching this shorter time that you're in this appointed position? And then are you interested in running for that seat?

MATT PRIVRATSKY: Yeah, I'm definitely happy to be here for this short gap, to just be a base cover for Ward 4. I'm passionate about our neighborhoods. I've spent a lot of time out in our part of the city. And so the chance to represent us through August was really what made me excited to come in and just be able to provide an immediate voice for folks in our part of town.

I definitely don't plan on running in the special election in August. I think there are multiple really, really strong candidates running there. And even you mentioned this council made history as the first all-women council in a city our size. And I think, frankly, in August, we're likely to return to that moment of history again, just because there's some really strong female candidates running in the special. But I think we'll do a great job.

NINA MOINI: OK. So in your short time here, you could end up really being a tiebreaker on some really key votes, votes around scaling back some of the rent control measures that have been put into place in recent years. How do you plan to catch up on these different issues? And where do you stand on the rent control measures in particular? Because you were there working for Council Member Jalali when a lot of these were being implemented.

MATT PRIVRATSKY: Yeah, I spent a great amount of time helping shape, along with community members and department staff and obviously, the council members themselves, the original tenant protections ordinance. So I'm very familiar with a lot of the policies that Councilmember Johnson has brought back and really appreciate her leadership in bringing those back to the table.

I'm particularly excited that both of those issues, rent stabilization and tenant protections, are moving together. I think it's important to have a comprehensive view of our housing system in St. Paul and even across the state. And so I do think protecting our tenants and protecting our renters is a very, very, very top priority for me. And I also recognize that we want to be able to add the new homes that we desperately need.

So I think taking these two issues together makes a lot of sense because I think they do comprehensively allow us to look at all sides of that issue or many sides of the issue. I think particularly, being lucky to come in today before the public hearings, where members of our community will come and really voice their opinion for us today, that's a big benefit for me because I'll get to see them speak to their needs and their desires directly. And I'll also get to hear from our city staff who are able to present all the work behind the scenes that went into shaping these proposals.

NINA MOINI: OK. What are some of the other priorities for you during your time with the council?

MATT PRIVRATSKY: Yeah, I want to be a steady, stable partner for everyone here. And I think folks who knew me as a legislative aide knew that I really liked to get my hands dirty and get into the work directly. And so in this role, I'm really excited that just over the border, in Ward 1, we're going to see construction starting at United Village. I think that's a really exciting development. I think we're continuing to see other parts of the ward where really exciting possibilities for change are undertaken.

Luther Seminary has a possible buyer for part of their campus. We're seeing a new homeless shelter up on-- in Bandana Square. I just think there's a lot of-- Ward 4 and Midway and all parts of our community always have a lot of things going on. And so I want to be as helpful as possible to our small businesses, to our residents and renters, and to our big, substantial educational institutions that make Ward 4 special.

NINA MOINI: Well, Council Member Matt Privratsky, thank you so much for stopping by Minnesota Now. Wishing you the best in the months ahead.

MATT PRIVRATSKY: Thanks a lot, Nina. I always appreciate the opportunity.

NINA MOINI: Thank you. That was Matt Privratsky, interim council member of Ward 4 in the city of St. Paul.