Sarah's November SLP Community Updates

Sarah Steffen
Nov 9, 2025
4 min read

Updated: Nov 17, 2025

Greetings! Here is some city-related news for residents of SLP and beyond.

On the campaign trail, I heard how much you admire and enjoy Margaret Rog's monthly summaries. One of my campaign promises was to write a similar newsletter if elected. While we lost the election, I am going to summarize city news here regardless. I hope you enjoy!

🗳 Election Results are in, and they are super interesting. You can read my analysis of my race here. Overall, we had a great turnout in Ward 1, possibly in part due to the power of Ranked Choice Voting and having three candidate choices on the ballot. Here is the Sun Sailor's reporting on the City Council race results. The new city council will have its first meeting as a group on Jan. 5, 2026.

👮 Guns and Community Safety: We take community safety very seriously. Our campaign has been in contact with Bryan Kruelle, Chief of Police, City of St. Louis Park, regarding gun safety. Here is what he shared:

State law does not allow cities to regulate firearms, ammunition, or their components. This is the preemption law. The approach in SLP (around 2018) was mainly from a zoning perspective… Some of the actions taken during that period included:

Prohibiting the rental of city facilities for gun shows. – City policy adopted on 10/15/18, Resolution No. 18-170
Disallowing licensed firearm dealers from selling inside their homes. – Controlled through zoning. Ordinance no. 2562-19 was adopted in June 2019 to prohibit firearm sales as home occupations.

In terms of enforcement-related activities our officers encounter most often, they tend to be associated with individuals carrying a pistol without a permit (MN Statute 624.714), and a prohibited person in possession of a pistol or ammunition (MN Statute 624.713). Those are the two most frequent requests for charges we submit to the city or county attorney’s office in this area.

✍️ What if the preemption law is updated? The preemption law, first passed in the 1980s, prohibits municipalities from passing local ordinances that conflict with statewide firearms regulations. A coalition of city leaders, including the mayors of Minnesota's four largest cities, is lobbying for a change to state law that would allow local municipalities to set their own gun regulations. How should SLP respond if this law is updated? Contact your Council Members and let them know your thoughts.

🏡 Inclusive Communities: Issues that we raised during the campaign are being taken up by the City Council. During the League of Women Voters Candidate Forum, I raised the issue of the neighbors in affordable units not being invited to community events for market-rate renters. I am glad to hear that this topic has made its way to City Council Study Sessions.

🚲 Minnetonka Boulevard: Hennepin County is leading the planning process for the reconstruction of Minnetonka Boulevard from Hwy 100 west to Xylon Ave., beginning in 2027. County staff have developed three draft concepts based on community input. Share your feedback on draft concepts for Minnetonka Boulevard. The survey will be open through Friday, November 14. Share your thoughts today.

👩‍💼 Community Spotlight: The Historic Walker Lake Business Association is building a thriving business community through collaboration, events, and a shared commitment to the neighborhood. If you own or operate a business near the Walker and Lake intersection, visit their website to get involved.

Exciting Upcoming Opportunities:

SLP Friends of the Arts (FOTA): Artist Showcase. The Artist Showcase is a juried, community art exhibit celebrating artists in St. Louis Park and Golden Valley. Online submission is open until November 24. It is free to apply.
Join SLP FOTA for the Artist Showcase exhibit opening reception on January 23, 2026, from 5 - 8:00 pm.
SLP Friends of the Arts: Arts for Life Scholarship Applications Now Open! Deadline: December 5.
Upcoming community-wide events compiled by the city. You can also sign up to receive email/text notifications of upcoming events.

💡 Ideas for local advocacy: Contact your Council Members and ask them to implement stronger tenant protections in SLP. For example, landlords should be required to give a reason (a just cause) for not offering to renew a tenant’s lease at the end of the original term, if applicable.

🛶 Ideas for statewide advocacy: Contact your State Legislators and ask them to support Prove it First Legislation to protect the BWCA. According to Friends of the Boundary Waters, copper-sulfide mining is the greatest threat to Minnesota’s clean water in decades. Before a copper-sulfide mine in Minnesota could be permitted, the Prove It First Law would require independent scientific proof that a copper-sulfide mine has operated elsewhere in the United States for at least ten years without causing pollution. We need all of our legislators to support this commonsense legislation.

Upcoming Community Events, from Margaret's November 2025 newsletter:

Small Business Saturday, November 29. Buy local!

Bronx Park Pavement Management Open House, Thursday, Dec. 4, 5:30 - 7 pm, SLP City Hall Council Chambers. Review design layouts, ask questions, and learn what to expect during construction. Council will vote on this project in January.

SLP Storytelling, Thursday, Dec. 11, 6:30-7:45 pm. St. Louis Park Library. Margaret Rog will share stories from her childhood and how they influenced her as a leader, and reflect on being a council member through the COVID epidemic, etc.

2025 CPKC Holiday Train, Sunday, Dec. 14, 6:15 pm. An SLP tradition. Info here.