Bridges developer makes large contributions to City Council candidates
The Saint Paul City Council may have stopped developer Jerry Trooiens Bridges of Saint Paul project, but that didnt stop Trooien from subsequently giving what is believed to be the single largest political contribution in Saint Paul electoral history.
On September 4, the Council rejected a rezoning for the Bridges of Saint Paul project on a 5-2 vote, effectively stopping the project in its tracks. Trooien made his impact through giving at least $50,000 to the Saint Paul Police Federation an amount thought to be the single largest contribution in Saint Paul electoral history. The Federation then targeted those resources to literature, radio ads, and robo-calling in support of three Bridgesand police-friendly candidates:
- In Ward 5, Councilmember Lee Helgen opposed the Bridges rezoning, and only narrowly beat challenger David Haas, the Police Federation endorsee.
- In Ward 6, retired police Sergeant Dan Bostrom was one of two votes in support of the Bridges rezoning. The longtime Councilmember retained his seat despite a spirited campaign by challenger Pakou Hang.
- Ward 1 was the most watched race in the City. Retired police Commander Debbie Montgomery joined Bostrom in supporting the Bridges rezoning on the City Council. Despite strong support from the Police Federation, she was soundly bested by Melvin Carter, the DFL endorsee.
Trooiens contributions represented over three-quarters of the Federations expenditures on its pre-election campaign finance filing.
Read more about the Bridges in our section on the proposal.