Saint Paul, MN – Trista MatasCastillo today released her 28-point platform calling for improvements to Ramsey County Health and Human Services, available at https://votetrista.org/issues/hhs/.
“I have learned through experience that the rhetoric of our safety net doesn’t always match up to the reality,” said MatasCastillo, whose severely disabled son relies on Ramsey County services. “From the homeless veteran living in the shadow of Cathedral Hill to my own severely disabled child, too often our system fails to provide the services needed to ensure that everyone in Ramsey County can succeed.
“The district that I hope to represent is the poorest in Ramsey County and one of the poorest in the entire state of Minnesota, and so many of the issues that we face in our district have roots in our failure to provide for those with the greatest need. I’m running because I know we need to make serious, sustained investments in our people to see the kind of future we all want to see.”
The plan includes calls for increased funding for shelters and emergency housing, updates to Ramsey County’s aging technical infrastructure, increased assistance for foster parents and the elderly, and changes to make the county’s services easier to navigate.
MatasCastillo has earned the endorsement of the DFL party, Saint Paul Federation of Teachers, the DFL Disability Caucus, Stonewall DFL, International Union of Operating Engineers Local 49, International Union of Operating Engineers Local 70, Teamsters Local 120, Teamsters JC 32 DRIVE, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 110, and the North Central States Regional Council of Carpenters.
MatasCastillo has also garnered the support of local progressives like Governor Mark Dayton, Saint Paul Mayor Melvin Carter, Representative Rena Moran, Representative Carlos Mariani, DFL endorsed candidate for House Representative Jay Xiong, School Board Member Marny Xiong, Falcon Heights City Council Member Mark Miazga, City Council President Amy Brendmoen, City Council Member Dai Thao, and Chief Resilience Officer Russ Stark.
Trista is a veteran who served 16 years in the United States Navy, the United States Marine Corps, and Minnesota National Guard. She currently works at Minnesota Assistance Council for Veterans. She lives in the Payne/Phalen Neighborhood with her husband, Hector, and their five sons.
