When I announced my candidacy for a seat on the Minneapolis Board of Estimate and Taxation (BET), it was because I believed that my service on the BET would help restore trust and credibility to this important oversight body.

I also believed then, as I do today, that the BET has long underutilized its capacity to improve access to—and equity in—the city’s taxing and public investment decisions.

Very recently, I was offered a rare professional opportunity for full-time public service—one that will put my background, knowledge, and skills to their best use.  But, to serve in this new capacity, professional ethics require that I refrain from political activity, including campaigning for elected office.

This decision is bittersweet, and one I do not make lightly. While I am excited about this new role and the opportunity to serve the public in this capacity, I recognize that many people were counting on me and excited that I could give them a voice on the BET. I would love to be able to perform both roles. I cannot.

Accordingly, I have decided not to include my name on the ballot.

I offer my gratitude and my apologies to the people and groups who have supported me and my candidacy. I specifically want to thank the volunteers and contributors who made this campaign possible and successful—especially my Campaign Manager; my Treasurer; Julia Curran, who created my iconic logo; and Ryan Ricard who programmed the Levy Simulator.

I will work with my treasurer to promptly return all monetary campaign contributions and terminate my campaign committee.

Consistent with the limitations on my political activity, I will not endorse any candidate in the BET race or any other race.

Thank you for your understanding,

First and foremost, I want to apologize to everyone who has supported us. Unfortunately for all of us, my candidate was too qualified for this seat on the Board, and the next step in her career path precludes her from politics.

The values we campaigned on, equity, increasing access to our budgeting process, and investing in our city, are values I hold deeply. To the people and the organizations my campaign was honored to receive endorsements from based on those shared values, I can only offer you my sincere thanks for your support for the campaign I was running, and I plan to continue to support you going forward.

Financial donations are in the process of being refunded to the generous people who donated, and I am hopeful that they will be redirected to another candidate that each donor supports, but that decision is in the hands of each donor.

Donations of labor, however, can’t be refunded. To everyone who spread the word about Christa, to everyone who helped educate people about what the Board of Estimate and Taxation is and does, to everyone who stamped postcards, to everyone who put on and everyone who voted to endorse her at the citywide convention – the ONLY citywide endorsed candidate – I thank you from the bottom of my heart, and I am in your debt. I am incredibly proud of what we were able to do together, and I hope you are too.

Since the campaign I’ve been involved with is ending, I, personally, will be continuing to be spending time supporting candidates and issues I have supported all along (and now I can publicly support some I was prevented from publicly supporting earlier!)

Here are some donation links for candidates and issues. Not every candidate or issue I support is on here, but these are the ones where I think funds will go furthest. In no particular order:
Elliot Payne
Steve Fletcher
Phillipe Cunningham
Jeremiah Ellison
Nick Kor
Jason Chavez
Jeremy Schroeder
Mike Norton
Eric Moran
Becky Alper
Jono Cowgill
Risa Hustad
Tom Olson
Yes4Minneapolis
Minneapolis United For Rent Control

-Pine Salica 🌲