Issues — Tai Tran For Savage

Education

Quality education is necessary in our digital economy for you and your children to succeed and thrive but the cost of attendance has only grown to the point where most families have to spend anywhere from 35% to 51% of their household income to afford it, not including debt accrued from student loans.

As your councilor, I will work with Scott County to build a non-profit community college right here in Savage so you and your children can get a quality education without breaking the bank and build on our existing educational pathways established by our school districts. Despite this being one of city government’s options, the current council majority has consistently resisted such a project.

Community

When the government drops the ball, Savage picks it up. One of the most important jobs for city government is supporting and promoting community-building but the current council majority has failed to fulfill that basic duty. While the epidemic of detachment from real-life communities is affecting people all across the country and world, there are many tools at city government’s disposal to bring people together.

As your councilor, I will begin construction on a proper community center here in Savage for children and adults alike to spend time with friends and loved ones in a safe and accessible environment. A Lifetime Fitness simply doesn’t provide what residents of Savage need in a community center.

Healthcare

Many Savage residents, especially our senior citizens, know better than anyone how much of a pain the current healthcare system in America is. The for-profit healthcare system prioritizes the expectations of shareholders over the health and wellbeing of our citizens.

As your councilor, I will work with Scott County to build a public hospital right here in Savage, providing our residents with a low-cost healthcare option that retains the high standards and quality of care that Minnesota is known for. This would also importantly help reduce the overcrowding issues at the Fairview and St. Francis campuses that many Savage residents rely on for healthcare.

Mental health services are especially important to our community. Social workers and mental health centers have been incredible for our public health and safety, providing first responders with experts who have a wide swathe of resources and options to address mental health crises. We need a city councilor willing to continue funding and supporting our mental health professionals even after grants for them expire.

Further, I will sign onto an official declaration that the residents of Savage, my constituents, need a universal single-payer healthcare system now. The cost of living in this country is just too high for families to afford a system of for-profit institutions and undisclosed hospital costs.

Clean Water

Our city gets around 85% of its water supply from neighboring Burnsville, but our neighbors’ water supply is at risk of contamination due to an unaddressed superfund site whose owners refuse to clean up. As your councilor, I will rally both Burnsville and Savage to work with the state government and put an end to that superfund site so our cities’ drinking water remains safe and clean for all to drink.

Furthermore, I will stand against any attempts by big tech companies to build AI data centers in Savage and threaten to contaminate our city’s drinking water. I will also continue to secure the replenishment and modernization of our water infrastructure to replace old pipes that contaminate the water. The ability to drink safe and clean water is a basic human need and I will not sell that out to pad the bottom lines of billionaires.

Sustainability

Like many Minnesota cities, Savage is part of the GreenSteps Program. Thanks to the hard work of the Savage GreenTeam, this program has steered Savage on a path of sustainability, efficiency, and responsible land stewardship that saves the city money while combatting climate change.

As your city councilor, I’ll continue supporting the GreenSteps Program and Savage’s GreenTeam while supporting green energy projects, pushing back against the irresponsible use of fossil fuels, and making sure that Savage isn’t left behind when the state and federal government make renewable energy and electric vehicle investments.

Transit

Savage used to have a passenger line connecting it to Minneapolis, plugging it directly into the development and growth of the Twin Cities that helped it become the beloved home of over 32,000 it is today. Since then, the passengers on that line were replaced by freight. Now, it costs an individual Savage resident over around 20 miles of gas and almost half an hour in low traffic hours just to go to the cities.

The proposed Dan Patch Corridor would allow Savage residents to more easily access jobs in the Twin Cities, visit relatives who moved up for school or work, and bring both commerce and jobs to this city that supports small businesses and the city’s fiscal health.

As your city councilor, not only will I use my position as a representative of the city to lobby for the Corridor, I will work with local transit services to expand public transit options that reduce costs for Savage residents and help older residents who can’t drive be able to live independently with dignity.

Housing

With rising costs of living across America, we need to reduce costs for Savage residents wherever we can. Multifamily housing has proven time and time again to be the most efficient way to build housing in a city and with Savage’s limited building space, it’s the best way to reduce housing costs for Savage residents.

The City of Savage’s ongoing development goals includes prioritizing multifamily housing in order to reduce costs and make it easier for people to grow a family in Savage.

As your city councilor, I’ll make sure that the city maintains its focus on reducing housing costs for you and your family so you can afford to build a life in Savage.