MEET CHRIS

Hi, I’m Chris Smith, and I’m running to be your next City Council member for Ward 2. I’m a community organizer, a Friends of Mears Park gardener, and a longtime St. Paul Saints season ticket holder. I am the current Co-Chair for the African American Health State Advisory Council (AAHSAC). I’ve also served on the Saint Paul Human Rights Commission (HREEO) and the Capitol River Council board.

I’ve lived in Lowertown for fourteen years. I moved to St. Paul from the suburbs because I loved its scenic beauty, especially the Mississippi River, and its history. I chose Lowertown because I could get around by public transit and bike, enjoy festivals and concerts in Mears Park, and shop at the Farmers Market. Most of all, I wanted to be part of a community that works to make things better—and cheer for the Wild and the Saints. Lowertown is an underappreciated gem of this city. I know you love it, too.

When people ask me why I’m running, I think back to July 6, 2016. That day, I learned that a police officer had fatally shot Philando Castile during a traffic stop in Falcon Heights. Like many others, I watched the painful aftermath on Facebook Live. I didn’t know Philando, but I knew that killings like his had been happening for decades.

To explain why this hit me so hard, I need to go back to my childhood. I grew up in Cottage Grove in the 1980s. My older sister and I were usually the only two Black students in the public schools we attended. We struggled to feel like we belonged in a community that often treated us as outsiders.

As an adult, those experiences led me to work on issues I care about like Earned Sick and Safe Time (ESST), marriage equality, opposing voter ID, and joining political campaigns. Working with others gave me hope that we could fight discrimination and change the systems that held people back.

For years, I worked in insurance and financial services professionally, and outside of work I spent my time advocating to make our community better.I helped with campaigns and movements and shared in big moments of hope, like the election of Barack Obama . But I hadn’t yet made that work my career.

Even with those victories, the killings of Jamar Clark and Philando Castile reminded me how much still needed to change. They happened so close to home. I felt sadness but also regret. I wondered, what might have been different if I’d spent the last twenty years doing more to change the systems that held people back? What could that have meant for kids like my sister and me?

That was when I decided to make my moral, ethical, and political commitments the center of my professional life. I moved into advocacy work. Since then, I’ve worked alongside community members to make the places where we live better for everyone.

Being a community organizer doesn’t mean telling people what to think or what to do. It means listening, helping people speak up about what matters to them, and bringing people together to make their communities better. Organizing isn’t about “me.” It’s about “we.” That’s how I’ll approach this work.

So, let’s work together to continue building a St. Paul that celebrates our diversity, values climate resilience, and supports small businesses. Let’s improve our infrastructure, strengthen public safety, bring more people downtown, and expand our housing options. And let’s support our unsheltered neighbors and stand firm against federal government overreach. Join me. Bring your ideas. Let’s shape our city’s future—together.