Ep:40 A conversation with Kaohly Her and her improbable run for Saint Paul Mayor

This week on the pod: Kaohly Her shares the deeply personal story behind her decision to run for Mayor of Saint Paul, a campaign sparked by the tragic murder of her close friend and colleague, Melissa Hortman.

In this wide-ranging and emotional conversation, she talks about her journey from escaping Laos after the Secret War to becoming a state representative who’s authored and passed major legislation.

Kaohly opens up about how her refugee experience shaped her values, her commitment to public service, and her vision for a Saint Paul that’s experiential, inclusive, and open for business.

We cover it all, from laughs to tears and everything in between, plus a few detours through BoomTimes, the NBA, The Chair Company, Community Ed, Hmong Village, and the glory days of tube televisions.

Don’t miss this honest and inspiring look at leadership, resilience, and the future of Saint Paul.

https://www.kaohlyforstp.com

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📞 Voicemail: 612.234.1889

 

00:00 Intro and how Casey messed up audio for the first 9 minutes

01:33 Theme Song

02:17 Kaohly Her - income as a litmus test for politics

06:24 Introducing Representative Her

08:15 Kaohly’s origin story

09:00 FIXED AUDIO - politics is a privilege

10:30 how public schools shaped political future

12:09 RIsk Taker 13:10 What is a Fourteener?

15:30 Hiking a mountain as a life metaphor

16:15 Background as a refugee

19:45 Liberation is tied to one another

21:53 Is Saint Paul Stalled out?

22:38 How do we “unstick”?

26:15 “Either Or” politics.

27:20 St. Paul as a city ready to do business.

29:00 providing needed resources thru snowballing

32:00 how do you get investment in downtown Saint Paul?

35:30 Plan for experiential downtown

37:30 balancing social services with public safety

42:00 Showing up for collaborative work

44:00 Collaborating with School Board

48:45 Dealing with immigration and federal policies around ICE

51:15 Our Police protecting Our residents

54:40 Underdog Story

59:10 Mellisa Hortman’s Murder and why Kaohly is running

01:02:15 Better outcomes thru competition

01:03:40 No Excuses Leading thru Covid, George Floyd and Trumpism

01:08:30 kaohlyforstp.com

01:10:10n BooMTiMeS

01:11:20 Kaohly owns a tube TV with rabbit ears

01:11:51 Live Action with Orchestra “Avatar”

01:12:25 Shohei Ohtani

01:15:10 St Paul Community Ed Hmong Village and Hmong Museum

01:17:55 The Chair Company

01:18:45 The NBA is BACK.

01:20:06 Outro