Action needed now to address Minnesota's housing shortage
November 29, 2018
The availability of affordable homes has been a key competitive edge in attracting families and businesses to Minnesota.
It’s hard to question the credibility of Montevideo, Minn., Mayor Debra Lee Fader when she talks about the connection between housing and the vitality of communities. The civic leader and business person’s knowledge of the issue is firsthand. She hasn’t been able to find a home she and her husband can afford since they sold the Sportsmen Inn, the motel they operated.
Now, Fader is seeking to drop her re-election bid. She told a reporter that “she didn’t feel right about campaigning for mayor when she couldn’t be certain she would be able to find a place to call home.”
Her challenge isn’t unique to her or to Montevideo. Communities around the state are facing similar circumstances. Austin City Administrator Craig Clark recently told the Austin Daily Herald that continued economic growth and prosperity in his southern Minnesota community depends on a robust housing market.