Kristy Janigo

Kristy Janigo served in the U.S. Army National Guard from 2000 to 2006. Janigo earned a high school diploma from Red River High School, a bachelor's degree from North Dakota State University in 2005, and a Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota in 2015. Her career experience includes working as a civil servant.[1]

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

My family’s rural background growing up in small towns in North Dakota instilled in me the value of strong communities. Public service has shaped my life. I joined the Army National Guard at 17, starting out my adult life with service directly after the terrorist attacks of 9/11. I am a proud graduate of public schools and land grant universities. I received my bachelor degrees from North Dakota State University and my Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota. I worked for 15 years in the private sector in global manufacturing, and then taught for three years in higher education, where I was an academic department chair. I have since worked in the public sector. For three years, I was a veteran advocate and part of the achievement of reaching an effective end to veteran homelessness in the most populous county in Minnesota. I recently received the Steven A. Pihlaja Justice Partners Award from the Fourth Judicial District for my success and advocacy with Veteran Treatment Court participants’ veteran benefits claims. I also volunteer as a part-time special deputy for the sheriff’s water patrol. I have been a Maple Grove City Council member for four years and am currently the deputy mayor. On city council, I work on local issues like infrastructure, public safety, planning, and transit. For my current day job, I work in local government overseeing and auditing crucial public services. These experiences taught me how the government affects people’s daily lives.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

My top three priorities will be affordability, safe communities, and trust in government. Families are stretched by the cost of housing, groceries, childcare, health care, and transportation, so I will focus on practical solutions that bring costs down and help people build economic security. I will support a vibrant economy by focusing on affordability, workforce development, and strong local infrastructure. I will invest in housing, childcare, transportation, broadband, and career and technical education so families can work and businesses can grow. I will support small businesses, farms, and major employers while working to lower costs for health care, food, energy, and housing.I will support initiatives that ensure our communities are safe. I will support legislation that helps recruit and retain police, firefighters, 911 dispatchers, paramedics, and corrections staff, including mental health support and competitive benefits. I also support effective prosecution, probation, and reentry programs that reduce repeat crime, stronger protections for domestic violence victims, funding for shelters, and overdose prevention efforts like access to Narcan. I support technologies capable of protecting both the public and first responders. District 37 is home to the Northwest Regional Public Safety Training Facility. We should have facilities like this across the state so first responders have access to top-notch training.Voters’ trust in government at all levels has wavered. They want transparency for their tax dollars. Fraud is unacceptable because it wastes taxpayers’ money and those most in need suffer. Trust can be restored with accountability. I have experience administering government programs and I will support legislation to fraud-proof our state programs: take swift action to investigate, prosecute and punish fraudsters; implement the Office of the Inspector General, removed from politics, to bring fraud to light, and prevent fraud in the first place; strengthen penalties for those who commit fraud and increasing protections for whistleblowers who expose it; ban any politician convicted of fraud in Minnesota from running for office again.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Two policy areas I'm personally passionate about are veterans issues and local issues. Despite widespread public support for our veterans, service members, and their families, there are many ways the government has continued to fail our heroes. I have plans to protect Minnesota veterans from veteran benefits fraud; prevent sexual assault in the military; help survivors find a pathway to heal; and find ways to assist justice involved veterans to pursue a second chance. My experience on city council has shown me that local governments are closest to the people, and they need support to carry out their public service missions. Cities need reliable roads, transit, water systems, and broadband as our communities grow.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

I am the DFL endorsed candidate for state senate SD37: https://www.sd37dfl.org/meet-the-candidates. Please also visit my website for endorsements, which is regularly updated: https://kristyjanigoformn.com/