Forward with Francis
A lifelong South St. Paul resident leading his hometown since January 2017. His stated priorities: continued effective and functional government, water protection and infrastructure resilience, and economic development. In his words: “I am here to serve.”
Mayor since January 2017Lifelong resident · Employee benefits advisor · Host of the city's podcast, Conversations in South St. Paul
Meet Jimmy
Jimmy Francis did not move to South St. Paul to run it. He grew up here, built his career here, and has served as the city's mayor since January 2017.
Francis, full name James P. Francis, describes himself simply as a lifelong resident of South St. Paul. He earned a two-year broadcasting degree from the Brown Institute and his life, health, property, and casualty insurance licensing through Kaplan University. Outside City Hall he works as an employee benefits advisor with Assured Partners, helping employers and families with coverage.
He took office as mayor in January 2017 and was presiding over council meetings by that September. In the 2024 Local Election Guide he listed his experience as “8 years as mayor of South St. Paul,” stood for re-election as the incumbent on his “Forward with Francis” platform, and remains in office today, with his current term running through 2028. He also serves as President of the South St. Paul Economic Development Authority.
His mayor's office is an active one. He has presented the city's bonding requests to the Minnesota House Capital Investment Committee, testified before the House Commerce Committee in support of community media, and in January 2025 launched and began hosting the city's own podcast, Conversations in South St. Paul. Around town he reads with students in Read Across South St. Paul, joins the Mayor's Youth Task Force at the annual tree lighting, and talks up the city's signature traditions, including the World Championship Booya Competition, on WCCO radio.
“As a lifelong resident, I love South St. Paul… My motto, ‘Forward with Francis’ reflects our journey of progress over the past eight years, showcasing how far we've advanced. I am here to serve.”
Sources: St. Paul Publishing, Local Election Guide (2024) · City of South St. Paul, Mayor & Council · Minnesota House, Legislative Update (Nov. 7, 2025)
His Stated Priorities
Asked for his top three priorities in the 2024 Local Election Guide, Mayor Francis named them in his own words: continued effective and functional government, water protection and infrastructure resilience, and economic development. Here is what each one looks like in practice.
“Continued effective and functional government,” in his words. The council sets policy, the city administrator runs daily operations, and the mayor's job is to keep both moving in the same direction.
“Water protection and infrastructure resilience,” in his words. A river city with aging pipes treats water as job one, from the treatment plant to the tap.
“Economic development remains a top priority,” he wrote in his December 2024 mayor's column, pointing to residents' call for more sit-down restaurants and new investment.
Sources: Local Election Guide (2024) · St. Paul Publishing, State of the City review (2025) · St. Paul Publishing, Major 2026 developments (Jan. 2026)
The Road Here
From his first months in the mayor's chair to the building boom now underway across the city.
Francis succeeds Mayor Beth Baumann and is presiding over South St. Paul City Council meetings by September 2017. By 2024 he would count “8 years as mayor” in his own election guide listing.
Francis joins U.S. Reps. Angie Craig and Betty McCollum at South St. Paul's celebration of the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, honoring the city's own Marguerite Newburgh, the first woman to vote in the United States under the amendment.
While serving as mayor, Francis runs for Dakota County Commissioner, District 2, covering West St. Paul, South St. Paul, and parts of Inver Grove Heights: “This is what I have done as Mayor, and I would continue to do as your County Commissioner.”
Francis stands for re-election on his “Forward with Francis” platform in a three-candidate field, advances through the August primary, and remains in office for a new four-year term.
Conversations in South St. Paul debuts with Mayor Francis as host, part of the city's push to rethink how it communicates with residents. The first full episode, with Police Chief Brian Wicke, follows on February 21, 2025.
On October 6, 2025, the council votes to move to final construction plans for the Northview Family Aquatic Center, replacing the 1956 Northview Pool and the Lorraine Splash Pool.
Francis presents South St. Paul's bonding requests, public works facility modernization and pool replacement, to the Minnesota House Capital Investment Committee on its regional tour.
Still at the helm in October 2026, hosting council meetings and the city podcast, with the aquatic center under construction and the 2026 development pipeline underway.
Sources: Local Election Guide (2024) · Office of Rep. Angie Craig (2020) · West St. Paul Reader (2022) · Minnesota House (2025)
Getting Things Built
Drawn from the city's own State of the City review and its 2026 developments reporting: the projects and results of the Francis years at City Hall.
The 5.6-acre superblock at Grand Avenue East and Concord Street North was assembled and parceled, with a preliminary development agreement with Zavi Development in late 2024 and a conceptual master plan adopted in March 2025: about 200 market-rate apartments, a restaurant, green space, and a destination business such as an indoor pickleball center. $2.5 million of site-readiness work is budgeted over 2026–27.
An $8.5 million upgrade of the water treatment plant at Well #3 was completed at the end of May 2025, addressing radium levels. State funding is secured for PFAS treatment at Well #4, and state-funded lead service line replacements are slated for about 1,000 homeowners in 2026–27.
7th Avenue South was fully reconstructed in 2024, on time and under budget, including watermain replacement. The Concord Exchange, from Grand Avenue to 6th Street, was rebuilt with streetscape improvements, and the Marie Avenue reconstruction is proceeding in phases at $5.1 million, aided by a $1 million MnDOT Safe Routes to School grant.
The 111-unit Backyards apartment complex was completed, and the John Carroll High Rise renovation renewed 165 apartments with new plumbing, kitchens, and bathrooms, plus asbestos, lead, and radon remediation.
A new Parks Master Plan was completed at the end of 2024. The Wakota Scenic Trailhead opened in summer 2024 with a Mississippi River Greenway connection. Construction is now underway on the Northview Family Aquatic Center, with completion expected in spring 2028.
At Wakota Industrial Business Park, Danner Inc. is building an 80,000 sq. ft., $7 million office and manufacturing facility on a remediated former dump site, expected in late 2026 with about 82 new full-time jobs. A new Public Works Central Maintenance facility, about $27 million, begins construction in spring 2026.
The Police Department launched a transparency and data website and added therapy K9 Riley, with federal and state grants supporting ballistic vests, license plate readers, and officer training. South Metro Fire replaced a ladder truck about 30 years old, won a grant to hire more firefighters enabling a third 24/7 ambulance, and completed its first formal strategic plan. And in early 2024 the new Dakota County Kaposia Library opened, with the restored “Lucy” statue moved there after a community fundraising effort.
Sources: St. Paul Publishing, State of the City review · St. Paul Publishing, Major 2026 developments · City of South St. Paul
The City Coin
Leading the collection is South St. Paul's own First City coin, struck for 2026. One side looks out over the historic stockyards and the river bridge at sunset; the other carries a vintage Packers football helmet over crossed hockey sticks. The full American Assembly set follows below. Ordering is not open yet, so every coin carries a pre-order interest button. Join the list and you will be contacted the moment the coin store opens. No payment is taken now.
American Assembly collection · 2026 First Edition
American Assembly collection · 2026 First Edition
American Assembly collection · 2026 First Edition
American Assembly collection · 2026 First Edition
American Assembly collection · 2026 First Edition
American Assembly collection · 2026 First Edition
Cottage Grove, Minnesota · 2026 First Edition
Proceeds with a purpose: when the coin store opens, you choose where the proceeds from your coins go. Send them to South St. Paul community projects directed by Mayor Francis, or pick a charity of your own from a vetted list at checkout.
The first Forever Fundraiser: the coin program is also the first entry in Forever Fundraisers, Mayor Francis's home for South St. Paul fundraisers that never really end.
Forever Fundraisers
Forever Fundraisers is Mayor Francis's idea: a permanent home on this page for ongoing South St. Paul fundraisers that never really end. No deadline, no final event. Each one stays open, keeps helping, and shows its verified amount raised once it is live.
The first Forever Fundraiser is the challenge coin program above: the South St. Paul First City coin and the full American Assembly collection, with proceeds directed by each buyer at checkout once the coin store opens.
More fundraisers will be added to this page as they launch. When one goes live, its verified amount raised will be posted here for everyone to see.
Join the interest listForever Fundraisers — Coming Soon
Coming soon. Joining the interest list is free, and no payment or donation is taken at this stage.
In His Own Voice
The city's official podcast, launched in January 2025 and hosted by Mayor Francis. In the show's own words: “Join Mayor Jimmy Francis as he dives into candid conversations about South St. Paul's challenges, triumphs, and the people who make our city thrive.”
Listen to the podcastConversations in South St. Paul
Source: City of South St. Paul, Conversations in South St. Paul (Spotify for Creators)
The City He Serves
Long before it was a city, this bend of the Mississippi was Kaposia, a seasonal Mdewakanton Dakota village established around 1750 and led by a succession of chiefs known as Little Crow. The name lives on in Kaposia Park, Kaposia Landing, the Kaposia Library, and the Kaposia Days festival, which marked its 50th anniversary in 2025.
The city's defining industry was the St. Paul Union Stockyards: Swift & Company and Armour Meats were the largest employers at their peak, drawing Southern and Eastern European immigrant families whose descendants still fill the city. The stockyards closed in 2008, and the historic Armour Gates and the Livestock Exchange Building area on Concord Street remain as landmarks of that era.
South St. Paul also holds a first in American history: shortly after the 19th Amendment was ratified in August 1920, resident Marguerite Newburgh became the first woman to vote in the United States under the amendment. A memorial at Lawshe Park, unveiled in summer 2024, honors the first 90 women voters.
Today the city is known for Fleming Field, its city-owned airport; Doug Woog Arena; Grandview Park above the river; the Mississippi River Greenway and Wakota Trailhead; and the Packers, its school teams. Every fall, the World Championship Booya Competition and the On the Road Again festival bring the city together, with Mayor Francis himself promoting them on WCCO radio.
Sources: Wikipedia, South St. Paul, Minnesota · National Park Service, Kaposia Indian Site · Office of Rep. Angie Craig
Around Town
Milestones from the mayor's recent years in office, each linked to its published source.
The reading program returns to SSP elementary schools, with Mayor James Francis among the community leader volunteers reading to students.
The new Dakota County Kaposia Library opens its doors, with the restored “Lucy” statue installed after a community fundraising effort.
Mayor Francis kicks off the city's podcast: “Welcome to the Conversation,” a new channel for community voices and city news.
The city's summer festival celebrates its 50th anniversary; Mayor Francis hosts a podcast episode with the Kaposia Days board.
The Minnesota House Capital Investment Committee tour stops in South St. Paul, and Mayor Francis presents the city's public works and pool bonding requests.
A big year on paper: the aquatic center, Hardman Triangle, Marie Avenue, Wakota Industrial Park, and a new public works facility.
Mayor Francis appears on WCCO radio to promote the World Championship Booya Competition and the On the Road Again festival.
The city posts a progress update on the Northview Family Aquatic Center: construction underway, completion expected spring 2028.
City Hall
Mayor Francis serves through the City of South St. Paul. The official channels below are the way to reach him and the City Council.
South St. Paul City Hall
125 3rd Ave N
South St. Paul, MN 55075
The City Council meets at 7 p.m. on the first and third Mondays of the month in the council chambers.
southstpaulmn.govCity Council: 651-554-3284
City Hall: 651-554-3200
Fax: 651-554-3201
The city's Mayor & Council page lists the mayor and all six council members, with agendas and minutes for every meeting.
Mayor & Council pageThe City of South St. Paul posts news, events, and meeting coverage on its official Facebook page, and streams council meetings through Town Square Television.
City of South St. Paul on Facebook
