Advocacy in Action: a March 2026 Update

SPAAR’s Government Affairs Directors (GADs), Becky Wegscheid and Simon Opatz, actively engaged with numerous elected officials, government staff and housing stakeholders throughout March on behalf of SPAAR members.

To begin the month, SPAAR sent a letter to the Blaine City Council opposing proposed changes to its ADU ordinance that would prevent property owners from building detached ADUs. The council ultimately approved the changes in a 5–1 vote.

On March 5, nearly two dozen SPAAR members and staff attended a tiny home village tour hosted by Settled. These villages, located at several churches throughout the Twin Cities, provide housing for chronically homeless individuals and support their transition to stability with the help of church communities and local volunteers. Learn more about the Sacred Settlement model here.

SPAAR’s GADs also attended a couple of Saint Paul City Council meetings to monitor developments related to a proposed eviction moratorium. The measure would temporarily extend the notice period from 30 to 60 days through the end of the year, in response to the impacts of the ICE Metro Surge. An amendment was introduced to exempt the Saint Paul Public Housing Authority. A vote on the proposal is expected soon.

In addition, the GADs attended a right-to-repair hearing in Saint Paul to better understand the city’s process for addressing dilapidated properties.

Simon was appointed to NAR’s State and Local Policy Committee and attended his first two meetings in March. One meeting included regional breakout sessions, where he gained insight into policy trends affecting Realtor® associations across the country.

SPAAR was the grateful recipient of a $15,000 grant from the National Association of Realtors® and will be working with Taylors Falls as they continue to refine their Community Action Plan with housing and community development as primary focuses.

The GADs also collaborated with SPAAR members to promote RPAC at various SPAAR committee meetings and during New Member Orientation. Click here to learn more about RPAC.

Additionally, the team implemented SPAAR’s new legislative tracking software, Quorum, which will enhance their ability to monitor legislation related to real estate and housing, as well as strengthen engagement with elected officials on key issues.

Becky began representing SPAAR in the Leadership Saint Paul program, an initiative led by local chambers of commerce to develop emerging and established civic and business leaders. Through this program, she is building connections to further strengthen SPAAR’s network.

April is Fair Housing Month, which means the GADs will be encouraging each community in SPAAR’s territory to adopt NAR’s Fair Housing Month Proclamation to reaffirm their commitments to Fair Housing.

Contact Simon Opatz (sopatz@spaar.com) or Becky Wegscheid (bwegscheid@spaar.com) with any questions about SPAAR's advocacy efforts, about participating in meetings with local elected officials or about becoming more engaged with SPAAR's Government Affairs Committee.