Trista MatasCastillo elected Chair of Ramsey County Board of Commissioners
Commissioner MatasCastillo
The Ramsey County Board of Commissioners elected Trista MatasCastillo as Chair of the Board for 2022 during their Jan. 4 meeting.
Since 2019, Commissioner MatasCastillo has represented District 3 made up of Falcon Heights and the Saint Paul neighborhoods of Payne/Phalen, North End/South Como, Como Park, Frogtown and Hamline-Midway.
“I am honored by the trust our board has put in me to serve as Chair and look forward to working to deliver on our vision, values and priorities on behalf of our community,” said MatasCastillo. “I extend my deepest and most heartfelt gratitude to Commissioner Toni Carter for her service as Chair throughout the past two years, leading our organization through a series of truly unprecedented challenges.”
Having joined the United States Navy as a 17-year-old, MatasCastillo is one of only a handful of servicemembers who has served in three branches - both as an enlisted person and as an officer in the Navy-Marine Corps and the Army National Guard. Over her career, she has tirelessly spoken out for important issues like affordable housing, homelessness, mental health, disability services, autism research, urban agriculture and veterans services. Commissioner MatasCastillo has served as Chair of Ramsey County’s Housing and Redevelopment Authority since 2020.
Other appointments
Commissioner McDonough (District 6) was elected to serve as vice chair.
Commissioner Ortega (District 5) was elected to continue serving as chair of the Ramsey County Regional Railroad Authority. Commissioner McDonough was also elected to serve as chair of the Ramsey County Housing and Redevelopment Authority.
The seven-member board voted unanimously for each of the appointments.
Watch video of the Jan. 4 board meeting