ST. PAUL – First-year legislator Rep. Shane Mekeland, R-Clear Lake, has received the 2019 Housing Leadership Award from Housing First Minnesota and its membership of over 1,200 homebuilding, remodeling, and associated industry businesses.
Specifically, the organization said in a letter it is awarding Mekeland for his “commitment to a vibrant housing market that ties together the communities of our great state. Additionally, it recognizes your work throughout the 2019 legislative session to promote homeownership in communities people love, at a price families can afford.”
Mekeland said his experience in residential construction has given him insight into factors that are making affordable housing increasingly scarce, perspective he has brought to the Legislature.
“Our regulations and fees in Minnesota are so high they can add 10-20 percent to the cost of building a new home,” Mekeland said. “The big buzz around the Capitol this session was ‘affordable housing’ but then our government turns around and makes it more expensive by adding new regulations that price families right out of the market.
“That is what I am working to fix and I find it beyond humbling to receive this recognition. Receiving this award only makes me want to dig in even harder to find solutions that will help more everyday people achieve the American dream of homeownership.”