All 13 Minneapolis City Council wards are up for election this year, with around four dozen candidates vying for the seats.
Three sitting council members — Jeremiah Ellison, Andrea Jenkins and Emily Koski — are not running for reelection, and several more face high profile challenges. Currently, a veto-proof progressive majority controls the City Council, but that could change if some moderate candidates win this election.
Among the most highly watched races are Ward 5, the north Minneapolis seat Ellison is vacating after two terms, and Ward 8, a south Minneapolis seat Jenkins is leaving after two terms.
Moderate Pearll Warren and progressive Ethrophic Burnett are seen as the leading contenders in a fairly crowded race for Ward 5. Progressive Soren Stevenson and moderate Josh Bassais are leading candidates for Ward 8.
Southwest Minneapolis’s Ward 11 will also see a new council member after Koski’s retirement; she briefly ran for mayor this election cycle. Ward 7 Council Member Katie Cashman, who is running for reelection, is seeing a tough challenge from Minneapolis Park Board Commissioner Elizabeth Shaffer.
Find out who’s running in your ward by visiting the Minnesota Secretary of State website.
Sahan Journal asked the candidates questions about key issues, including public safety, immigration policy, funding for a proposed new Timberwolves arena and the loss of federal funding from President Donald Trump’s administration.
We asked some open-ended questions that allowed candidates to write in their responses, and some multiple-choice questions that required a yes, no, maybe or don’t know answer. See the responses below from candidates who answered our questions.
