Minneapolis City Council

Minneapolis City Council
Type
Type
Leadership
President
Barbara Johnson, DFL
Since January 3, 2006
Vice President
Elizabeth Glidden, DFL
Since January 6, 2014
Majority Leader
John Quincy, DFL
Since January 6, 2014
Minority Leader
Cam Gordon, Green
Since January 3, 2006
Structure
Seats 13
Political groups

Majority

  •      DFL (12)

Minority

Committees See Standing Committees
Elections
Instant-runoff voting
Last election
 November 5, 2013
Next election
 November 7, 2017
Meeting place
Minneapolis City Hall
350 S Fifth St.
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55415
Website
www.minneapolismn.gov/council/
City Council meeting in 2005
Council chambers in 1900

The Minneapolis City Council is the governing body of the City of Minneapolis. It consists of 13 members, elected from separate wards to four-year terms in office. Barbara Johnson, Fourth Ward Council Member and a member of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL), is the current president of the council. The council is dominated by members of the DFL, with a total of 12 members. The Green Party of Minnesota has one member, Cam Gordon. Each member's term is four years, and there are no limits on the number of terms a member may serve.

History

The city has never had more than 13 wards, but at one time there were three representatives from each area, for a total of 39 members of the City Council. The City Council assumed its current size in the 1950s.

Controversies

In July 2001, DFL Council Member Brian Herron pleaded guilty to one count of felony extortion. He admitted to accepting a $10,000 bribe from a business owner who faced numerous health and safety inspections violations.[1] Herron served a one-year sentence in federal prison.[2]

On November 21, 2002, ten-year DFL Council Member Joe Biernat was convicted of five federal felony charges, one count of embezzlement, three counts of mail fraud, and one count of making a false statement.[3] Biernat was found not guilty on extortion and conspiracy to extort charges.[4]

In September 2005, Green Party Council Member Dean Zimmermann was served with a federal search warrant to his home by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The affidavit attached to the warrant revealed that the FBI had Zimmermann on video and audiotape accepting bribes for a zoning change.[5] Zimmermann subsequently lost his re-election campaign, and was convicted in federal court on three counts of accepting cash from a developer and found not guilty of soliciting property from people with business with the city. Zimmermann was released from prison in July 2008.[6]

In 2009, Council President Barbara A. Johnson was accused of misusing campaign funds for personal spending. An administrative hearing was held January 26, 2010.[7] The administrative judges at the hearing dismissed six of the eight charges; it upheld two charges—that AAA services were paid for both her and her husband's vehicle and that not all charges for hairstyling or dry cleaning were reasonably related to the campaign. Johnson paid a $200 fine for these violations, the lowest fine possible.[8]

Elections

In 2006, Minneapolis voters approved the use of the single transferable vote for its municipal elections. The first use of ranked-choice voting was in the 2009 municipal election. However, since the city council uses single-member districts, the single transferable vote functions the same way as instant-runoff voting.[9] The single transferable vote is also known as "instant-runoff voting," although this is a misnomer since they refer to two different systems of voting. It is also commonly known as "ranked choice voting," although there are other voting methods that involve ranking.

Salary

As of 2014, all Council Members are paid a base salary of $82,362 annually ($39.60/hour).

Members, 2014–2018

The City Council elected November 5, 2013, assumed office on January 6, 2014, and is composed of:

Ward Name Neighborhoods Party
1 Kevin Reich Audubon Park, Columbia Park, Como, Holland, Logan Park, Marshall Terrace, Mid-City Industrial, Northeast Park, Waite Park and Windom Park. DFL
2 Cam Gordon Como, Prospect Park, University, West Bank/ Cedar-Riverside, Seward, Cooper, Longfellow Green
3 Jacob Frey Bottineau, Sheridan, St. Anthony West, St. Anthony East, Nicollet Island / East Bank, Beltrami, Marcy Holmes, North Loop, Downtown West, Downtown East DFL
4 Barbara Johnson Shingle Creek, Lind-Bohanon, Victory, Webber-Camden, Cleveland, Folwell, Jordan DFL
5 Blong Yang Harrison, Hawthorne, Jordan, Near North, North Loop, Sumner-Glenwood, Willard-Hay DFL
6 Abdi Warsame Steven Square, Ventura Village, Philips West, Elliot Park, Seward, West Bank / Cedar-Riverside DFL
7 Lisa Goodman Bryn Mawr, Cedar-Isles-Dean, Downtown West, East Isles, Elliot Park, Kenwood, Loring Park, Lowry Hill, Stevens Square DFL
8 Elizabeth Glidden Central, Bryant, Bancroft, Field, Regina, Northrop, Lyndale, Kingfield DFL
9 Alondra Cano Central, Corcoran, East Phillips, Midtown Phillips, Powderhorn Park DFL
10 Lisa Bender Lowry Hill East, Whittier, CARAG, East Calhoun, East Harriet DFL
11 John Quincy Hale, Page, Diamond Lake, Keewaydin, Northrop, Tangletown, Wenonah, Windom DFL
12 Andrew Johnson Ericsson, Hiawatha, Howe, Keewaydin, Minnehaha, Morris Park, Standish DFL
13 Linea Palmisano Armatage, East Harriet, Fulton, Kenny, Linden Hills, Lynnhurst, West Calhoun DFL

Standing Committees

Subcommittees

See also

References

  1. ↑ Demko, Paul (October 10, 2001). "City council member Brian Herron's disgrace left a vacuum in his Minneapolis district". City Pages. Retrieved February 14, 2013.
  2. ↑ "Feds Indict Minneapolis City Councilman & Union Boss". UNION CORRUPTION UPDATE. National Legal and Policy Center. April 29, 2002. Archived from the original on 2007-10-11. Retrieved 2007-12-01.
  3. ↑ "Criminal Enforcement Actions 2002". Office of Labor-Management Standards (OLMS). United States Department of Labor. Retrieved February 14, 2013.
  4. ↑ Williams, Brandt (November 21, 2002). "Minneapolis councilman convicted on five fraud charges". Minnesota Public Radio. Retrieved December 1, 2007.
  5. ↑ "FBI says it has Zimmermann on tape accepting bribe". KARE. September 10, 2005. Retrieved February 14, 2013.
  6. ↑ Brandt, Steve (July 10, 2008). "Back from prison 'sabbatical'". Star Tribune. Retrieved February 14, 2013.
  7. ↑ Brandt, Steve (December 21, 2009). "Mpls. council president faces hearing over campaign spending". Star Tribune. Retrieved February 14, 2013.
  8. ↑ "Warren E. Kaari v. Barbara Johnson" (PDF). Findings of Fact, Conclusions and Order. Office of Administrative Hearings. Retrieved February 14, 2013.
  9. ↑ "How the 2009 RCV Election Works". City of Minneapolis. Retrieved February 14, 2013.

External links

Coordinates: 44°58′38″N 93°15′56″W / 44.97722°N 93.26556°W / 44.97722; -93.26556

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