MINNEAPOLIS — With four "yeas" and six "nays," the issue of rent stabilization was stopped from going on the ballot for Minneapolis voters this fall.
That is news in and of itself, but at issue for many, is that the council voted on this at all on Wednesday, the day millions of Muslims celebrate Eid al-Adha.
Minneapolis has three Muslim council members, who were all absent from the vote to honor the major religious holiday. All three of those members have expressed support for moving the rent stabilization policy forward, meaning the measure essentially failed because those members were not there.
That fact did not sit well with some council members who were present, including Ward 9 Council Member Jason Chavez.
"Because a council meeting was moved from Thursday to Wednesday without Muslim council members being consulted with or Muslim staff in Minneapolis being consulted with, we aren't able to discuss rent stabilization for the rest of the year, " he said. "That is just shocking to me and I hope, Council President, you fix this for us because this is just wrong and it's frustrating and it makes me angry because three Muslim members can't be here voting on a policy they support."
Ward 1 Council Member Elliot Payne joined Chavez in his outrage that council leadership didn't reschedule the vote.
In response, Council President Andrea Jenkins said the body made "every attempt" to include every member in each vote when deciding its schedule for the year.
"We made every attempt to try to accommodate the Muslim members of our council, which is why we are meeting on this day," she said. "And then subsequently, I am not a Muslim. I don't know how that calendar works. However, it turned out that Eid fell on this day and so it's deeply unfortunate and we have to move forward with the work of the City Council."
As mentioned, the council did vote last year on its schedule of meetings, but Muslim holidays are based on a lunar calendar and the dates of holidays can change. Last year, it was thought Eid would be Thursday, but last week, it was determined by the lunar calendar that Eid fell on Wednesday.
So, why wasn't it moved once that was known? This is what the city clerk had to say:
"This one, unfortunately, got missed, and by the time it was brought to my attention, which was Monday afternoon this week, it was too late for us to change the calendar," Minneapolis City Clerk Casey Carl said. "Because under state law, we must give a minimum of three days' notice to change a meeting."
The three members who were absent from Wednesday's vote — Jamal Osman, Jeremiah Ellison and Aisha Chugtai — released a joint statement, saying, "It is common practice for council leadership to reschedule meetings that conflict with major holidays."
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, who is Jeremiah Ellison's father, also weighed in on the decision. He wrote on Twitter, "Without regard to the content of today’s MPLS city council meeting, I’m deeply disappointed at the insensitivity of taking a critical vote without Muslim members present due to Eid celebrations. I hope no other religious/cultural group would be disregarded this way."
AG Ellison was the first African American and the first Muslim American to be elected to statewide office in Minnesota.
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