MINNEAPOLIS — The Minneapolis City Council appointed Ward 1's Elliot Payne as its new president Monday, replacing former President Andrea Jenkins who decided against seeking the position for another term.
The council met Monday morning at Minneapolis City Hall, where it elected Payne as president, and Ward 10's Aisha Chughtai as vice president, both of whom joined the body after winning their first elections in 2021.
Payne represents areas of northeast Minneapolis, while Chughtai, the first Muslim woman and youngest person ever elected to the council, serves parts of Uptown and south Minneapolis. Payne went unopposed for the top leadership position, winning by a vote of 10-3, and Chughtai edged out Ward 4 Council Member LaTrisha Vetaw for VP.
"You sent us to City Hall with a clear mandate to deliver a people-first agenda," said Payne. "We must address the housing crisis facing Minneapolis, we must create a public health response to homelessness, we must continue to expand on our alternatives to policing."
Every incumbent kept their seat after 2023's municipal elections, except Ward 7 Council Member Lisa Goodman and Ward 12 Council Member Andrew Johnson, who both declined to run for re-election after serving 25 and 10 years, respectively.
Newcomers include Councilors Katie Cashman and Aurin Chowdhury, who political observers say could have the ability to shift the council's balance of power on further to the left of Mayor Jacob Frey on several issues.
Monday's meeting was packed by groups pressing the council to pass a resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, and for Congress to end military aid to Israel.
The council sent that idea to a committee and will vote on it two weeks from now at the earliest.
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