Type Unicameral | Seats 13 | |
 | ||
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 | ||
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.
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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. Herron served a one-year sentence in federal prison.
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. Biernat was found not guilty on extortion and conspiracy to extort charges.
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. 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.
In 2009, Council President Barbara A. Johnson was accused of misusing campaign funds for personal spending. An administrative hearing was held January 26, 2010. 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.
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. 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: