Type Unicameral Seats 7 | Term limits None Political groups DFL (7) | |
 | ||
New session started January 3, 2012 (2012-01-03) President Russ Stark (DFL)
Since February 27, 2015 | ||
The Saint Paul City Council is the governing body of the City of Saint Paul as part of a strong mayor–council government. There are 7 members from 7 wards who are elected to four-year terms. Russ Stark, a member of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL), is the current president of the council. The council is completely controlled by members of the DFL with all 7 members being affiliated with the party.
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Elections
In 2009, Saint Paul voters approved the use of the single transferable vote in its elections for city council and mayor, beginning with the 2011 municipal elections. 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.
Membership
As of the 2015 general elections the Saint Paul City Council includes: