Election moves Minneapolis City Council further left

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Every seat in the Minneapolis City Council was up for grabs on Tuesday, but ultimately, every incumbent who ran earned the right to stick around. Now, with two newcomers on the council, political experts say the group has shifted in a more progressive direction, even further to the left.

"We’re all left on the city council. On the city council, you’ve got left, and then you’ve got further left. Of course, I have associated myself more with the pragmatic, progressive side, which is not the furthest left," Mayor Jacob Frey said.

The day after the election, Frey was optimistic about his ability to work with more liberal council members. Experts consider eight of the 13 council members in 2024 to be more progressive than him.

"Are there people that I have disagreements with? Of course. That’s always the case. But now is not the time to highlight disagreements," Mayor Frey said. "The way you want to come out of these elections is with optimism and with hope and that’s exactly how I’m approaching it… If I have to use my veto pen, I’ve got it right here in my pocket. But that’s not the way you start out a term, you start out a term saying let’s work together."

Hamline University Political Science Professor David Schultz says a coalition of nine council members would have the power to override Mayor Frey’s vetoes. But it’s unclear if there is an alliance that can make that happen.

"If they get nine votes to override the mayor's veto, they get to have significant control in terms of a lot of different policy issues, and it makes life more difficult for Mayor Frey," Professor Schultz said.

Schultz adds that the first sign of which direction the new council will go in will come when they select a council president.