Molly Coleman gains St. Paul City Council spot in special election
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Molly Coleman is positioned to be St. Paul’s newest City Council member and the latest in her family to secure an elected office.
Coleman, an advocacy group co-founder, prevailed in a four-way special election that also featured St. Paul School Board member Chauntyll Allen, public health educator Cole Hanson and public relations consultant Carolyn Will.
Coleman’s win adds to the family political lineage. Her father, Chris Coleman, was a City Council member and later mayor of St. Paul. Her grandfather, Nick Coleman, was a Democratic leader of the state Senate.
Voters ranked their choices for the seat, but Coleman won an outright majority on the initial count, which makes a reallocation process unnecessary.
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The four candidates were vying for the 4th Ward City Council seat, which represents several neighborhoods in the northwest of the city, including all or parts of St. Anthony Park, Merriam Park, Hamline-Midway, Como and Macalester-Groveland.
Mitra Jalali, the former council president, resigned from the seat earlier this year citing health concerns.
In the interim, Mayor Melvin Carter appointed Matt Privatsky to the seat.
Coleman dominated the race in fundraising, with around $57,000 in donations as of late July including donations from Carter, former U.S. Sen. Al Franken and former Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak.
