Andrea Jenkins reflects on 8 years on the Minneapolis City Council
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The 13 members of the Minneapolis city council are now set for the next four years. But come next year, a familiar face to Minneapolis politics will not be among the group of councilmembers.
Andrea Jenkins — the former council president — did not seek re-election and will retire after she wraps up her third term at the end of the year.
She spoke with MPR News host Clay Masters about the state of the council.
To hear the conversation, click on the player above. The following transcript has been edited lightly for clarity.
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It’s the first time in eight years that your name was not on the ballot. How did it feel to be out of the fray this election?
It was a little surreal. I know all the election judges, and I want to shout out all the election judges because we had a really big turnout this year, and so people really worked hard.
This last term, the city council clashed with mayor Jacob Frey on several issues, from the Labor Standards Board to the Gaza ceasefire resolution. It’s unlikely the council will have a veto-proof majority these next four years. How do you see the future of the relationship between the council and Mayor Frey as he returns for his third term and four new council members join the ranks?
The fact that he was re-elected for a third term, which is a challenging thing to do, particularly given the significant challenges that we face as a city in these past eight years — with the global pandemic and then the murder of George Floyd and aftermath of that — I think people are looking for some stability. I hope that that translates to the council that we need to figure out how we can work together.
You’ve been a city council member since 2017, but you started your career with the council back in 2001 as a policy aide. What are some major changes you've seen in that time?
There have been some pretty significant ones. You know, $15 minimum wage. Some really significant renter protections. We have paid out a lot of money in police brutality claims since I've been on the council and so, you know, we have to rein in the police department.
Any concerns about the crime rate right now in Minneapolis?
Yeah, and I think the council is working very hard to have oversight and certainly budget responsibilities that the council has as it relates to the police department.
But working with the mayor to bring forth the new public safety center for the Third Precinct, and really trying to help address some of the underlying root causes, is where the council can be helpful in bringing down crime rates. And that’s access to housing, education and employment. We certainly are doing that work, and I’m pretty sure that that’s going to continue.
