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Minneapolis City Council elects Elliot Payne president, votes split over new leadership roles
Summary
At its organizational meeting, the Minneapolis City Council elected Elliot Payne as council president and Council Member Osman as vice president, approved an expanded committee structure and reinstated majority and minority leader posts after heated debate over whether the roles would be partisan.
At its organizational meeting the Minneapolis City Council elected Council Member Elliot Payne as council president and Council Member Osman as vice president, and approved a package of rules, committees and calendars to start the 2026–2029 term.
The council elected Payne president by roll call after nominations and acceptance; the clerk recorded 8 ayes and 5 nays. Council Member Osman won the vice-presidency in a separate roll-call vote, 7 ayes to 6 nays. Later votes installed Council Member Chugtai as majority leader and Council Member Wansley as minority leader after extended floor debate.
Payne, nominated by Council Member Choudhury, used his remarks to highlight accomplishments from the prior term — including expansion of the Behavioral Crisis Response Team, wage-theft enforcement that recovered more than $2,000,000, and a $10,000,000 Climate Legacy Initiative — and framed the new leadership positions as a way to broaden council leadership. "I truly believe that there are areas of…
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