Latest news with #MitraJalali
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
St. Paul special election: Molly Coleman to replace Mitra Jalali
The Brief Molly Coleman, the daughter of former St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman, has been elected to the St. Paul City Council following a special election to replace former member Mitra Jalali. Unofficial results posted by the Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State show Coleman with 52.36% – or 3,359 total votes – with all precincts reporting on Wednesday. Jalali announced her resignation in January 2025, saying she would step down to focus on her mental health. ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - Following the resignation of Mitra Jalali earlier this year to focus on her mental health, Molly Coleman – the daughter of former St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman – has been elected to the St. Paul City Council. Molly Coleman elected to St. Paul City Council What we know Unofficial results posted by the Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State show Coleman with 52.36% – or 3,359 total votes – with all precincts reporting on Wednesday. Three other candidates also lobbied for the position, including school board member Chauntyll Allen, public health educator Cole Hanson, and communications professional Carolyn Will. The latter was the closest opponent, receiving 21.34% – good for 1,369 votes. Hanson came in third, with 17.52% of the vote total. Because Coleman received more than 50% of the votes, there will be no reallocation of votes in the ranked-choice election. Coleman will join an all-female council tasked with tackling city issues such as rising rents, homelessness and the erosion of downtown's tax base. Mitra Jalali stepping down Dig deeper In January 2025, Jalali publicly announced she would be stepping down, effective following the Feb. 5 council meeting. In the post, Jalali explained how working in politics has put a strain on her health. "Being an elected official is a privilege. It also carries human costs that are far less visible than the role you are elected to," she explained at the time. "It is not an easy job, and if you are doing it well, it shouldn't be. But when your body is telling you that you shouldn't be in the place that you come to work every day, it knows something that you have to listen to." Jalali's current term was set to run through 2028, when the council switches election years to match presidential elections. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Polls close in election for St. Paul City Council Ward 4
Polls closed at 8 p.m. Tuesday night in the election for the Ward 4 seat on the St. Paul City Council, though results were not expected until later in the night. Ward 4 is in northwestern St. Paul and includes all or part of five neighborhoods: Hamline-Midway, Merriam Park, St. Anthony Park, and parts of Macalester-Groveland and Como. Former City Council member Mitra Jalali vacated the seat in March. Mayor Melvin Carter appointed Matt Privratsky to fill the seat until the special election. Here's who was on the ballot: • Chauntyll Allen, a member of the St. Paul school board and a leader of Black Lives Matter Twin Cities. • Molly Coleman, founder of progressive court reform nonprofit People's Parity Project. • Cole Hanson, a statewide online education coordinator who teaches nutrition to recipients of federal food assistance who is endorsed by the Twin Cities Democratic Socialists of America. • Carolyn Will, founder of CW Marketing and Communications, a former TV newscaster and opponent of the city's proposed Summit Avenue bikeway. The winner of the special election will take the seat and represent Ward 4 through the November 2028 election. Under St. Paul's ranked-choice voting system, voters will be able to rank candidates in order of preference. There was no primary election. The race is officially non-partisan, and the St. Paul Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party did not make any endorsements this summer as it works to rebuild itself. A winner could emerge late Tuesday. However, if no candidate wins an absolute majority on election night — 50% plus one of the vote — election officials will begin a reallocation process. St. Paul voters rank candidates by choice on their ballots. If one candidate gets a simple majority, they win. But if there's no clear winner, officials will eliminate the candidate with the fewest first-choice votes and award votes to the second choice listed on the ballot. This process is repeated until one candidate has 50% support If reallocation is needed, the process is tentatively scheduled for Friday, Aug. 15, according to Ramsey County spokesman Casper Hill. Residents at the polls Tuesday named a variety of local issues on their minds this year, including affordable housing, bike lanes, road quality and property taxes. Como resident Jeanne Baumann said she wanted more affordable accommodations for unhoused people in the city instead of 'giant apartment buildings that they can't afford.' Hamline-Midway resident Annie Kuhn said she was concerned with rising housing costs and property taxes when ranking candidates. 'My one kid is probably going to be able to buy a house, the other one probably never, ever will,' Kuhn said. 'It's just ridiculous that housing costs have spiraled so much.' Val Woelfel, who has lived in the Hamline-Midway neighborhood for 30 years, said one of her voting priorities was city development issues, such as the vacant CVS on the corner of Snelling and University avenues 'sucking the energy out of the neighborhood.' Como resident Karen Lenander said she prioritized candidates who opposed cutting down trees in historic neighborhoods to create more bike paths. Como resident Gary Grave agreed, saying city bike paths 'are used four months out of the year and then block traffic.' Merriam Park resident Dylan Brooks said road quality was a top issue. 'City Council can help increase patrolling for police, then also they control how road maintenance is managed,' Brooks said. 'So those are kind of the two biggest things that I looked at.' Merriam Park resident Jeff Fugina said he wants a moderate viewpoint to the council, which he believes has 'drifted way to one side in recent years.' Hamline-Midway resident Eric Gustafson said he didn't feel like the policy positions of the four candidates were vastly different, and he voted for candidates he thought best understood the 'slow process' of implementing new policy. 'If I was looking at one thing or another, it was how I thought they would work to get things done,' he said. Kathyrn Kovalenko contributed to this story. Related Articles St. Paul Ward 4 residents vote in special election for city council St. Paul City Council Ward 4 special election Tuesday features 4 candidates Rep. Kaohly Her to run for St. Paul mayor, Mayor Melvin Carter files for third run Molly Coleman outshines Ward 4 candidates in fundraising Election 2025: St. Paul City Council special election (Ward 4) Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
St. Paul City Council Ward 4 special election Tuesday features 4 candidates
Voters are set to pick one of four candidates to represent St. Paul City Council's Ward 4 in a special election Tuesday. Ward 4 is in northwestern St. Paul and includes all or part of five neighborhoods: Hamline-Midway, Merriam Park, St. Anthony Park, and parts of Macalester-Groveland and Como. Former City Council member Mitra Jalali vacated the seat in March. Mayor Melvin Carter appointed Matt Privratsky to fill the seat until the special election. The winner of the special election will take the seat and represent Ward 4 through the November 2028 election. Here's who's on the ballot: • Chauntyll Allen, a member of the St. Paul school board and a leader of Black Lives Matter Twin Cities. • Molly Coleman, founder of progressive court reform nonprofit People's Parity Project. • Cole Hanson, a statewide online education coordinator who teaches nutrition to recipients of federal food assistance who is endorsed by the Twin Cities Democratic Socialists of America. • Carolyn Will, founder of CW Marketing and Communications, a former TV newscaster and opponent of the city's proposed Summit Avenue bikeway. For more information on the candidates go to Under St. Paul's ranked-choice voting system, voters will be able to rank candidates in order of preference. There was no primary election. The race is officially non-partisan, and the St. Paul Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party did not make any endorsements this summer as it works to rebuild itself. Allen, Coleman and Hanson have spent money to access progressive and Democrat-affiliated campaign software, such as ActBlue and the MN DFL Action Network. Coleman has a significant fundraising advantage over her opponents, with $57,000 raised as of late July. Those donations came in over five months. Her donors include the mayor, former U.S. Sen. Al Franken, and former Minneapolis Mayor RT Rybak. Hanson raised about $24,000 from donors, including St. Paul City Council Member Nelsie Yang, Minneapolis City Council Member Robin Wonsley and state Rep. Athena Rollins, as well as people involved with the Twin Cities DSA. Will had raised about $21,000 as of the end of July, according to the most recently available reports from Ramsey County Elections. Her donors include people opposed to the Summit Avenue bikeway and former St. Paul City Council Member Jane Prince. Allen had raised more than $10,000 as of the end of July. Her donors included Hoang Murphy, chief executive officer of the People Serving People emergency shelter, fellow school board member Carlo Franco and several educators and city employees. Polls for the Ward 4 special election open at 7 a.m. Tuesday and close at 8 p.m. A winner could emerge late Tuesday. However, if no candidate wins an absolute majority on election night — 50% plus one of the vote — election officials will begin a reallocation process. How does it work? St. Paul voters rank candidates by choice on their ballots. If one candidate gets a simple majority, they win. But if there's no clear winner, officials will eliminate the candidate with the fewest first-choice votes and award votes to the second choice listed on the ballot. This process is repeated until one candidate has 50% support. More information on polling locations can be found on the Minnesota Secretary of State's website: Some voters have already cast their ballots. Early voting started July 25 and ended on Friday, Aug. 8. Related Articles Rep. Kaohly Her to run for St. Paul mayor, Mayor Melvin Carter files for third run Molly Coleman outshines Ward 4 candidates in fundraising Election 2025: St. Paul City Council special election (Ward 4) St. Paul school board will ask voters for tax hike on November ballot St. Paul Ward 4 council race: Forums scheduled, endorsements roll in Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
St. Paul City Council schedules Ward 4 election for Aug. 12
A special election to fill the Ward 4 seat on the St. Paul City Council will be held Aug. 12. The city council approved the election date on Wednesday after conferring with Ramsey County Elections. Council Member Mitra Jalali, the former council president, announced her resignation earlier this year, and her last day of city employment was March 8. Under the city charter, a special election to fill her seat must be held within 180 days of her resignation. State statute requires that municipal special elections can only be held on the second Tuesday of February, April, May or August, or the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. At least three candidates have announced their intent on running for the Ward 4 seat, which represents Hamline-Midway, St. Anthony Park, Merriam Park and parts of Macalester-Groveland and Como. The council plans to select an interim appointee next week to fill the seat for six months through the election, and four finalists were interviewed on Wednesday morning. Elections | Three St. Paul City Council members move to end rent control for new construction Elections | St. Paul City Council to choose among four finalists for interim Ward 4 seat Elections | St. Paul City Council debates creation of public safety budget oversight committee Elections | St. Paul City Council advocates for a Green New Deal Elections | Downtown St. Paul's historic Commerce Building sold, but apartments will retain 'affordable' designation
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
St. Paul City Council to choose among four finalists for interim Ward 4 seat
The St. Paul City Council will choose from among four finalists to temporarily fill the Ward 4 seat vacated by former Council Member Mitra Jalali, who left city employment on March 8. The candidates are artist and community organizer Sean Lim, artist and neighborhood advocate Lisa Clare Nelson, clean energy advocate Matt Privratsky and nonprofit consultant Melissa Martinez-Sones. The council will interview the candidates on Wednesday and vote on an interim appointment on March 26. The candidate will be sworn into the seat in April and serve through a special election likely to be held Aug. 12. The city council will finalize the date of the election on Wednesday. Jay Willms, chief budget officer and interim director of operations for the city council, reviewed 20 applications and culled them down to four after conferring with City Clerk Shari Moore and other council staff. The ward spans Hamline-Midway, Merriam Park, St. Anthony Park and parts of Macalester-Groveland and Como. What makes these four applicants qualified to represent Ward 4 through at least mid-August? Resumes, cover letters and media coverage reveal the following: Lim, an artist and community organizer, is the director of community outreach and engagement for the East Phillips Neighborhood Institute in Minneapolis, which is working to convert the Roof Depot warehouse into an indoor urban farm. He is also a graphic designer for electoral campaigns, including Omar Fateh for Mayor of Minneapolis and Marvina Haynes for Minneapolis City Council Ward 4. A leader at an art collective, he's contributed to Art Shanty Projects, and called for a moratorium on tearing down homeless encampments. He got his start in organizing with the Minnesota Youth Collective, based at the time in Ward 4's Spruce Tree Building, and was active during the pandemic in St. Paul Camps Support, which regularly distributed supplies to 50 unhoused residents. Nelson, a painter and art conservator, is a board member with the Union Park District Council, where she co-chairs the transportation committee. She was previously a project conservator for the Jewish Theological Seminary and the Brooklyn Museum in New York City before becoming a stay-at-home mom active in neighborhood planning around Allianz Field. She has worked with the St. Paul Police Department to improve the permitting process for recurring block parties, organized neighborhood clean-ups and written 10 Capital Improvement Budget project proposals, several of which were funded. She's working to launch the Snelling and University Alliance, a collaboration with the Hamline Midway Coalition, Midway Chamber of Commerce and African Economic Development Solutions. Privratsky, director of government affairs for Nokomis Energy, is a clean energy advocate and former legislative aide to Jalali. He's the former director of public affairs for Fresh Energy and launched his career at the Minnesota Rural Electric Association after serving as news director for a Morris radio station. To support clean energy campaigns, he's led lobbying efforts at the State Capitol and partnered in local and statewide initiatives. He's the editor and founder of Equal Time Soccer, which covers women's soccer, a broadcaster at women's games and co-founder of Minnesota Aurora FC. After the May 2020 riots, he biked the entirety of the University Avenue corridor in St. Paul documenting damage, and in 2017 led an effort to install 176 street signs directing pedestrians to the Green Line by walking distance. Martinez-Sones is the co-owner of Mighty Consulting, a 15-person, St. Paul-based consulting firm that provides executive search services and interim leadership for nonprofits in transition. She is the former director of the CapitolRiver Council and former executive director of the Macalester-Groveland Community Council. She spent several months as an interim legislative aide to Russ Stark when he was on the city council, and she spent almost 11 years with Roger Meyer Consulting before founding her own company in 2021. She has served as interim executive director of nine organizations, including St. Paul Smart Trips, Transit for Livable Communities and Rainbow Health. Around 2000, she was a community organizer in the Minneapolis Seward neighborhood and in Frogtown. Local News | St. Paul City Council debates creation of public safety budget oversight committee Local News | St. Paul City Council advocates for a Green New Deal Local News | Downtown St. Paul's historic Commerce Building sold, but apartments will retain 'affordable' designation Local News | St. Paul City Council to hear appeal of FCC Environmental trash truck site on March 19 Local News | Contest for St. Paul City Council's Ward 4 seat draws Cole Hanson, Molly Coleman, Cristen Incitti
