Minneapolis City Council President Lisa Bender Won't Seek Re-Election Next Year

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Lisa Bender, the president of the Minneapolis City Council, will not be seeking re-election next year.

According to an email sent to constituents, the councilmember from the city's 10th Ward made the decision not to run for a third term well before the onset of the coronavirus pandemic and the unrest following the police killing of George Floyd.

"During my time in office I have learned so much: about people, about power and about how systems work to support or to stop change," she wrote. "I still believe in the power of each and every person to make a difference. I have seen it. More than anything, I want each of you to know that you are powerful, that what you do and say matters, that the future you imagine is possible."

During her time on the city council, Minneapolis passed $15 minimum wage laws, earned sick time, remade streets to better support cycling, and eliminated single-family home zoning under the controversial and ambitious Minneapolis 2040 plan.

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Recently, the national spotlight has shown on Bender as she and a majority of other her fellow city councilmembers pushed to defund the Minneapolis Police Department in the aftermath of Floyd's death. That initiative has since floundered, although work on police reform continues.

Bender has served on the Minneapolis City Council since 2014. She was elected to council president in 2017.