Jeremiah Ellison won't seek reelection to Minneapolis City Council
MINNEAPOLIS — Jeremiah Ellison, the progressive, northside-raised Minneapolis City Council member who has represented Ward 5 for nearly a decade, will not run for reelection next year.
Ellison, 35, made the announcement Tuesday morning on X, saying he will continue his "urgent and rigorous fight for the Northside" for the remainder of his third term.
"After prevailing in three elections, championing innovative policy, fighting through a pandemic and some of our toughest years as a city, and doing my part to improve the Northside, it is with tremendous pride and satisfaction that I announce I will not be seeking re-election in 2025," Ellison said.
Ellison was a self-described "artist, muralist and organizer" before he defeated incumbent Blong Yang in 2017 to represent six northside neighborhoods, including North Loop, Near-North and Willard-Hay.
Yang, the city's first-ever Hmong-American council member, lost favor with many in his district amid the occupation of the Minneapolis Police Department's 4th Precinct following the 2015 police shooting death of Jamar Clark.
Two years into his City Council tenure, Ellison became one of the most outspoken members of the movement to defund Minneapolis police following the murder of George Floyd in May 2020.
Days after the protests and civil unrest dissipated, Ellison took to social media to call for dismantling the police department and ultimately voted in support of removing the department from the city's charter.
"And when we're done, we're not simply gonna glue it back together. We are going to dramatically rethink how we approach public safety and emergency response. It's really past due," Ellison said.
Ellison and two other council members who were the most prominent "defund" proponents — Steve Fletcher and Jeremy Schroeder — were not endorsed by their DFL Party in 2021.
The city's police charter amendment was ultimately struck down by voters in November 2021, and five council members were voted out of office, including Fletcher and Schroeder. Ellison survived and called for unity on the council.
"We cannot have another George Floyd in our city," Ellison said days after the election. "We have to end this gun violence crisis, we've got to move together in this work."
This July, Ellison was among four dissenting council members in the vote that approved the city's new police contract, which gave officers historic raises.
He's also been a vocal proponent of rent control and affordable housing in the city. He was one of the council members who voted in 2019 to slow down the $200 million Upper Harbor Terminal project at the site of the northside's Port of Minneapolis to ensure the inclusion of affordable housing.
Ellison has also fought to reduce the number of vacant buildings, especially on the northside, as well as ending his ward's food desert crisis.
He currently serves as vice chair of the council's Business, Housing & Zoning Committee.
"I still have a year left, and I plan to serve diligently until my last day in office," Ellison said.
