Saint Paul City Council
| Saint Paul City Council | |
|---|---|
| Type | |
| Type | |
Term limits | None |
| History | |
New session started | January 3, 2012 |
| Leadership | |
President | |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 7 |
Political groups | DFL (7) |
Length of term | 4 years |
| Elections | |
| Instant-runoff voting | |
Last election | November 1, 2011 |
Next election | November 3, 2015 |
| Redistricting | Charter Commission |
| Meeting place | |
 | |
| Saint Paul City Hall and Ramsey County Courthouse | |
| Website | |
| http://www.stpaul.gov/ | |
The Saint Paul City Council is the governing body of the City of Saint Paul as part of a strong mayor–council government. There are 7 members from 7 wards who are elected to four-year terms. Kathy Lantry, a member of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL), is the current president of the council. The council is completely controlled by members of the DFL with all 7 members being affiliated with the party.
Elections
In 2009, Saint Paul voters approved the use of the single transferable vote in its elections for city council and mayor, beginning with the 2011 municipal elections. However, since the city council uses single-member districts, the single transferable vote functions the same way as instant-runoff voting. The single transferable vote is also known as "instant-runoff voting," although this is a misnomer since they refer to two different systems of voting. It is also commonly known as "ranked choice voting," although there are other voting methods that involve ranking.
Members 2011-2015
As of the 2011 general elections the Saint Paul City Council includes:
| Ward | Name | Party |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Dai Thao | DFL |
| 2nd | Dave Thune | DFL |
| 3rd | Chris Tolbert | DFL |
| 4th | Russ Stark | DFL |
| 5th | Amy Brendmoen | DFL |
| 6th | Dan Bostrom | DFL |
| 7th | Kathy Lantry | DFL |
| ||||||