Opinion editor's note: Editorials represent the opinions of the Star Tribune Editorial Board, which operates independently from the newsroom.
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Voting has concluded, but in some cases the counting continues in the Twin Cities.
Here's what we know about election results as this editorial is being written:
In St. Paul, the awful condition of St. Paul streets clearly made a difference as voters looked for a remedy. They wisely said "yes" on Tuesday to a 1% sales tax increase to use for roads, parks, bridges and recreation facilities. The new tax will raise about $1 billion over 20 years.
At 9.875%, St. Paul will have the highest city sales tax in the state — a burden consumers and businesses will no doubt feel. Still, the Star Tribune Editorial Board supported the tax as the "least worst" option to address the city's crumbling infrastructure. The board noted that without repair, bad roads get worse and that the infusion of new funds is urgently needed because state aid has been inadequate.
Also, the tax increase will expire in 20 years, and it could disappear sooner with action from the mayor and City Council. It's a revenue source that tends to keep pace with inflation. And it spreads out the responsibility — visitors who come to the city to work and recreate will share in the cost to rebuild, repair and improve city resources that they use.
Now it's imperative that those funds be used properly. St. Paul's leaders should resist any urges to divert those dollars into other areas, and citizens must hold them accountable. Voters should get what they voted for and be able to see and experience much-needed changes in the condition of roads and parks as these funds are rolled out over the years. Bloomington, Edina and Golden Valley also approved new or extended city sales taxes on Tuesday, while Mounds View voters rejected a sales tax proposal.
Minneapolis City Council
In Minneapolis, elections for 13 council seats resulted in a shift in the majority to the far left. That means Mayor Jacob Frey will likely have stronger opposition to parts of his agenda, though it does not appear that the new majority will have the nine votes necessary to override a mayoral veto.
As expected, most incumbents did well, winning with large majorities. Elliott Payne (First Ward), Robin Wonsley (Second Ward), Michael Rainville (Third Ward), LaTrisha Vetaw (Fourth Ward), Jeremiah Ellison (Fifth Ward), Jason Chavez (Ninth Ward), Aisha Chughtai (10th Ward), Emily Koski (11th Ward) and Linea Palmisano (13th Ward) will all return to the council.
Three closer races were decided Wednesday morning. After a second round of ranked-choice vote counting, Eighth Ward incumbent and Council President Andrea Jenkins was narrowly re-elected by 38 votes over challenger Soren Stevenson, who argued that Jenkins was not progressive enough.
Sixth Ward incumbent Jamal Osman was declared a winner despite family entanglements with the Feeding Our Future fraud scandal. And in the Seventh Ward, newcomer Katie Cashman won a narrow victory over the more moderate Scott Graham. Another newcomer, Aurin Chowdhury, was elected to the open seat in the 12th Ward.
St. Paul City Council
In St. Paul, five of the seven City Council races were decided as of Wednesday, with the three incumbents on the ballot — Nelsie Yang, Mitra Jalali and Rebecca Noecker — each winning handily. Also victorious were newcomers Saura Jost in the Third Ward and Hwa Jeong Kim in the Fifth Ward.
Under the ranked-choice system, two St. Paul races for open seats will not be decided until Friday at the earliest. In the First Ward, Anika Bowie led the eight-person field with 40% of the vote. And in the Seventh Ward, Cheniqua Johnson topped a six-person race with 41% of the vote.
Majorities on the councils in both cities will be people of color. And depending on results in St. Paul, its governing board could be all women under age 40. Despite the likely shift to the far left in both cities, the Editorial Board's hope is that members of both councils will work effectively with their colleagues on complex issues including public safety, policing reforms, homelessness and housing costs and pursue data-driven, commonsense policies.
Duluth, St. Louis Park and Minnetonka
In elections outside St. Paul and Minneapolis, Duluth voters sent a strong message about sticking to city basics by denying re-election to two-term Mayor Emily Larson. She conceded to challenger Roger Reinert, a college professor and former legislator who won with 60% of the vote in the nonpartisan race between two longtime DFLers.
St. Louis Park on Tuesday became the first city in the United States to elect a Somali American mayor. City Council Member Nadia Mohamed won by a considerable margin against retired banker Dale A. Anderson. Mohamed also will be the city's first Black mayor.
And in Minnetonka, the ranked-choice voting system received affirmation when citizens rejected a ballot measure to repeal RCV in the city.
