St. Paul City Council Member Chris Tolbert announced Thursday that he will not seek re-election, meaning fresh faces will fill more than half of the capital city's governing body starting in 2024.
All seven council seats are up for election next fall, but only three current council members — Mitra Jalali, Rebecca Noecker and Nelsie Yang — have plans to run again.
Tolbert has represented St. Paul's Third Ward, which includes the Highland Park and Macalester-Groveland neighborhoods, since 2012. In a statement Thursday reflecting on his tenure, Tolbert noted that shortly after he was first elected, the last vehicle rolled off the Ford Motor Co.'s assembly plant, which has since been redeveloped into a 122-acre urban village.
"The transformation of this site from an industrial plant to the 21st-century neighborhood that is rising today will likely be the most visible accomplishment of my time on the council; however, the last 11 years have been busy with victories for St. Paul and our shared future," Tolbert wrote.
The announcement came two days after Council President Amy Brendmoen and Council Member Jane Prince said they will not run for re-election. Former Council Member Dai Thao resigned from his seat in August to move to Florida, and his appointed replacement, Russel Balenger, has pledged not to run for the position in 2023.
In an interview Thursday, Tolbert, 39, said he is stepping down to spend more time with family and because "it's a good transition time for the ward." He, Brendmoen and Prince will wrap up their terms at the end of 2023.
"We're going to keep working for the people of St. Paul up until the last minute in this position," Tolbert said. "And I can tell you even when I'm not a council member, I love this city so much that I'll be working for it for the rest of my life in some capacity or another."
