Minneapolis City Council reshuffles committees amid member absence

Mpls Council Member Ellison removed from committees

Minneapolis City Council Member Jeremiah Ellison has missed several meetings since taking on a fellowship at Harvard University. This prompted a reshuffling of committee members, leaving some on the council unhappy with the results. FOX 9's Karen Scullin has the latest report.

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The Minneapolis City Council has voted to restructure its committees following Council member Jeremiah Ellison's decision to take a fellowship at Harvard, leading to his absence from meetings.

Committee restructuring amid council member absence

What we know:

Council member Jeremiah Ellison, representing Ward Five in North Minneapolis, has taken a fellowship at Harvard, resulting in his absence from the Minneapolis City Council meetings. 

This led to a vote on restructuring the committees, including the business and public safety committees where Ellison previously served. 

Council member Latrisha Vetaw offered to replace Ellison on these committees. She also proposed an amendment for all council members to be included in the committees, but it was narrowly defeated in a six-to-six tie, after Council member Andrea Jenkins left and missed the vote. 

In the end, a resolution to restructure most of the committees was passed, leaving some council members angry or confused as to why. 

Michael Rainville, who was removed from the business committee, expressed anger over the decision, claiming he was being punished for a recent vote. He accused supporters of the restructuring of being mean and attempting to silence him.

There is now no North Minneapolis representation on the health and public safety committee. Aurin Chowdhury from Ward 12 was put in Ellison's seat. 

Vice President Aisha Chugtai stated that Vetaw is welcome to attend any committee meeting to offer her insight, and said that "democracy is messy."

The backstory:

Ellison announced he would not run for re-election after accepting a fellowship at Harvard. Despite his absence, he continues to earn his full salary and claims he is still working for his constituents. This has drawn criticism for taking taxpayer money while not being present much of the time.

Ongoing concerns and future implications

What we don't know:

It remains unclear how the committee structure will evolve after the upcoming election in the new year. There is potential for further changes depending on election outcomes.