Minneapolis Election: Proposed 'Strong Mayor' Amendment Passes
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO/AP) -- A proposed amendment in Minneapolis to replace the city's "weak mayor, strong council" system with a more conventional distribution of executive and legislative powers that would give the mayor clearer authority over day-to-day government operations has passed.
With all 136 precincts reporting, 74,037 voters (52%) supported the question "Shall the Minneapolis City Charter be amended to adopt a change in its form of government to an Executive Mayor-Legislative Council Structure?" That compares to 67,228 (48%) rejecting it.
All of Mpls, a group that was in support of the amendment, said its passage will make Minneapolis' government more efficient and effective.
"By passing Question 1, Minneapolis voters have rejected our city's flawed government structure and its resulting political gamesmanship in favor of a structure that will finally support the city's ability to effectively and efficiently enact progressive policies with clear direction and shared goals," said All of Mpls campaign manager Leili Fatehi, in a statement.
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The amendment was one of three ballot questions Minneapolis residents voted on Tuesday. The proposal needed at least 51% of the vote to pass.
The proposal will shake up the city's structure of government by shifting more authority to the mayor's office and reducing the power of the city council. The city will have a "strong mayor" approach by defining the mayor as the city's chief executive and consolidating authority over all operating departments to that office.
Here's a brief overview of the question and what it means. Caroline Cummings also did an in-depth report on the question.
Question in full:
Shall the Minneapolis City Charter be amended to adopt a change in its form of government to an Executive Mayor-Legislative Council structure to shift certain powers to the Mayor, consolidating administrative authority over all operating departments under the Mayor, and eliminating the Executive Committee?
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