Saint Paul voters elected a majority of women of color to represent the city, and have opted for a 1% sales tax increase.
Here are the final results for the St. Paul City Council elections.
Ward 1: Anika Bowie
Ward 2: Rebecca Noecker
Ward 3: Saura Jost
Ward 4: Mitra Jalali
Ward 5: Hwa Jeong Kim
Ward 6: Nelsie Yang
Ward 7: Cheniqua Johnson
Councilmember Kim said that she followed in the footsteps of former councilmember Amy Brendmoen as she paved the way for the first women majority in the city council.
“This year has been a lot, but we worked hard. This year has been about our shared values, our shared vision for the ward. I have knocked thousands and thousands of doors across the ward, cycle after cycle, and we ran on a platform based on all those conversations that we had,” newly elected Councilmember Kim said. “Folks care about housing, they care about our climate crisis, they care about community first public safety where initiatives address people’s basic needs, and they care about workers rights. This year we have won and there’s so much work to do.”
Sixty percent of voters supported the “penny tax,” as it was dubbed by Ward 1 candidate Bowie, saying the funds are necessary to support road work.
“I voted for [the sales tax],” St. Paul voter Daniel Clifford, upon exiting his polling place. “The roads have to be fixed. We need our streets.”