A Quarter of the Council Is New: What the Turnover Means for the Western Wards

When the Minneapolis City Council convened in January 2026, it seated four new members and lost the power that had defined its previous term: the nine votes needed to override Mayor Jacob Frey's vetoes. The progressive bloc kept a narrow majority but no longer commands a supermajority, giving Frey more latitude in his third term.

The four newcomers are Pearll Warren in Ward 5, Soren Stevenson in Ward 8, Jamison Whiting in Ward 11, and Elizabeth Shaffer, who unseated incumbent Katie Cashman in Ward 7. Nine incumbents held their seats.

For the western wards, including Lowry Hill, the Wedge and the lakes neighborhoods, the most direct change is in Ward 7, where Shaffer replaces Cashman. That means residents and neighborhood groups are rebuilding a working relationship with a new office: reintroducing local priorities, re-explaining ongoing casework, and learning how the new member prefers to engage.

The loss of the override supermajority changes the math on close votes. With the progressive bloc reduced to a one-seat majority, individual members' votes carry more weight, and the first veto of Frey's third term in early 2026 looked likely to stick rather than be overridden. Committee assignments reset with the new term as well, reshuffling who shapes housing, public works, public safety and finance policy before proposals reach the full council.

The western wards have specific stakes in how the new members settle in. Hennepin Avenue has been rebuilt, the Metro E Line bus rapid transit opened along it in December 2025, and the 2040 Plan's housing rules are in force. Residents can find committee assignments on the city's website and use neighborhood associations, including LHENA and the Kenwood, East Isles, Bryn Mawr and Cedar-Isles-Dean groups, to reach new offices before the first major votes.