Minneapolis City Council member Andrea Jenkins is announcing she won't run for re-election this fall.
Jenkins, who represents Ward 8, has been working in city government since 2001. Ward 8 represents the area around 38th and Chicago the south-central part of Minneapolis where George Floyd was killed by the MPD in 2020.
Jenkins says while this is the end for her as a city council member, she will continue to serve a number of roles elsewhere.
"I serve on the boards of two national organizations, the Human Rights Campaign, as well as advocates for transgender equality, and so I will be continuing to do that work," Jenkins explains. "So, yeah, you will still see me."
In 2017 Jenkins became the first transgender woman of color to be elected to public office in a major U.S. city. She went on to serve as council president from 2018 to 2022.
Jenkins says the decision to step away was in part due to health struggles but also about a shifting dynamic on the council.
"I would be less than truthful if I said that those issues are not also a factor in my decision-making," she says. "In a democratic society, we have to have compromise and that seems to be in short supply."
The council and mayor have struggled to find common ground on a number of issues this past year. Most recently, they've been at odds on the future of George Floyd Square, with the council pushing forward on a pedestrian mall in the area despite protest from local businesses, and Mayor Jacob Frey, over their plan. The council voted to override the mayor's veto of their plan and explore the mall anyway.
With three seats open in the upcoming City Council election, Jenkins says she hopes new voices enter the arena.