Minneapolis City Council Member Jeremiah Ellison announced Tuesday he will not seek re-election next year to represent the Fifth Ward in north Minneapolis.
Ellison is a mural artist who rose to prominence during protests over police killings of Black men. Elected to the council in 2017, the progressive was one of the architects of a 2020 pledge by nine council members to "begin the process of ending the Minneapolis Police Department."
That led to a failed ballot question the following year that would have restructured public safety, but Ellison was narrowly re-elected that year and again last year, becoming the most senior member of a majority coalition on the council that sits to the political left of Mayor Jacob Frey and often clashes with him.
"The Northside has never lacked brilliant, caring, studious leaders ready to step up and perform this job," Ellison said in a three-page statement posted to X. "I feel it is time to take a step back and allow these leaders the honor and opportunity of getting to know their neighbors' needs."
Ellison is the son of Attorney General Keith Ellison.
All 13 City Council seats and the mayor will be on the ballot next year.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
Dave Orrick contributed to this story.