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3rd Ward News with Council Member Michael Rainville: Week of April 24

April 24, 2026

Message from Council Member Rainville

Hello to all my 3rd Ward neighbors,

If you need help with rental assistance, or know someone who does, there is an emergency rental assistance fund that is now accepting applications.

With the warmer weather, the safety clubs of the Mill District, North Loop, Sheridan, Nicollet Island/East Bank, and St. Anthony East neighborhoods have begun in earnest. This Monday I joined the St. Anthony East neighborhood as we walked through the neighborhood picking up trash and speaking with neighbors. If you are looking for a great way to meet your neighbors and get involved, please contact our office and we will connect you to the walking/safety club in your neighborhood. Rumor has it that the St. Anthony West Neighborhood Organization is going to start their own club.

This week the City Council received an update from staff on the state legislative session and an update on the federal government.

I serve on the board of the Minneapolis Convention and Visitors Association and we learned at this week’s meeting about the efforts to attract tourists to Minneapolis this summer. The staff have a robust plan to reach the five-state area and bring in meeting planners to see what a great city we have.

At the Committee of the Whole and full City Council meeting we debated a drug paraphernalia decriminalization ordinance. This would mean that possession of all objects used to ingest, inhale, or inject controlled substances. I voted against the ordinance for several reasons:

  1. Passing this will not stop public drug use and will make it easier to do so.
  2. This would take away a law enforcement tool to prevent public drug uses, especially at transit stations and on trains and buses. The Metro Transit Police Department is very opposed to this ordinance.
  3. Typically the paraphernalia charge, which is a misdemeanor, is used as part of a plea deal. This allows people to plead to a lesser charge in exchange for them going to treatment.

A joint session of the Audit Committee and City Council received an after action review of the shooting of Davis Moturi and the death of Allison Lussier. Both terrible incidents show the need for better training of MPD regarding domestic violence and neighbor arguments, better communication between MPD and the County Attorney’s office, and the need for a formal communication process between our chief of police and the county attorney.

As always, Henry, Patrick, and I are here to serve you. We can be reached at ward3@minneapolismn.gov. Please report all issues to 311 before contacting us so there is a paper trail and staff are already aware of the issue when we speak with them. You can contact 311 by simply dialing 311, email them at Minneapolis311@minneapolismn.gov or by submitting a 311 Contact Form.

Your neighbor,

Michael

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