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3rd Ward News with Council Member Michael Rainville: Week of June 26

June 26, 2026

Message from Council Member Rainville

Hello to all my 3rd Ward neighbors,

Another busy week in Ward 3. The riverfront was jumping with the annual Old Town Business Association Dog Parade. We met at Chute Square, thank you to the Ard Godfrey House, and paraded down East Hennepin and 1st Ave NE with our proud pooches.

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Saturday and Sunday was the Stone Arch Art Festival. Artists from all over the Midwest exhibited along West River Road from 4th Ave N to 11 Ave S. Great art, crafts, food, music, and beautiful summer weather was enjoyed by all. I had the opportunity to speak with hundreds of 3rd Ward residents. My ask of them was to tell me what they think I should prioritize for the City. These are the top results:

  1. Downtown revitalization. By a very large margin 3rd Warders want the revitalization of downtown to be priority #1. This means increasing occupancy, finding new uses for empty buildings (such as affordable housing), bringing new events, and expanding activities. All of these together will increase City revenue and lower the tax burden on homeowners and renters.
  2. Public safety.
  3. Affordable housing, both new and preserving existing units.
  4. Lower property taxes.
  5. Increase mental health and addiction services.
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The search process for a new Chief of Police has begun. Former 1st Precinct Inspector Bill Peterson has agreed to step in as the interim Chief until a permanent hire is made. A big thank you to Chief Peterson for stepping up and taking on this important role. I will be looking for a chief that will continue to reform our department, attract new officers, and someone who can be a responsible fiscal steward of the department.

On Tuesday, June 30th, I will be hosting a 1st Precinct Community Safety Meeting at the Depot Hotel at 6pm. We will be joined by new 1st Precinct Inspector Beth Mota, Allan Klugman from Public Works, and Somali Youth Link.

There will be no newsletter next Friday as there are no committee or council meetings next week.

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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Message from Julianna

Hello Ward 3,

I have officially reached week 5 on the job. This week has been all about new beginnings in Minneapolis. For one, our police force is changing. Currently Mayor Frey has set a 16 week timeline for selecting a new police chief. The reason it’s important to be aware of this is because he is calling on community input to help make his decision before going to the national executive search firm to find qualified candidates. So here is what you need to know as you give feedback:

  • Step 1: project design and stakeholder engagement: which means to gather public feedback, go forth to conduct interviews with current Minneapolis police officers to survey what they find necessary in a Chief, and hosting focus groups in the City Council.
  • Step 2: posting & recruitment which means that the application period will be opened and advertised to gather applicants.
  • Step 3: screening interviews which is gathering the candidates evaluations and initial screening for the public to analyze.
  • Step 4: First Round Interviews.
  • Step 5: Second Round Interviews.
  • Step 6: Final Interviews and selection which will lead to the candidate being nominated and confirmed with by the City Council in the timeframe of October- November 2026. This process is conducted to be thorough and not taken lightly to ensure a greater future in public safety so do your part and research and voice your needs to help create a system you can support.

Message from Issa

Hello Ward 3,

It’s now my 4th week at City Hall, and I’m back from being out sick all of last week with a high fever— it’s really nice to be back working. This week I sat in on a meeting with a developer about a new affordable housing project. The housing will be built in a vacant parking lot space, and will be six stories high instead of the usual required ten stories because it’s not a standard building in this area. It’s even better because it’s a new project that will be helping more people in need across Minneapolis. Listening in on how this project will work was really my only meeting across the board this week, but it still adds another project and aspect of city work to my learning experiences across this summer. If you’d like to learn more about the city’s affordable housing plans and information regarding affordable housing, check it out here: https://www.minneapolismn.gov/government/mayor/issues-and-priorities/affordable-housing/


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