Ward 4 Council Member Jalali steps down

Ward Four Council Member and St. Paul Council President Mitra Jalali is stepping down, citing health reasons. She announced her resignation Jan. 25, saying she will stay on for the first council meeting in February and then take a leave of absence.

“As council president, I have done everything in my power to help our new council succeed and to represent what principled, progressive, and effective elected leadership looks like. Real leadership is about the team, not the individual, and our community sent this team to do historic work,” Jalali wrote.

As of Monitor deadline, the process of naming an interim council member hadn’t been announced. Typically the council has an open application process and makes an appointment. An appointee serves until a special election. Council members in the past have given preference to appointees who commit to not seeking the seat on a permanent basis.

The last council resignation mid-term was that of Dai Thao, in Ward One in 2022.

Jalali was last elected in 2023, to a term ending in 2028.

She first won a 2018 special election. 

In her announcement, Jalali said that serving as an elected official has been “negatively impacting” her health. She first discussed the health issues with her health care professionals in 2023, but went to become council president in 2024, taking on more responsibilities.

In her statement, Jalali said that as much as she loves St. Paul, her well-being is not the price she can pay by staying on the council.

She is the first Asian American woman and the second woman of color elected to the council. She was also the first to openly identify as a member of the LGBTQ community to be elected. She has served on a host on city and regional committees and boards.

Jalali has worked on a wide range of issues including tent control, tenant protections, various brick and mortar projects, and more. But ward issues have been controversial during her tenure, including the fight over homelessness and drug crimes in the Snelling-University area, the planned expansion of Kimball Court, the demolition and replacement of the Hamline-Midway Branch Library, and housing density issues.

Council leadership changes were announced Jan. 28 and will take effect on Feb. 12.

Councilmember Rebecca Noecker (Ward 2) will become Council President, and Councilmember Hwa Jeong Kim (Ward 5) will continue to serve as Council Vice President. Council Member Cheniqua Johnson (Ward 7) will chair the HRA, and Council Member Saura Jost (Ward 3) will serve as Vice Chair.

The council will share information about the public appointment process to select an interim council member for Ward 4 in the coming weeks.