The next Minneapolis City Council could have a seven-member majority of first-term office-holders.
That possibility became more of a possibility following Council Member Sandy Colvin Roy announcement this week that she will not seek re-election.
Three other council members — Betsy Hodges, Don Samuels and Gary Schiff — are running for mayor and will leave the council at the end of the year.
Add to that the three council members who did not receive DFL endorsement: Council Members Diane Hofstede, Robert Lilligren and Meg Tuthill. All three of them say they are running.
That puts seven of the 13 seats clearly in play.
With a seven-member majority, a new freshman class of council members could replace Council President Barb Johnson, re-structure the committees and claim some of the committee chair jobs for themselves. Chairing a committee is a job currently reserved for more senior council members.
The departure of four senior Council Members leaves vacant the jobs of Chairing four important committees and some slots on key committees.
Colvin Roy chairs the Transportation and Public Works Committee, which oversees streets, sewers, water and public transportation. She also serves on the Ways and Means/Budget Committee.
Hodges, who is running for mayor, chairs the Ways and Means/Budget Committee, which annually spends about four months working on the city budget. She is also a member of the Transportation and Public Works Committee and the Stadium Implementation Committee.
Samuels, another candidate for mayor, chairs the Public Safety, Civil Rights and Health Committee, which regulates the Police and Fire Departments, Civil Rights Department and the Health Department. He also serves on the Target Center Implementation Committee.
Schiff, the other mayoral candidate on the council, chairs the Zoning and Planning Committee, which decides if proposed building projects comply with city code. He also serves on the Planning Commission, which reviews projects before they are sent to the City Council.
Hofstede, who is seeking to return as the 3rd Ward council member, chairs the Audit Committee and serves on the Ways and Means/Budget Committee.
Lilligren, who is seeking to return as the 6th Ward council member, is vice president of the council and chairs the Committee of the Whole.
Tuthill, who is seeking to return as the 10th Ward council member, is vice chair of Zoning and Planning and sits on the Ways and Means/Budget Committee.
Usually new council members are eased into the system and given time to learn their new jobs, but if a majority of the council members are new, January at City Hall could be quite interesting.