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Talking Points

Turmoil at City Hall: Why the Minneapolis City Council seems to make headlines

By
Esme Murphy
Esme Murphy
Reporter/Anchor
Esme Murphy, a reporter and Sunday morning anchor for WCCO-TV, has been a member of the WCCO-TV staff since December 1990. She is also a weekend talk show host on WCCO Radio. Born and raised in New York City, Esme ventured into reporting after graduating from Harvard University.
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Esme Murphy,
Liz Christy
Digital Producer
Liz Christy is a digital line producer at wcco.com. She has previously produced a morning show in Iowa called "Good Morning Iowa." When not completing stream duties or special projects, she produces and edits "Talking Points with Esme Murphy."
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Liz Christy

/ CBS Minnesota

A columnist wrote in The Star Tribune recently that the Minneapolis City Council was so dysfunctional their meetings are must-see TV.

From the controversies to the name-calling to bathhouse proposals to perhaps not renewing Police Chief Brian O'Hara's contract, it seems the Minneapolis City Council is always giving us something to talk about.

According to Elliot Payne, the Minneapolis City Council president, the dysfunction only looks bad because Minneapolis is emerging from an unprecedented united front against Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Operation Metro Surge.

In January, Payne was shoved by an ICE officer as he tried to monitor detainments.

"In the absence of that unifying force of a federal occupation. It's really hard to hold that bond together," said Payne. "There's a lot of passion on city council, and you don't run for one of these offices with some passive approach to this work. You want to be very active and engaged."

Last week, the council made headlines for rejecting the re91³Ô¹ÏÍø of Toddrick Barnette as the head of community safety and an apparent willingness to reject the mayor's re91³Ô¹ÏÍø of O'Hara. Payne says not so fast. Payne voted no to accept Barnette's 91³Ô¹ÏÍø and appeared to be on the no side of an O'Hara vote.

"I don't know where that reporting is coming from, because unless you talk to every single council member and they've given you a firm commitment on what their position is, you can't report that news," said Payne. "I don't think that every council member has a firm position on this role."

It was Payne who was the author of one of the city's most controversial recent proposals: bringing back bathhouses that allow sexual activity. Payne says safety was a reason for the proposal.

"Having a regulated space where we could have awareness and education around risks and interventions," said Payne.

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