Elliott Payne

Elliott Payne is the incumbent City Council member for Ward 1, first elected in 2021, and currently serves as the City Council President. He is the first Black man to hold the position of council president. Raised in Milwaukee, Payne moved to Minneapolis to attend the University of Minnesota, earning a B.S. and later an MBA. His career path includes working as a mechanical engineer, in digital advertising, and as a software design consultant before joining the City of Minneapolis's Office of Performance and Innovation in 2016. In that role, he contributed to establishing the Behavioral Crisis Response team. He lives in the Audubon Park neighborhood with his wife.