With little fanfare, the St. Paul City Council elected Council Member Rebecca Noecker, its longest-serving seated member, to serve as council president.

Council Member HwaJeong Kim will continue to serve as council vice president, and city clerk Shari Moore will continue to serve as council secretary.

Noecker, who was first elected to the council in 2015, represents downtown and surrounding neighborhoods, from the West Side and part of West Seventh Street to a swathe of Grand Avenue. She fills the role vacated last week by former Council President Mitra Jalali, who has chosen to step down from office to focus on her health.

Council Member Nelsie Yang was appointed chair of the council’s Finance and Budget Committee, and Kim will serve as vice chair.

Council Member Cheniqua Johnson was elected chair of the city’s Housing and Redevelopment Authority, and Saura Jost was elected vice-chair. Yang was elected treasurer.

The council did not announce when they would appoint an interim replacement for Jalali’s Ward 4 seat. The city attorney’s office is reviewing when a special election could be held under the city charter. That election could be in November, or sooner.

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