Michael Rainville
Michael Rainville has had a busy month, as discussed in a phone interview with the Northeaster. This was in no small part because of the influx of federal agents in Minneapolis as part of Operation Metro Surge.
On Saturday, January 17, the Third Ward City Councilmember, now in his third term, spent eight hours in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood with a Minneapolis Police officer reassuring residents and businesses that they would be protected from “right-wing agitators that were trying to disrupt their lives and cause chaos in their community.”
That same week, he met with families at DeLaSalle High School, which has a scholarship program for students with undocumented parents, to reassure them that the City is doing everything it can “to end this cruel occupation.”
Rainville said he met with around 40 businesses on East Hennepin whose employees can’t come to work “Because they are afraid of being kidnapped by ICE.” He added that he and another Councilmember were looking at ways to help some of the Spanish-language schools, including Las Estrellas elementary and St. John Paul II grade school, with food and financial support for families who may have misgivings about sending their children to classes.
In a note to Third Ward residents, Rainville wrote, “ICE’s actions are eroding trust in local policing, diverting resources and making our community less safe.” After the death of Alex Pretti at the hands of ICE officers, Rainville messaged Third Ward residents, writing that he was “Sickened by the brutality and senselessness shown by the federal agents and called for an independent investigation run by state and local officials.”
Rainville said it is clear that the federal government has no interest in conducting a fair and complete investigation after it denied denied the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension access to the scene despite having a judicial warrant. “We remain united in our resolve that we will not give the Trump Administration the excuse to send additional federal agents or military personnel to our state and city … we must stand together and show the rest of the country and the world that peace is the path forward.”
He also pointed out that ICE raids have made children afraid to go to school and workers afraid to go to work, noting a recent meeting with business communities who are having trouble getting their workers to show up. “If someone you know needs food, housing, mental health support or legal services, the City has a virtual resource center with lots of good information. If you want to know what the City is doing to stop this, you can visit the City’s Federal Response webpage.”
Rainville is a lifelong Northeast resident, the fifth generation of Rainvilles to live in Northeast Minneapolis. He graduated from DeLaSalle High School and St. Thomas University, and worked for Minneapolis Convention & Visitors Association before entering politics.
Rainville is also thinking about plans for major Northeast road construction slated for the next few years. Four major NE arteries (Lowry, University and Central Avenues and Marshall Street) are due for construction that will involve extended street closings. The University project involves a full reconstruction of parts of University Ave. SE and 4th St. SE near I-35W in 2027 and a major redesign of University Ave. NE the same year. Reconstruction of Central Avenue NE (Highway 65) from the Mississippi River to I-694 is scheduled to start in spring 2028. Hennepin County, in partnership with Minneapolis, is planning a major reconstruction of Marshall Street NE from 3rd Avenue NE to Lowry Avenue and up to St. Anthony Parkway with construction anticipated to begin in 2027–28.
Rainville said he was concerned that some of these projects have overlapping start dates, which may cause multiple streets to be closed at or near the same time. This could present traffic difficulties for drives or those who use public transit. He said that when the vote came up for approval, it was pulled from the agenda because “They wouldn’t tell us what the staging and the time frame was.”
Still, Rainville remains optimistic, and said he feels fortunate “To represent such a prosperous and highly functioning ward.
“Whether it’s the east side or the west side, no one can argue about the success of the North Loop as the most dynamic urban neighborhood in the Upper Midwest. And the Mill District, with the Guthrie Theater and US Bank Stadium, and all the housing and restaurants, is doing great. My heart’s over on the east side, and I think we’re doing very well.”