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Minneapolis voters overwhelmingly picked challenger R.T. Rybak for mayor of Minneapolis. Rybak beat two-term incumbent Sharon Sayles Belton in yesterday's election. He leads a pack of new faces on the City Council that signals a significant change of direction.

	Minneapolis Mayoral Candidate R.T. Rybak, left, dances with supporter Pat Schon of Minneapolis, right, who has been working for his election on the the north side of the city. She said she met R.T. and just had good vibes that he would win (See larger image). Listen to Rybak's election night speech. (Photo courtesy of startribune.com)

A political newcomer with less than half the money of his veteran opponent, R.T. Rybak rode a wave of voter discontent to the top elected office in the city.

Rybak beat Sayles Belton with a decisive 65 percent of the vote. The Internet consultant, former weekly newspaper publisher and airport noise activist says he takes office with a mandate for change.

"There's been a lot of talk about my experience in this campaign," he acknowledged. "But nobody really truly got it, because look around this room. You're my experience. And I'm coming into City Hall with the experience of thousands of voices in this city. I'm up against a tough job but I'm not in it alone."

Rybak's campaign focused on both fiscal discipline and social change. He promises to work on budget matters with a sharp pencil, giving more attention to an internal fund deficit that prompted a credit rating demotion for the city. At the same time he says he'll devote more money to affordable housing and less to corporate development subsidies.

An ardent environmentalist, Rybak says he'll attack water quality problems in the city's lakes with renewed vigor. He says he'll immediately unveil a 90-day plan. "We have very quietly been working on a transition plan. We will be rolling that out in stages over the next week. And you'll be seeing that beginning tomorrow, but next week too," Rybak said.

	BY THE NUMBERS Sharon Sayles Belton,i 30,896 (x) R.T. Rybak, Dem 57,739

Rybak is a DFLer who burst onto the political scene in May when he blocked the party's endorsement of the incumbent. Until that point, Sayles Belton was considered the clear favorite.

Mayor Sharon Sayles Belton put her best face forward in thanking the friends and supporters she's worked with over her 18 years in public office. With her family at her side and a crowd waving signs reading Thank You, Sharon, the mayor urged supporters to focus on the accomplishments of the past eight years instead of the political defeat at hand.

"Do not be sad. Be joyful," Sayles Belton said. "We have done great things for this city. And we know on many, many measures they will not be able to go back to their old ways."

Sayles Belton is a DFLer with solid party credentials. She was rumored to be on the short list for an appointment in the Clinton administration. Then she was mentioned as a possible appointee if Al Gore got elected. Both Clinton and Gore helped her campaign, as did former vice president Walter Mondale, feminist activist and Ms. magazine founder Gloria Steinem, and Haddasah Lieberman, wife of senator and Al Gore running mate Joe Lieberman.

	Minneapolis Mayor Sharon Sayles Belton his kissed by her husband Steven Belton during her concession speech, after she loss her third run for Minneapolis mayor to R.T Rybak. (See larger image.) Listen to Sayles Belton's election night speech. (Photo courtesy of startribune.com)

Sayles Belton's campaign focused on the message of proven leadership: crime at a 34-year low, substantial increases in the property-tax base downtown, a commitment to community schools, but her successes failed to resonate with voters.

"I'm really not one for crying or any of that sort of thing. But what I'm really going to do is move forward. And so somebody will tell me later on where the numbers were, we'll actually take a look at each precinct and do all of the analysis. But right now I called R.T. (Rybak) and said 'today's your day. Have a great time. Celebrate.' I'm going to go say thank you my supporters' and life goes on," she said.

Many of Sayles Belton's supporters are left to wonder how she could have been punished so severely at the polls at a time when the city enjoys a sound economy and low crime.

Former Hennepin County commissioner and former state DFL chair Mark Andrew helped recruit Sayles Belton to run for her first City Council seat in 1983. He says the mayor has difficulty sharing her successes with the public.

"She's never been a person to be boastful about her achievements. On the other hand, it's a weak mayor system and the mayor does have an obligation to use the office as a bully pulpit. She failed to do that. So while she had significant policy acheivements in her eight years in office, that was really only half the job," Andrew said.

In addition to turning out the mayor, voters in the 5th Ward ousted Council President Jackie Cherryhomes, a staunch supporter of Sayles Belton. After 12 years in office, she was narrowly defeated by challenger Natalie Johnson Lee, one of two Green Party members who won council seats.

A tearful Cherryhomes made her way through the Sayles Belton campaign event embracing supporters, but declined to be interviewed.

When the City Council meets in January, there will be seven new members. Like the new mayor, none has ever held elected office.