Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey asked voters on Friday to elect him in November for a third and final term to continue what he said was the revival of the city.
In a forum hosted by Citizen’s League at the West Minister Presbyterian Church in Minneapolis, the mayor said that he wanted to continue the revival of the city by improving infrastructure and prioritizing safety.
Frey, who has had backing from many new donor contributions, said that he wanted a third term to finish the work of reviving the city and leave it fully restored to its old glory. The mayor had amassed over half a million dollars for his campaign in the first half of the year alone outraising his opponents.
The opening question on Friday’s forum revolved around revitalizing downtown Minneapolis. Frey said that part of the area’s declining population was due to companies offering remote opportunities for their employees. That was inevitable, he said, but it was expedited by the COVID-19 pandemic. The mayor also said that to revive traffic in downtown Minneapolis the city is already undertaking strategies to repopulate the area which include transitioning vacant commercial space into residential areas and expanding pedestrian walkways.
“It will be those that embrace change that will ultimately be successful,” Frey said.
Sen. Omar Fateh, who represents District 62 in the state senate, immediately disputed Frey’s statements, accusing him of allowing the city of Minneapolis to reach its current state.
“The downtown that Mayor Frey inherited in 2017 is a dream compared to what we have right now,” Fateh said. “He can blame it on COVID-19 or the aftermath of the Geroge Floyd murder, but the reality is that this is all happening under his watch.”
Fateh, who is Frey’s strongest opponent, shocked the city when he won an endorsement from the Minneapolis chapter of the Democratic Farmers Labor (DFL) Party in July. The Minnesota DFL later revoked the endorsement, citing issues with the electronic voting system. The Minneapolis DFL has since unsuccessfully appealed the decision.
“As mayor, you have to do the hard work in leading,” Frey rebutted. “Our city is coming back in fine form. We are seeing real results.”
Fateh said that he would increase traffic to Minneapolis by introducing tax legislation that incentivizes business to open store fronts by introducing vacancy taxes.
The second question was about public safety in Minneapolis. During the past eight years that Frey has served as mayor, Minneapolis has gone through historic moments including the murder of George Floyd by a police officer, in May 2020, which led to destructive riots in the city. That was followed in 2021 by near-record homicide rates. The recorded number of homicides in 2021 was 94, compared to the 97 homicide cases recorded in 1995. The city also continues to struggle with a housing crisis that has left many without homes. And recently, in August, a shooting at a Catholic school in Minneapolis killed two children and wounded more than a dozen others.
Frey said that he wanted to expand the police force and pointed out that violent crime rates particularly in north Minneapolis have decreased in recent years.
Fateh, whose campaign office has been vandalized, said he supported police officers getting more help by endorsing legislator that expands resources in response to emergency calls which then frees up police officers to tackle violent crime. The senator evaded questions insinuating that he wants to defund the police. He pointed out that there was a charter committee that has established a set number of police officers that the city of Minneapolis needs. The Minneapolis City Charter has established that the city needs a minimum of 730 police officers, 125 more cops than it currently has.
Another mayoral candidate, Brenda Short, called Fateh’s previous statements on police defunding and Frey’s position on public safety disrespectful. She said that Frey made the wrong choice of instating Brian O’Hara of New Jersey as Minneapolis police chief, who she accused of not serving all the residents of Minneapolis well. When asked if she would let O’Hara keep his position, she said she would not.
“I believe, to bring our city safe we need our community and our officers to work together,” Short said. “I would replace Chief O’Hara. He has made no attempts to protect everyone.”
Frey and another opponent, Jazz Hampton, disagreed. Hampton said that if elected mayor, he would keep O’Hara as the chief of police, and that he wanted a more collaborative approach for accountability and reconciliation.
“I am absolutely open to keeping Chief O’Hara and what I expect is to hold him accountable to the level that I and this city believe is necessary,” Hampton said. “Some things I’ve seen have been troubling to me in the last several months, but it doesn’t mean that the relationship is beyond repair.”
On the topic of safety, in recent months, President Donald Trump has attempted to deploy the National Guard to cities across the United States for what he alleges would be to maintain law and order. The entire panel of candidates unanimously agreed that they would not support the deployment of National Guard troops to Minneapolis.
The approach to affordable housing and homeless encampments was met with various responses, with Fateh directly criticizing Frey’s response to encampments, which included using force. Frey stated that the response was needed to address a crisis in human trafficking and public health.
Short, who has previously experienced homelessness, said that a vacant nursing home in south Minneapolis could be used to safely house 300 people. She also stated that the city needed to try repairing abandoned homes to make them fit for rental housing.
The candidates remained divided on ways that the city could increase private business, and if the city should collaborate with the Minnesota Timberwolves for a new arena. In their closing remarks candidates described their leadership approach and the vision they have for Minneapolis.
Frey, who described himself as a passionate and honest leader, said that he wanted to lead Minneapolis for a third term to complete the work of current ongoing projects to enhance the city’s overall wellbeing.
“As mayor, you make difficult decisions during some of the most trying circumstances and over the past five years, we as a city have confronted adversity together,” Frey said. “Our city is coming back.”
Author
About Cynthia Simba, Mshale Reporter
Cynthia is a graduate of the University of Minnesota School of Journalism. She has interned at Mshale and Voice of America and previously worked at the Minnesota Daily. She recently returned from Seoul, South Korea where she was an English educator.
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