Author Profile

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey grew up in northern Virginia. He went to the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia on a track scholarship. After graduating with a degree in government, he began running professionally. At the same time, he attended law school at Villanova University in Philadelphia. That’s when he came to Minneapolis to run the Twin Cities Marathon and fell in love with the city. The day after graduating, he drove 1,200 miles west, making Minneapolis his chosen home.  

As an employment and civil rights attorney, Jacob became an active community organizer. In 2011, he led efforts to launch the Big Gay Race and raised over $250,000 to help defeat a proposed amendment to define marriage as between a man and a woman. He also became involved in advocacy for those experiencing homelessness, helping tenants who lost their homes in North Minneapolis. In 2012, the City of Minneapolis gave Jacob its first Martin Luther King, Jr. Award for his civil rights work. 

Voters elected Jacob to represent the Third Ward on the City Council in 2013. As a Council Member, he aimed to strengthen neighborhoods, promote growth, and support small businesses. He also sought full funding for affordable housing initiatives. 

Since voters elected Jacob as Mayor in 2017, he has championed an inclusive and progressive agenda. His administration has five main priorities. They are to:

• Increase access to affordable housing
• Strengthen community-police relations
• Tackle climate change
• Drive economic growth with inclusive policies
• Provide good governance

Under his leadership, Minneapolis has made historic investments in affordable housing. It is now producing 8.5 times more deeply affordable housing than before he took office. The mayor launched Stable Homes Stable Schools, a program aimed at getting Minneapolis public students into housing or providing them with housing assistance. The program has now expanded to all elementary schools and helped thousands of students and their families. 

Through several reforms and initiatives, Jacob has helped change the culture of the Minneapolis Police Department. He has improved accountability, officer wellness, and public safety policies. His work has led to updates in the department's body camera and use-of-force policies. It has also expanded the City's 24/7 crisis response system for behavioral crises. 

On climate action, Jacob has helped position Minneapolis as a national leader. He created the Climate Legacy Initiative, a forward-thinking plan to reach the City’s climate goals, reduce pollution, and become carbon neutral by 2050. Under the mayor's leadership, Minneapolis has met all its renewable energy goals for city-owned buildings. It has planted more trees, invested in green jobs, and supported rapid and electric transit. It has also saved residents and businesses hundreds of millions in energy costs.

To help bridge the city’s racial disparities, Jacob has driven initiatives to accelerate economic growth and support communities that have been historically underserved. He worked with the City Council to establish seven Cultural Districts, targeting investment in these areas, and created the first-of-its-kind Ownership and Opportunity Fund to support entrepreneurs of color and address the long-standing impacts of disinvestment in specific neighborhoods. He has led several initiatives to revitalize downtown. They achieved some of the nation's best post-pandemic recovery numbers.

One of Jacob's proudest achievements is helping to lead a new government structure for Minneapolis. It is the first of its kind in 100 years. In 2021, residents voted to approve the new structure, and in October 2022, the mayor signed it into law. This new structure meets the City's evolving needs. It boosts efficiency, communication, and service delivery to residents and businesses.

Jacob lives in southwest Minneapolis with his wife, Sarah, and their two daughters, Frida and Estelle.