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From YouTube: October 20, 2022 Government structure press conference
Description
Mayor Jacob Frey, City Council President Andrea Jenkins, and City Council Vice President Linea Palmisano celebrate the government structure omnibus ordinance passing through City Council. This is the first time in over 100 years that the City of Minneapolis has been successful in changing its government structure. The new structure includes four direct reports to the mayor, an integrated Office of Community Safety, and elevates Race Equity, Inclusion & Belonging to a department level – among other changes.
A
A
A
A
Over
that
hundred
year
period,
there
have
been
17
attempts
to
try
to
move
this
government
structure
to
something
more
workable
and
more
efficient
and
17
times.
It
has
failed
in
around
1920
Minneapolis,
moved
forward
with
a
home,
Rule
Charter
and
at
the
same
time
they
weren't
able
to
take
that
next
step
to
offer
Clarity
between
the
roles
throughout
the
1920s,
those
that
sought
to
reform
the
city
government
were
unsuccessful
again
and
again.
A
A
It's
one
where
we
stand
on
the
shoulders
of
so
many
staff
and
elected
officials
before
us
that
have
tried
to
make
this
change,
and
we
are
so
proud
right
now
to
ultimately
get
this
thing
done
and
on
the
books.
By
having
this
new
government
structure,
not
only
does
it
offer
Clarity,
it
offers
A
system
that
will
be
more
efficient,
more
responsive
and
more
inclusive
to
the
residents
of
our
city.
A
It'll
have
a
larger
and
more
long-standing
impact
than
any
single
policy
change
we
could
ever
make,
because
this,
in
and
of
itself
will
have
an
impact
on
everything
from
how
we
deliver
services
around
affordable
housing,
how
we
plow
the
snow,
how
we
make
sure
that
businesses
can
open,
efficiently
and
productively?
Quite
simply
how
we
serve
the
residents
of
this
city.
Is
there
one
issue
that
will
simply
dramatically
change
in
the
immediacy
because
of
this
new
form
of
government?
The
answer
is
no,
it
is
a
wholesale
change.
A
They
will
have
long-standing
impact
and
I
am
proud
to
have
worked
with
the
city
council
and
especially
council
president
Andrea
Jenkins
and
council
member
Council.
Vice
president
Lynette
palmisano
informing
this
change
that
will
ultimately
help
we
believe
so
many
people
it's
bound
to
make
our
government
more
efficient,
more
effective
and
more
equitable.
A
A
The
work
group,
the
work
group
has
did
such
a
tremendous
job
in
doing
research
of
what
was
taking
place
around
the
country
and
I
want
to
say
you
know
this
structure
with
a
clear
executive
in
the
mayor
and
a
clear
legislative
body
in
the
council
is
is
not
at
all
unique
that
underlying
structure
is
in
place
in
most
every
midsize
and
large
city
across
the
country.
In
that
sense,
it's
not
really
a
strong
mayor
system.
It's
a
regular
mayor
system
from
Duluth
to
Saint
Paul
from
Chicago
to
New
York.
A
They
have
made
clear
that
this
is
a
system
that
will
ultimately
help
in
delivering
of
city
services
and
they've
been
super
helpful
in
getting
this
system
itself
set
up
specifically
I
want
to
thank
Peter
ebnet
in
my
office.
Who's
been
working
on
this
long
before
the
election
of
last
year.
He's
worked
tirelessly
and
would
not
happen,
but
for
him
a
big
thank
you
to
Casey
Carl,
our
our
city
clerk.
A
He
is
someone
that
has
such
a
deep
understanding
of
both
the
city,
Charter,
the
code
of
ordinances
and
how
you
simply
get
something
done
at
City,
Hall
he's
been
a
consummate
partner
for
both
the
council
and
the
administration,
Susan
Trammell
from
the
city
attorney's
office,
she's
the
one
that
actually
drafted
up
the
ordinance
that
was
in
fact
approved
today.
She
did
an
incredible
job
in
making
sure
that
the
charter
checked
out
with
the
ordinance
all
the
eyes
were
dotted
and
the
t's
were
crossed.
A
They've
done
a
phenomenal
job
and,
of
course,
the
residents
of
this
city
who
approved
the
charter
referendum
in
November
of
this
last
year
and
finally,
other
council
members,
a
council
president
Andrea
Jenkins
and
council
member
Lanae
palmisano,
have
been
there
throughout.
It
is
a
better
ordinance.
It
is
a
better
structure
of
government
because
we
have
worked
together
because
the
council
was
able
to
weigh
in
and
now
we're
arriving
at
a
really
bright
point
where
we
can
take
some
very
important
steps
forward
and
with
that
I
I'm
really
pleased
to
invite
up.
C
C
However,
I
I
do
want
to
just
add
that
after
10
months,
we
have
carried
out
the
will
of
the
residents
of
Minneapolis
and
not
only
have
we
changed
and
shifted
our
entiret
entire
government
structure,
which
hopefully,
will
provide
that
clarity,
that
those
clear
lines
of
authority
between
the
council
and
the
executive
branch,
which
we
spent
a
lot
of
time
last
term
arguing
about
and
throughout
the
history
of
Minneapolis.
It
has
been
a
constant
sort
of
struggle
to
understand
who
is
responsible
for
what
activities
in
our
city
I.
C
C
D
Thank
you.
Our
actions
today
enshrine
a
new
level
of
clarity
and
accountability
with
our
local
government,
the
kind
that
residents
deserve
and
should
expect
at
City
Hall.
For
years,
we've
heard
that
the
old
system
doesn't
work,
that
residents
weren't
sure
who
is
responsible
for
policies
and
where
to
voice
their
concerns
or
feedback.
D
Today
we
change
that
and
you
will
see
a
more
efficient
system
because
of
it.
The
executive
mayor,
legislative
Council
structure
is
the
product
of
a
modernization
of
municipal
government
of
our
government.
The
realignment
of
departments
isn't
just
a
reshuffling
of
deck
chairs.
Our
responsibilities
of
a
city
have
grown
over
the
years
and
we
need
a
system
that
reflects
those
challenges.
D
We
need
to
be
responsive
to
an
evolving
City
and
acknowledge
that
the
way
the
city
was
governed
in
1920
is
not
the
same
as
it
should
be.
Today.
We're
moving
forward.
There's
been
a
lot
of
focus
on
how
this
new
structure
creates
a
strong
mayor.
But
let
me
be
clear:
it
also
empowers
a
strong
Council
and,
more
importantly,
a
strong
Minneapolis,
the
clear
Lanes
of
responsibility
and
the
structure
Elevate,
the
council
driving
our
strategic
focus
and
allow
us
to
have
a
planning
mindset
focused
on
bettering
systems
and
holding
departments
accountable
for
their
stated
goals.
D
A
Thank
you,
council,
president
and
Council
vice
president
and
again
thank
you
to
to
my
staff
in
our
office,
who
has
really
been
working
on
this
for
several
years.
Now.
It's
good
to
get
to
this
point
and
just
a
note
before
I
open
it
up
to
any
questions
the
ordinance
is
in
place.
However,
the
old
system
has
developed
a
mindset
at
City
Hall
that
has
been
in
place
for
about
100
years,
and
so
undoubtedly
there
will
be
bumps
at
the
road.
B
A
I
will
start
answering
it
and
then
I
will
perhaps
bring
up
our
our
City
attorney,
either
either
Susan
or
Kristen,
whichever
we
see
fit
here,
this
absolutely
complies
with
the
charter.
In
fact,
this
was
request.
The
the
system
of
governance,
as
far
as
the
executive
and
legislature
was
what
was
requested
and
charged
by
the
voters
themselves.
A
A
My
support
of
an
integrated
approach
to
Community
safety
is
not
new.
It's
something
that
I
talked
about
before
the
election
during
the
election
and
after
the
election.
My
support
for
an
integrated
approach
to
make
sure
that
we
can
match
the
unique
skill
set
with
the
unique
experiences
on
the
ground
is
something
that
we
all
can
get
behind
for
those
that
were
proponents
of
question
two,
because
they
believed
that
an
integrated
approach
through
an
office
of
community
safety
was
a
really
great
step.
A
They
should
take
some
credit,
because
it's
a
great
idea
and
one
that
we
can
all
Embrace
again,
let's
Agree
to
Agree
and
let's
unite
around
a
common
goal
and
as
far
as
the
legality
we've
touched
on,
this
we've
been
through
it.
Unquestionably,
we
are
moving
in
in
a
direction
that
has
been
authorized
and
so,
if,
if
either
Kristen
or
Susan
Kristen,
you
can.
B
B
Mayor
fry
actually
I
answered
all
of
the
legal
questions
quite
well.
The
the
ordinance
was
drafted
to
comply
with
the
with
the
city
Charter,
so
the
the
the
The
Orange
Box,
as
you
see
it,
is
actually
still
under
the
direction
of
the
mayor,
so
still
preserves
the
mayor's
authority
over
over
the
police
and
in
in
terms
of
of
the
second
question,
we
don't
have
a
charter
change,
but
we
can
accomplish
those
the
same
kind
of
restructuring
through
through
ordinance
and
and
so
what
we've
got
is
is
fully
lawful.
A
A
I
can't
tell
you
how
many
times
over
these
last
couple
of
years,
where
I
have
called
in
the
director
of
community
planning
and
economic
development,
the
City
attorney,
the
chief
of
police
and
the
city
coordinator
and
I've,
given
directions
out
you
do
this,
you
do
that
you
do
the
other,
you
do
this
go
and
we
need
to
move
fairly
quickly
because
there's
a
an
imminent
issue
that
needs
to
be
addressed
and
the
response.
Always
almost
always.
The
first
question
was
well.
A
What
is
the
council
going
to
say,
and
that
is
not
an
issue
with
the
council
to
be
very
clear.
The
very
nature
of
a
legislative
body
is
that
they
deliberate,
they
engage,
they
seek
feedback
from
community
and
they
pass
good
thought
out
laws.
That
is
what
a
legislative
branch
does,
and
one
of
the
great
things
that
this
this
this
change
authors
is
that
it
clarifies
who
has
that
full
authority
over
legislation?
A
It
is
the
city
council,
and
so
the
Practical
implications
are
that
we
can
make
decisions
on
a
daily
basis
through
an
Administration
and
I
want
to
make
clear.
This
is
not
a
unique
setup
in
having
an
Administration
that
makes
day-to-day
operations.
That
is
the
case
in
most
every
other
mid-size
and
large
city
throughout
the
country.
A
A
Almost
any
time,
some
a
quick
decision
needed
to
be
made
whether
it
was
around
it
could
have
been
the
way
we
plow
the
streets
or
the
the
quick
nature
we
do
so
it
could
have
been
around
a
homeless
encampment.
It
could
be
around
some
form
of
of
handling
of
of
a
Public
Safety
in
an
integrated
fashion,
which
we
couldn't
do
before.
A
A
Tracking,
this
is
all
right
now
through
data,
the
data
that
is
on
a
frequent
basis
reported
out.
This
should
not
be.
This
should
be
an
infusion
of
of
additional
data
and
numbers
that
can
be
provided
in
a
comprehensive
fashion,
not
just
the
police
reporting
out
over
here
and
economic
development
reporting
out
there,
but
a
greater
understanding
as
to
how
these
departments
can
actually
work
together
so
that
we're
able
to
see
are
we
meeting
the
metrics
that
we
lay
out
now
for
every
single
issue.
A
There
will
be
different,
metrics
and
so
we're
it
doesn't
make
sense
to
in
this
adoption
of
a
new
ordinance,
which
applies
to
everything
laying
out
the
specific
metrics
that
would
apply
to
everything
that
we
could
possibly
deal
with.
There
would
literally
be
thousands
of
metrics
laid
on
the
table,
but
for
every
issue
we
will
have
metrics.
We
will
be
able
to
to
determine
where
we're
succeeding
and
where
we're
failing
and
we'll
be
able
to
adapt,
depending
on
what
that
data
says.
A
A
Several
of
these
departments
or
I
should
say
positions
need
to
be
staffed
out
a
bit
more.
That
doesn't
happen
today
that
happens
through
the
budget
process,
and
so
that
will
take
place
in
the
coming
couple
of
months.
We
imagine
that
that
much
of
ever
much
of
this
will
be
set
up
in
full
by
the
end
of
this
year.
A
However,
to
be
clear,
there
will
still
be
Kinks
that
need
to
be
worked
out
over
the
next
couple
of
years.
You
know
that
again,
things
will
data
that
we're
collecting
will
need
to
be
shifted
so
that
we're
again
providing
the
best
and
most
responsive
information,
we're
going
to
have
to
make
sure
that
we're
properly
designating
positions
to
where
they
are
most
effective.
A
A
A
I'll
do
one
more
if
anybody's
got
one
more
otherwise
Happy
to
call
it
a
day
two-
and
this
is
really
one
where
we're
you
know.
Over
the
last
couple
of
years,
we've
been
over
the
last
couple
of
years
as
a
city
We
have
dealt
with
a
Litany
of
crises,
and
so
rare.
Do
you
get
the
opportunity
to
pick
your
head
up
and
celebrate
some
of
the
affirmative
offensive
work
that
we've
been
able
to
do.