About Mayor Jacob Frey
Elected mayor in 2017, Jacob Frey has championed a strong agenda focused on increasing access to affordable housing throughout Minneapolis, expanding opportunities for shared growth through economic inclusion, and strengthening the city’s approach to public safety. Key accomplishments of his first three years in office include:
Investing record levels of city funding in affordable housing with new support for financial assistance and affordable homeownership
Launching Stable Homes Stable Schools that to date has helped prevent homelessness or provided stable housing for over 2,500 Minneapolis Public School students spanning 900 families
Enacting structural changes to the Minneapolis Police Department including ensuring effective use of body cameras, overhauling the use of force policy, prioritizing a shift in culture, and putting new de-escalation standards in place
Directing tens of millions in city, state, and federal funding to support struggling small businesses and provide shelter and housing for people experiencing homelessness
Launching Minneapolis Forward, an initiative designed to both recover and transform following COVID-19 and civil unrest
Growing up in Northern Virginia, Jacob received a track scholarship to attend the College of William and Mary. After graduating with a degree in government, Jacob received a contract from a shoe company to run professionally and successfully competed for Team USA at the Pan American Games. He simultaneously attended law school at Villanova University from which he graduated cum laude. One of the races Jacob ran was the Twin Cities Marathon, and Jacob immediately fell in love with Minneapolis. The day after graduation he moved to Minneapolis.
As an employment and civil rights attorney, Jacob developed a strong commitment to community organizing. He championed efforts to support marriage equality, tenant and housing rights, and employee non-discrimination right. In recognition of this work, Jacob was honored as the first annual recipient of the City of Minneapolis Martin Luther King Jr. Award.
As a Council Member for Minneapolis’ Third Ward, Jacob's leadership has resulted in record numbers of small business openings, substantial public realm and green space improvements, increases in affordable housing, and a new public school.
Along with falling in love with Minneapolis, Jacob fell in love with a strong, intelligent, and passionate partner, Sarah Clarke. Jacob and Sarah met through community organizing and continue to support each other’s work to champion shared passions for environmental sustainability, economic development, and social justice. In September 2020, Frida Jade Frey joined the family and will be leading phone banks soon.