City Council approves new role to oversee public safety in Minneapolis

The Minneapolis City Council approved a plan Thursday to create three new positions under the strong-mayor form of government that voters approved last November.

It marks a dramatic change in the structure of some of the most critical services provided in Minneapolis, including police, fire, EMS and 911.

“Today is a really great day for governance in our city,” Mayor Jacob Frey said in a news conference Thursday afternoon.

“This has been something that has been long in the making. In fact, for over 100 years, there have been mayors trying to make this necessary change,” he said.

In a 12-1 vote, the City Council approved the community safety commissioner position, which offers a salary of up to $350,000.

Council Member Robin Wonsley was the lone “no” vote.

“This proposal has so many gaping holes that we are being asked to ignore,” she said before the vote.

Wonsley laid out a series of what she described as “red flags” about the structure change — including transparency and accountability.

“There has been no information provided on how having a commissioner of the Office of Community Safety will increase accountability or avoid the 14-bosses problem,” she said.

Wonsley was referring to the old way of doing business — reporting to 14 members of the City Council — that was widely criticized as ineffective and time-consuming.

More than six months after the voters approved a new form of government, it’s now starting to take shape.

“It’s so important for the reform measures that we need to see take place in our police department,” Frey said. “This is a huge step in the right direction.”

The mayor told reporters there is no timeline on hiring a commissioner of community safety, but he has already been in touch with local and national candidates.

Once hired, the commissioner will help build out the new department and hire a new police chief.