Overview
- The council, which voted 7-6 Thursday, denied Mayor Jacob Frey’s bid to keep Toddrick Barnette as community safety commissioner, a role that oversees police, fire, 911, emergency management and neighborhood safety.
- Frey said he will veto the rejection to keep Barnette in the job, and an override would require nine council votes with the city attorney reviewing how the charter applies.
- Council leaders said Barnette was too often absent and unresponsive, citing poor communication and what they called mishandling of cases involving Davis Moturi, Allison Lussier and Mariah Samuels.
- Opponents also pointed to a reported $20 million Minneapolis Police Department budget overspend in 2025 and said the office did too little to build alternatives to policing.
- In other votes at the same meeting, the council reappointed City Attorney Kristyn Anderson on a 10-3 vote and City Operations Officer Margaret Anderson Kelliher on a 7-6 vote.