Jacob Frey facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jacob Frey
Frey in 2021
48th Mayor of Minneapolis
Incumbent
Assumed office January 2, 2018
Preceded by	Betsy Hodges
Member of the Minneapolis City Council from the 3rd ward
In office January 2, 2014 – January 2, 2018
Preceded by	Diane Hofstede
Succeeded by	Steve Fletcher
Personal details
Born	Jacob Lawrence Frey (1981-07-23) July 23, 1981 (age 43) Oakton, Virginia, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouses	Michelle Lilienthal ​ ​ (m. 2009; div. 2014)​ Sarah Clarke ​ (m. 2016)​
Children	1
Education	College of William and Mary (BA) Villanova University (JD)
Signature

Jacob Frey (born July 23, 1981) is an American politician and lawyer. He has been the mayor of Minneapolis, Minnesota since 2018. Before becoming mayor, he was a member of the Minneapolis City Council from 2014 to 2018.

Frey grew up in Virginia. He went to college on a scholarship for track and field. After college, he became a professional long-distance runner. He even competed for Team USA in the 2007 Pan American Games. Later, he became a lawyer, focusing on civil rights. He then got involved in community work before entering politics.

Early Life and Running

Jacob Frey grew up in Oakton, Virginia. His parents were both professional ballet dancers.

School and College Years

After high school, Frey went to the College of William & Mary. He was a talented long-distance runner on the track and field team. He competed in major college championships. In 2002, he won a 5,000-meter race title. He earned a degree in government in 2004.

Professional Running

After college, Frey ran professionally. He competed in several marathons across the country. He even represented Team USA at the 2007 Pan American Games in Brazil, finishing fourth in the marathon. While running professionally, he also went to law school at Villanova University. He graduated from law school in 2009.

Career

Starting His Career

After law school, Frey moved to Minneapolis in 2009. He worked as a lawyer, helping people with issues like unfair treatment at work and civil rights.

He also became very active in his community. For example, after a big storm hit North Minneapolis in 2011, he helped people who lost their homes with legal advice. In 2012, he started a charity race called the "Big Gay Race." This event raised money for a group that supported equal rights for all families.

Minneapolis City Council

In 2013, Frey ran for a seat on the Minneapolis City Council. The City Council is a group of elected officials who make decisions for the city. He won the election and started his term on January 2, 2014.

Frey at a Minneapolis City Council meeting in 2015

As a City Council member, Frey focused on several important issues:

• Affordable Housing: He helped get more money for the city's Affordable Housing Trust Fund. This fund helps make sure people can find homes they can afford.
• Environment: He created a rule that made businesses pay fees if they polluted. These fees then helped support green improvements. This program has helped reduce pollution.
• Workplace Rules: He helped create rules for paid sick leave and a higher minimum wage for workers. He worked to make sure small businesses had more time to adjust to the new wage rules.
• Voting Access: He led efforts to make it easier for people to vote. This included requiring landlords to give tenants voter registration information and adding more early voting locations.

Mayor of Minneapolis

Frey being sworn in as mayor

Frey announced he would run for mayor in 2017. He won the election and became mayor on January 2, 2018. He was one of the youngest mayors in Minneapolis history.

As mayor, Frey promised to increase support for affordable housing and improve how the police and community work together.

Mayor Frey with Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison

• Police Reforms: In 2018, he introduced changes to how police officers use body cameras. These changes led to officers using their cameras more often. In 2019, he announced a ban on certain types of police training. He has supported changes to police rules, such as banning chokeholds and requiring officers to report when other officers use too much force.
• Affordable Housing: His first budget as mayor put a lot of money towards affordable housing. This was much more than the city had spent before.
• City Planning: He has pushed for a plan that would allow more types of homes, like three-family homes, to be built in different parts of the city. This plan aims to make housing more available and help neighborhoods grow.

Frey speaking in 2018

Frey was reelected as mayor in 2021.

COVID-19 Pandemic

In March 2020, Mayor Frey declared a local emergency because of the COVID-19 pandemic. He issued orders to help keep people safe. This included requiring people to wear masks in indoor public places and temporarily closing some businesses to slow the spread of the virus.

Community Protests

Frey speaking at a protest in July 2020

In May 2020, after a tragic event involving police, protests began in Minneapolis. Mayor Frey supported holding the officers involved accountable. He called for criminal charges against the main officer. He also approved immediate changes to the Minneapolis Police Department, such as banning certain police holds and requiring officers to report excessive force. During a protest, when asked if he would completely get rid of the police department, he said he did not support that idea, but he did support reforms.

Personal Life

Jacob Frey married his first wife, Michelle Lilienthal, in 2009. They later divorced in 2014.

He met his second wife, Sarah Clarke, through community work in Minneapolis. They got married in July 2016. Sarah Clarke works as a lobbyist, representing businesses and organizations. In September 2020, they welcomed their daughter. Frey took a short break from his normal mayoral duties to be with his family after her birth. In 2025, they announced they are expecting a second daughter.

Frey is a Reform Jew and attends Temple Israel, a synagogue in Minneapolis, with his wife.

See also

• 2020–2021 Minneapolis–Saint Paul racial unrest
• List of mayors of the 50 largest cities in the United States

Images for kids

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  Jacob Frey's signature