Minneapolis City Council members have again postponed a vote on Mayor Jacob Frey's nomination of Barret Lane as the city's emergency management director.
Minneapolis City Council again delays vote on reappointment of city's emergency director
Several council members raise questions about Barret Lane's part in the city's criticized response to the 2020 riots.
July 21, 2022 at 7:42PM
Lane has held the position since 2012.
Lane's nomination has stirred emotions as some council members note that communications among city responders failed during the rioting following George Floyd's murder in 2020, while others say those issues and others raised in two recent after-action reports are systemic problems. The council first delayed a vote on Lane's appointment June 30.
Council members voted 7 to 6 Thursday to delay the vote again. The delay will give a new Minneapolis community safety commissioner a chance to weigh in on Lane's appointment. Frey has tapped Cedric Alexander for that position. Alexander has served as police chief in Rochester, N.Y., and as public safety director in Georgia's DeKalb County, near Atlanta.
Lane "has earned trust from leaders across the enterprise and its continuing to shape a more effective, cohesive emergency response system," Frey wrote in his nomination of Lane. Lane's peers from Ramsey and Hennepin counties as well as St. Paul also wrote to the council in support of Lane's nomination.
The job's salary ranges from $137,000 to $162,000 a year.
Council members Michael Rainville, LaTrisha Vetaw, Jamal Osman, Lisa Goodman, Andrea Jenkins, Emily Koski and Linea Palmisano approved the delay Thursday. Council members Elliott Payne, Robin Wonsley, Jeremiah Ellison, Jason Chavez, Aisha Chughtai and Andrew Johnson voted against it.
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