Minneapolis City Council denies reappointment of community safety head Todd Barnette



The Minneapolis City Council on Thursday voted against reappointing Community Safety Commissioner Todd Barnette to his post.

Mayor Jacob Frey said he plans to veto that and keep Barnette in the job.

The council voted 7-6 against reappointing Barnette. Council members voting against his reappointment took issue with his communication with the council, and cited concerns with the police department during his tenure, including the department overspending its budget by $20 million in 2025.

Council member Robin Wonsley said Barnette hasn’t done enough in the role to advance alternatives to policing.

“Year after year, this office has failed to do anything meaningful to advance public safety beyond policing, and time after time, it's become clear that it's just simply not a priority for this administration,” council member Robin Wonsley said.

Frey had renominated Barnette. At the council meeting, he said Barnette’s experience as a prosecutor and the chief judge in Hennepin County are valuable to the role. He said Barnette has been an effective leader in emergency situations, including the shooting at Annunciation Church and School.

“He has this unbelievable sense of integrity, and I can tell you that during some of the hardest moments, especially over this last year, having that sense of calm and clarity in the room saved lives,” Frey said.

The city created the job and the office in the wake of George Floyd’s murder in 2020, amid pressure to reform public safety. The office oversees the city’s police, fire, emergency response and neighborhood safety efforts.

Barnette was appointed in 2023. He was the second person on the job; his predecessor retired after a year.

The council will need a two-thirds majority — nine votes — to override the veto.

At its meeting Thursday, the council also reappointed Kristyn Anderson as city attorney and Margaret Anderson Kelliher as city operations officer. Anderson was reappointed on a 10-3 vote, and Kelliher on a narrow 7-6 vote.



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A Republican lawmaker charged in an alcohol-related driving offense won’t have to appear in court again until after the Legislature adjourns for the year.

A June 10 arraignment hearing is set for Rep. Elliott Engen, a Lino Lakes Republican who faces three misdemeanor charges following an arrest early Friday. He was stopped for speeding and other infractions in White Bear Lake; officers detected alcohol and he later tested well above the legal limit for driving, according to a citation.

Engen has apologized for a lapse in judgment; he promised to learn from his actions and “do better.” Aside from being a second-term legislator, he is also a candidate for state auditor.

A second lawmaker, GOP Rep. Walter Hudson, was in Engen’s truck at the time of the stop and an open bottle of alcohol was found in a rear seat. Hudson, a second-term legislator from Albertville, was in possession of a permitted handgun, which could cause him legal problems if he is determined to have been intoxicated.

Police officers wrote in their report that Hudson disclosed he had the gun as the truck was being searched. The report said police took the firearm for safekeeping and said he could pick it up at a later time, which Hudson agreed to.

“I regret the poor decisions that were made during this incident, and commend the White Bear Police Department for their professional response,” Hudson said in a written statement. “I’m grateful that no harm was done to ourselves and others.”

Two lawmakers stand and look around
Rep. Walter Hudson, R-Albertville, (center) and Rep. Bidal Duran, R-Bemidji, (right) join other Republican lawmakers gather in the House chambers Jan. 27, 2025.
Tim Evans for MPR News file

A third, unidentified passenger was in the truck as well, according to police. Hudson and that person were transferred to the police department until they could arrange rides.

The Minnesota lawmakers had been at the Capitol late into the evening Thursday as the House debated procedural motions on gun, immigration and social media legislation. The motions failed on 67-67 votes.

There is no indication yet that either Hudson nor Engen had been drinking on Capitol grounds, which would be a violation of a House rule against consumption of alcohol or drugs in spaces under that chamber’s control.

According to a White Bear Lake Police report, Engen initially said he had not been drinking when asked by the police officer who pulled him over — “nothing at all,” he is quoted as saying. He performed a field sobriety test, which the report says showed signs of impairment.

Engen gave a preliminary breath sample there, the report says, which estimated a 0.142 blood alcohol level. After he was taken by squad car to the police department “Engen spontaneously stated, ‘Sir, I had a drink three hours ago,’” the report says.

He told the Minnesota Star Tribune in an interview Monday that he had also consumed alcohol in the afternoon on Thursday as well.

Engen is charged with two impaired driving offenses and speeding. White Bear Lake police also said he was driving a vehicle with expired registration and an inoperable headlight.

Engen has not returned calls from MPR News. A court docket lists a “notice of appearance” on Tuesday.

He is being represented in the criminal case by Chris Madel, an Excelsior attorney who waged a brief Republican campaign for governor.



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