Frey Vetoes Minneapolis Park Board Resolution To Stop Sharing Headquarters With State Patrol
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) - Two days after the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board voted to end their agreement with the Minnesota State Patrol that allowed the organization to use their headquarters, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey vetoed the resolution, calling it "political grandstanding."
Wednesday's resolution passed 5-4. MPRB said the state patrol primarily used their headquarters to "take breaks, eat lunch and use the bathroom." It was not used for office work.
But Frey, in his veto letter, said the resolution "is not about good policymaking" and is instead about "political grandstanding that values optics over both the residents we serve and our interjurisdictional partnerships."
"This resolution does not advance police accountability, enhance transparency, or further our shared goals of building community trust," he went on to say. "Rather, it prevents State Troopers from using the bathroom and parking lots and adds tension to relationships where we need to maintain and strengthen unity and collaboration. Now is simply not the time for posturing. It is time for serious, responsible government."
The park board says the state patrol has been sharing the building, located on 2117 West River North, since 2012. In 2018, a resolution was approved to extend the agreement through January 2022.