 It's Latino Business Week in the City of Minneapolis! On Sunday, Mayor Frey joined City, business, and community leaders to kick off the inaugural Minneapolis Latino Business Week. The festive event at Mercado Central included local vendors, live music, and dance performances.
Running from October 6 through 13, Latino Business Week honors the City’s commitment to empowering Latino-owned businesses and entrepreneurs and features several City-run events including business development workshops, networking opportunities, panels with experts, and a pop-up market. This week is just one of the many ways the City of Minneapolis invests in economic equity. In his 2024 budget, Mayor Frey allocated nearly $9 million for economic inclusion and recovery.
“Minneapolis’ growing Latino community is essential to our city’s cultural vibrancy and economic strength,” said Mayor Frey. “From small mom-and-pop shops on Lake Street to larger enterprises employing people across the city, Latino-owned businesses are creating jobs, enriching neighborhoods, and strengthening our local economy with their resilience and diversity. While we proudly celebrate these invaluable contributions during Latino Business Week, I know the work our Latino neighbors are doing doesn’t end when the week does.”
Despite warnings from City attorneys that the move could be considered an “unauthorized tax,” the City Council passed a directive that would place fees related to carbon dioxide emissions on Minneapolis businesses. The mayor enthusiastically supports taking action to reduce pollution, including using PCAR fees. He even authored a similar measure tying pollution to fees when he was a council member. The difference was he worked with the City’s attorneys and the Health Department to make sure the measure was legal and the required staffing was in place.
The Council’s choice to prematurely adopt a fee before the required legal and programmatic elements are established would likely result in an unwinnable lawsuit for the City. The mayor is calling on Council Members to work with City experts and bring forward an action the City can legally and practically implement. If they do, he will be happy to support it.
In his veto letter, Mayor Frey said:
"Once again, we find ourselves in a needless state of limbo because the majority of City Council refused to listen to expert staff. And once again, a short-term political win was favored over actually getting the work done. It seems there is a desire to create policy-based fault lines where none exist.
Disagreement is good – even essential – to delivering strong policy results. However, the dysfunction and flagrant disinformation you are imposing on residents and City staff is undermining the City as an institution.
We must stop pretending that we have expertise at the expense of people who actually have it. We must stop pretending we are experts at the expense of the goals we claim to have. We must stop pretending to be experts at the expense of the people in our city who depend not on a social media post declaring victory, but on actually achieving progress."
 Over the weekend, Mayor Frey joined City, State, and community leaders to celebrate Shiloh Temple's new food shelf and Community Safety Center. The Change Starts With Community-Shiloh Cares Food Shelf brings fresh produce and food to the northside -- and the Northside Community Safety Resource center is the first of its kind in the area.
"For 93 years, Shiloh Temple has been a staple in our Minneapolis community, providing hope to people not just within their church walls, but far beyond them," said Mayor Frey. "Shiloh is continuing its legacy of serving the Northside -- and these resources are exactly what our community needs and deserves. I am proud of all our state and local partners who are working together to make projects like this one happen."
 Over 21,000 athletes laced up their sneakers last weekend to run the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon, and Mayor Frey was there to cheer them on! The annual race was canceled last year due to excessive heat, but the cool weather on Sunday was a nice gift for this year’s participants.
Mayor Frey is no stranger to distance running. He competed in the marathon event for Team USA at the 2007 Pan American games, took part in the 2008 Olympic trials, and first fell in love with Minneapolis while running the Twin Cities Marathon over a decade ago.
 Mayor Frey was on hand Thursday to celebrate the grand reopening of the Children’s Dental Clinic in Northeast. Though childhood dental disease is entirely preventable, far too many families cannot afford to see a dentist. With the expansion of the Children’s Dental Services clinic, 15,000 more children will receive treatment each year.
The expansion was made possible through a collaboration between the City of Minneapolis, Delta Dental, Otto Bremer Trust, Mississippi Watershed Management Organization, Dorsey & Whitney LLP, the Minnesota Department of Health, and Hennepin County.
“Our children’s health and wellness will always remain a top priority,” said Mayor Frey. “At the City of Minneapolis, we are thankful for partners who are dedicated to improving the lives of our youth and working together to make our community stronger. This clinic will have a real impact on those it serves.”
 This week, Mayor Frey joined Sen. Amy Klobuchar and other federal, state, and local leaders to celebrate the opening of the Niron Magnetics commercial pilot plant in Minneapolis. Niron’s Clean Earth Magnets are produced in the U.S. and are “the world’s first advanced manufacturing process for the mass production of permanent magnets powered by its breakthrough material formulation,” according to the company.
Clean Earth Magnets are used in applications that vary from wind turbines to electric vehicles and offer a greener alternative to conventional rare-earth magnets which are mostly produced overseas and require invasive mining.
The beloved Holidazzle Parade is returning to the heart of downtown Minneapolis this winter! From December 18 to December 22, Nicollet Mall will be transformed into a winter wonderland, decked out in twinkling lights, festive shows, pop-up markets, and delicious snacks from local food trucks.
The family-friendly event is the perfect way to celebrate the holidays -- and it's free and open to the public! Mayor Frey hopes to see you there.
 Mayor Frey meets with Minneapolis Hmong elders in North Minneapolis
 Mayor Frey, St. Paul Mayor Carter Recognize Habitat for Humanity's Carter Work Project
 Mayor Frey and Health Commissioner Damon Chaplin
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