By Tim Harlow
Star Tribune
MINNEAPOLIS — Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey wants Reginald “Reggie” Freeman to be the next chief of the city’s Fire Department.
Following a nationwide search, Frey introduced Freeman as his nominee for the job during a news conference Wednesday at City Hall, calling him a “wildly talented and extremely experienced” leader.
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He brings “decades of front-line, executive-level experience, both at home and abroad,” the mayor said of the man he wants to lead the 170-year-old, 435-member department. “The leadership he brings to the table is second to none.”
Freeman is not a new face in town. He interviewed to become fire chief five years ago, but was passed over for Bryan Tyner. Tyner, who was the department’s second Black chief, led the department until he retired Dec. 31 . Assistant Chief Melanie Rucker has been the acting chief since Tyner’s departure.
Freeman started his firefighting career in 2001 by joining a small department in Mississippi and “I fell in love with it,” he said Wednesday. “I love serving and I love people. It was a natural match for me.”
His resume includes stints as fire chief in Oakland, Calif., and Hartford, Conn., civilian fire chief for the U.S. Department of Defense in Iraq and executive director of Fire and Emergency Medical Services in Saudi Arabia.
Freeman said he was attracted to Minneapolis by its resiliency and to the Fire Department for what he said is an “exceptionally well run” organization.
But it’s also a department struggling in the wake of trauma: the George Floyd murder in 2020, the Annunication Catholic Church and School shooting last year and the federal immigation crackdown over the winter.
Freeman said bringing healing to the department and ensuring firefighters have the tools to do their job are his top priorities should he get the job. About 30 firefighters are on leave, suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. Their absence is stretching crews thin and driving up overtime costs.
Freeman said he’d be engaged and transparent as chief. He’d be part of the community by attending events and visiting firehouses to build one-on-one relationships, he said.
“You don’t want the first time they see the chief is during an emergency,” Freeman said Wednesday. “I am dedicated and committed to being part of the community ... to look, learn and listen every stop of the way. That is how you build trust and effective relationships. It’s how you get stuff done.”
Freeman called the chance to lead the department “professionally meaningful” and “personally motivating.”
Before Freeman can become chief, the City Council would need to confirm him for the post, something that is not a given. In recent months, the council declined to approve Community Safety Commissioner Todd Barnette and has yet to give its blessing to Police Chief Brian O’Hara continuing to lead the Police Department. Both were picked by Frey.
The mayor said he’s confident he can get Freeman through the confirmation process, which could start in late July.
“We had exceptional candidates. We brought in the best of the best,” Frey said, while introducing “the person I hope will be and expect to be our next fire chief. He rose to the top and will do an exceptional job.”
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