Amid ongoing tensions in Minneapolis’s leadership, questions are being raised around a series of private coaching and strategic planning meetings involving Mayor Jacob Frey and the Minneapolis City Council.
The concerns also follow a lawsuit filed by the Upper Midwest Law Center (UMLC), which alleged that Minneapolis failed to comply with the Minnesota Supreme Court’s ruling in the Spann v. Minneapolis City Council case. That ruling required the city to adhere to police staffing standards found in the Minneapolis City Charter.
According to the city’s legislative files, Minneapolis entered a three-year, $1.4 million contract with Darcy Luoma Coaching & Consulting, LLC starting in October 2025. City documents detail the firm’s responsibilities, including aiding the New Elected Official Orientation Program, conducting strategic planning sessions, and providing leadership development and executive coaching for the mayor and City Council.
But critics argue that the private nature of the meetings are causing concerns around the Open Meeting Law (OML).
“These meetings could represent OML violations if decisions are made on City issues, so we are monitoring this situation to track that possibility,” said Doug Seaton, president and founder of UMLC.
“We do know that the Mayor and the Council are often at loggerheads, and, because of our new lawsuit calling them to account for the City’s failure to comply with the Minnesota Supreme Court’s decision in the Spann case affirming our victory over police defunding, we hope they are able to get aligned on complying with that Court decision and the requirements of the City Charter,” he added. “They are still more than 100 short of the minimum legally required officer count!”
The Open Meeting Law, enacted in 1957, was created for transparency and accountability in government. The law generally requires meetings of public bodies to be open to the public, with a notice regarding the time and location of those meetings. Through this, it ensures that governmental decisions are made in public view rather than behind closed doors.
Longtime open government advocate Rich Neumeister also expressed concern about the coaching sessions in a June 8 X post.
“Secret un-noticed meetings [with a] quorum of council members and mayor violate Minnesota’s Open Meeting Law. Mixing relationship ‘make’ up [with] strategic planning or governance discussions is the public’s business!” Neumeister said.
In another post, he said it is “embarrassing” that the city needs a $1.4 million consultant to “teach adults ‘how to get along’ and set basic ground rules.”
It suggests Minneapolis “elected officials lack maturity or skills voters demand, but also expect!” he said.
As Seaton mentioned, the city’s decision to spend $1.4 million on a consultant also emerges amid continued discussion about police staffing levels. Following riots in 2020, the city has struggled to maintain the required number of peace officers.
Court filings in the UMLC’s latest lawsuit against the city say that it has fallen more than 100 officers below the minimum staffing levels defined by the Minneapolis City Charter.
And in that time, total crime rates have increased five percentage points, according to the lawsuit.
Alpha News reached out to the City of Minneapolis for comment but did not receive a response.
Rachael Van Rossum
Rachael Van Rossum is a journalist and author who studies political science in the Twin Cities. She previously interned with the Illinois House of Representatives and recently published her debut fantasy novel "The Hellburner of Sovi." Rachael is passionate about telling compelling stories and bringing to life the voices of political figures, athletes, and members of her community through engaging writing. She is the Alpha News journalism fellow for the summer of 2026.
