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Committee advances reappointment of Regulatory Services director amid staff concerns and split votes
Summary
The Minneapolis Housing & Zoning Committee voted 4–2 on July 22 to forward Mayor Frey’s nomination of Enrique Velasquez as director of Regulatory Services to the full City Council with a recommendation, after testimony on department results and an AFSCME staff letter raising morale and discipline concerns.
The Minneapolis Housing & Zoning Committee on July 22 advanced Mayor Jacob Frey’s reappointment of Enrique Velasquez as director of Regulatory Services to the full City Council with a committee recommendation.
Margaret Anderson Kelleher, the city operations officer, introduced the nomination and described measurable results under Velasquez’s leadership, saying the department “has embraced a culture of innovation, collaboration, constant and continuous improvement and learning,” and citing housing‑inspection actions, relocation assistance, homelessness response metrics and animal‑care outcomes.
Rico Morales, who represents the Hennepin County lived‑experience advisory group, testified in support, saying he has worked with Velasquez and urged the committee to continue the appointment.
Velasquez told the committee he has focused on expanding licensing and inspection coverage and strengthening homelessness outreach. He described gains including work that brought properties into compliance, more than $50,000 in relocation assistance to families and expanded engagement by the homelessness‑response team.
Several council members praised those results but raised concerns. Council member Jason Chavez read a letter and summary of an AFSCME Local 9 survey that reported mixed views of Velasquez’s leadership, including criticism of disciplinary practices and staff communication. Chavez asked Velasquez to respond to that feedback; Velasquez said he could not discuss personnel specifics but defended the department’s values of “transparency, integrity, continuous improvement, and holding people accountable.”
Vice Chair Chowdhury and Council member Chavez said they were not ready to support the reappointment at the committee meeting and voted against advancing the nomination with a recommendation. Other members, including Council member Rainville and Council member Warren, voiced support, citing the department’s outreach to partners and responsiveness to constituents.
After debate on whether to move the nomination forward with or without recommendation, the committee voted to advance the nomination with recommendation to the full council by a 4–2 margin. The full council will consider the nomination at its next meeting.
The committee discussion included requests for follow‑up conversations between council members and department leadership about workplace morale and enforcement strategies; council members who asked for more time said they intend those conversations before the full council vote.
