Graduating with a degree in government, he went on to attend law school at Villanova University. While at Villanova, Frey became a professional distance runner. After law school, Frey moved to Minneapolis to work as an employment discrimination and civil rights lawyer. Before entering politics, he was also a community organizer. Frey was elected to the Minneapolis City Council in , representing Ward 3. Serving only one term, he ran for mayor in , defeating incumbent Betsy Hodges. Frey grew up in Oakton, Virginia , a suburb of Washington, D.
His parents were both professional modern ballet dancers; his mother is of Russian-Jewish ancestry, and his father converted to Judaism. After graduation, Frey received a contract from a shoe company to run professionally. He ran in several marathons across the country and competed for Team USA in the Pan American Games marathon, finishing in fourth place. Frey has been active in community causes since moving to Minneapolis.
After a tornado struck North Minneapolis in , Frey provided legal services to tenants who lost their homes. In late , Frey ran in a special election for an open state senate seat and came in fifth in the party primary. The only candidate he finished ahead of had dropped out of the race before election day.
In , Frey founded and organized the first Big Gay Race, a 5K charity race to raise money for Minnesotans United for All Families, a political group organizing for marriage equality. Frey ran in the Minneapolis City Council election to represent Ward 3. He received the DemocraticβFarmerβLabor endorsement, as well as endorsements from more than 40 elected officials and organizations. As a City Council member, Frey focused on affordable housing, environmental policy, workplace regulations, and voting access.
He authored an amendment to the budget that increased funding for the city's Affordable Housing Trust Fund. In , Frey authored an ordinance requiring polluters to pay fees based on the amount of pollution they produce. The fees are used to support green business improvements.
