Nicole Frethem

This page was current at the end of the official's last term in office covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Nicole Frethem

Nonpartisan

Prior offices

Ramsey County Board of Commissioners District 1

Successor: Tara Jebens-Singh

Predecessor: Blake Huffman

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Report an officeholder change

Education

Bachelor's

Hamline University, 2005

Graduate

Concordia University, 2009

Personal

Birthplace

St. Louis Park, Minn.

Religion

Unitarian Universalist

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

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Campaign Instagram

Nicole Frethem was a member of the Ramsey County Board of Commissioners in Minnesota, representing District 1. She assumed office on November 20, 2019. She left office on January 4, 2025.

Frethem ran for re-election to the Ramsey County Board of Commissioners to represent District 1 in Minnesota. She won in the general election on November 3, 2020.

Frethem completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Frethem was born in Saint Louis Park, Minnesota. She earned a bachelor's degree from Hamline University in 2005 and a master's degree from Concordia University in 2009. Her career experience includes working as a supervisor of the Child Care Assistance Program for the Minnesota Department of Human Services. She previously served as a policy analyst and specialist prior to her promotion as supervisor. She has also worked as a child care center director, literacy coach, and adjunct faculty in the academic sector.

Elections

2020

See also: Municipal elections in Ramsey County, Minnesota (2020)

General election

General election for Ramsey County Board of Commissioners District 1

Incumbent Nicole Frethem defeated Dennis Dunnigan in the general election for Ramsey County Board of Commissioners District 1 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Nicole Frethem (Nonpartisan)	65.6	24,754
	Submit photo	Dennis Dunnigan (Nonpartisan)	33.9	12,777
		Other/Write-in votes	0.5	182

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 37,713
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Nonpartisan primary election

The primary election was canceled. Incumbent Nicole Frethem and Dennis Dunnigan advanced from the primary for Ramsey County Board of Commissioners District 1.

Endorsements

To view Frethem's endorsements in the 2020 election, please click here.

2019

See also: Municipal elections in Ramsey County, Minnesota (2019)

General election

Special general election for Ramsey County Board of Commissioners District 1

Nicole Frethem defeated Randy Jessup in the special general election for Ramsey County Board of Commissioners District 1 on November 5, 2019.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Nicole Frethem (Nonpartisan)	52.4	8,372
		Randy Jessup (Nonpartisan)	47.2	7,529
		Other/Write-in votes	0.4	62

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 15,963
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Nonpartisan primary election

Special nonpartisan primary for Ramsey County Board of Commissioners District 1

The following candidates ran in the special primary for Ramsey County Board of Commissioners District 1 on August 13, 2019.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Nicole Frethem (Nonpartisan)	41.1	1,762
✔		Randy Jessup (Nonpartisan)	34.4	1,475
	Submit photo	Marty Long (Nonpartisan)	9.3	398
	Submit photo	Mark Voss (Nonpartisan)	5.5	236
	Submit photo	Steve Scott (Nonpartisan)	4.1	176
	Submit photo	Nick Tamble (Nonpartisan)	2.8	120
	Submit photo	Jodi Hultgren (Nonpartisan)	1.6	70
	Submit photo	Bill Bergeron (Nonpartisan)	0.9	38
	Submit photo	Douglas Blomberg (Nonpartisan)	0.4	17

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 4,292
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Campaign themes

2020

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Nicole Frethem completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Frethem's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Nicole lives in Shoreview with her husband Stephen and their two children. Nicole was elected Ramsey County Commissioner for District 1 last November. On the board, she chairs the health and wellness service team committee and vice chairs the safety and justice service team committee. Currently, as part of the COVID-19 crisis response, she is chairing the financial implications subcommittee to educate, advocate and communicate the public and policy makers on how the pandemic is impacting local government budgets. As county commissioner, she serves on the boards of the Community Action Partnership of Ramsey and Washington county, the Metro Alliance for Healthy Families Home Visiting, the Joint Property Tax Advisory Committee, and the Metro Conservation District. Prior to elected office, Nicole was an early childhood educator, children's advocate, and childcare policy specialist for the state of Minnesota. Nicole has work experience in the public, private, and non-profit sectors. Nicole received her undergraduate degree from Hamline University, a master's in Early Childhood Education from Concordia University Saint Paul, studied public policy at the University of Saint Thomas and is currently pursuing a law degree at Mitchell Hamline School of Law. Nicole is a labor, DFL, and Women Winning endorsed candidate.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Nicole advocates for a science-based approach to addressing the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The economic recovery from the pandemic must be inclusive and sustainable ensuring that we lift up everyone.
• Community engagement is a key component of government leadership and must occur at all phases of project development. Engagement is an on-going conversation, not a one-way street.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

County government is where the "rubber meets the road" in terms of large-scale government investments in communities, families, and people. For these programs to work effectively, county leaders must understand their purpose and be passionate about delivering services efficiently and effectively to residents. In my experiences, working extensively with families with diverse and varied life experiences, socio-economic status, and racial and ethnic backgrounds, it became clear to me that our systems do not work for everyone. As a suburban resident, I recognize that the challenges families face may need different solutions to meet to overcome geographic barriers to county services. The areas of county government that I am most personally passionate about include effective human services delivery, criminal justice reform, and whole family approaches to breaking the cycle of poverty.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

So many people - from an early age I have found things to admire about many leaders in many fields including: Amelia Earhart, Gen. Colin Powell, Marie Curie, Hillary Clinton, Emma Thompson, Sir Patrick Stewart, Stacey Abrams, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Glennon Melton... Each found a way to lead and persevere in their own way, in their own field in a way that inspired me to forge my own path.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Honesty, integrity, transparency.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

The Berlin Wall coming down - I believe I was in third grade. I remember my teacher putting a paper wall in the middle of our classroom and trying to explain how different the living experience was on one side of the wall versus the other.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

My first paid job was a summer gig at the local Burger King. I worked as cashier because I wasn't old enough to prepare food. I only worked through the summer months as my parents needed my help during the school year to provide child care for my siblings while they worked and my mom went to school. It taught me a lot in terms of patience and efficiency, but mostly about kindness to people at all levels of the workforce.

Are there any little-known powers or responsibilities held by this office that you believe more people should be aware of?

As a board member, we also are appointed to serve an numerous other outside boards and committees. Our work goes far beyond Tuesday board meetings and internal management to representing the county more broadly across the state and country.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for holders of this office to have previous experience in government or politics?

I have found my experience in government to be very helpful in this position. Unlike other political offices where you are operating within a party caucus, for example, being on a board of commissioners is more collaborative - more like being on a board of an organization. Knowing the work of the organization, in this case a government, is extremely helpful to provide useful feedback, high-level policy guidance, and budgetary oversight. The political maneuvering that one may want to bring to this position is actually less helpful to the actual governance. Using this role to position yourself for higher office or to make a political statement will make you a less effective advocate for your constituency and could undermine the stability of the organization's leadership which is counterproductive to effective leadership.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

2019

Nicole Frethem did not complete Ballotpedia's 2019 Candidate Connection survey.

See also

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Candidate

Ramsey County Board of Commissioners District 1

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