History is made. Abdi Warsame wins Minneapolis City Council seat

[Blessed]

All the best bro!

[Libaax-Sankataabte]

Here comes Amin Amir.

 

[Libaax-Sankataabte]

Somali professionals propel Warsame to top tier of money getters in race for Minneapolis City Council

By Tom Gitaa, Mshale

September 13, 2013

 

Abdi Warsame, seen here with his daughter, is the DFL endorsed candidate for City Council Ward 6 in Minneapolis. He is one of the top money raisers in Campaign Finance reports filed.

 

Cab drivers, IT workers and a host of the self-employed have catapulted Minneapolis City Council candidate Abdi Warsame to the top tier of candidates in the city in terms of fundraising. Should he win the election in November, he will be the city’s first Somali City Council member.

Somali-born Warsame is the endorsed Democratic Party (known as the DFL in Minnesota) candidate for the sixth Ward in Minneapolis after the incumbent Robert Lilligren withdrew from endorsement consideration at the DFL convention in the spring. Lilligren challenged the party’s endorsement of Warsame citing irregularities at the caucus but the State party upheld Warsame’s endorsement.

 

Warsame’s campaign filed its campaign finance report last week as required by law, and it shows for the reporting period in question (January 2013 to August 2013), his campaign raised a total of $11,700 from 45 individuals and total year to date revenues for the campaign totaled $24,835 against year to date expenses of $14,679. The campaign has a healthy cash balance of over $10,000. All donors to his campaign during this period gave a minimum of $200 with the majority giving $300 each.

 

Warsame’s main challenger, the incumbent Robert Lilligren, in the January-August period that the law requires filing for, had raised $9,250 from 39 individuals and year to date money raised amounted to $15,925 against expenses of $18,295. The campaign reported a cash balance of just over $10,000.

 

The law caps contribution limits at $500 per individual for Minneapolis mayoral races.

Warsame is not only proving adept at organizing the community to garner votes which resulted in winning the party endorsement, he is also proving equally successful at attracting money to finance the campaign. His cash haul, generated almost exclusively from within the East African community puts him at the near top in fundraising in all of the city’s 13 wards.

 

The cash haul signals the Somali community’s intent to put their money where their mouth is. They have become an important voting bloc in Minneapolis to ignore with some elections in the city becoming impossible for candidates to win without support from it. The sixth ward in Minneapolis which Warsame is vying to represent is a case in point with Somalis consisting of one of the largest voting blocks

 

Only two other candidates in all of the candidates running in Minneapolis’ 13 wards have more money at hand than Warsame. Both are veteran council members.

 

Campaign Finance law requires campaigns to indicate a contributor’s employer and for Warsame it runs the gamut. Contributors listed some of the state’s largest counties as their employers with professions ranging from IT, nutritionists and a sprinkling of professional managers with familiar Somali sounding names.

 

Warsame who has a Masters degree in International Business from Middlesex University in the United Kingdom where he grew up, has also attracted support from business owners in the Cedar-Riverside area, both Somali and non-Somali, who have given to his campaign.

 

© 2013 Mshale

[Khayr]

Looks like a politically savvy man.

Just one thing though, economic influence has the ultimate say in elections.

You have to have lobbyists endorsing you. Influential businesses need to endorse you.

 

Here is a basic principle: If you don't own your own homes or businesses, then you are have no equity/no money to claim as yours.

Therefor; no one needs fears your influence because you have very limited purchasing power.

You can't get a stop light put up on your block at any municipality without any clout.

 

Do you know some communities are so influential that the banks change their employees and signs to reflect that community.

Why? cause it makes business sense when you want money from people with equity.

[Reeyo]

I'd like to log an official complaint in-relation to the 'Vote Warsame' banner on top of the forum page.

 

Can you please remove it?

[Maqane]

Reeyo;979893 wrote:

I'd like to log an official complaint in-relation to the 'Vote Warsame' banner on top of the forum page.

 

Can you please remove it?

! I thought i was the only one

[Alpha Blondy]

 

our boy Warsame was in attendance at the 3rd anniversary of Somali Public Radio. kudos to you, abti. make em' proud.

 

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Minneapolis (SPR): Hundreds of Minnesotans gathered at Safari Banquet Hall in South Minneapolis to celebrate Somali Public Radio’s Third Anniversary. The ceremony brought together a diverse community of artists, community organizers along with political leaders and presented a mix of Somali music, poetry and literature.

 

Somali Public Radio is a public radio outlet based in Northeastern Somalia and in the twin cities, with over 5,000 local listeners. The outlet was created by Somali Americans over 3 years ago and serves as forum for exchange of thoughts, ideas and information. The initiative was drawn from the premise that development and democracy cannot thrive without open and free public space where all issues concerning people’s lives can be aired and debated and which gives room and opportunity for locals to participate in decision making.

 

“We need to find a voice, was the consensus that came out of those questions. Yes a voice, a voice so loud, a voice that can cross over national and social boundaries. A voice for your thoughts, a voice that you can listen to. That voice, my voice, your voice, our voice, Somali Public Radio is that voice,” stated Abdi Salah in the opening ceremony.

 

Giving further details on why the radio was instituted he added, “This ideas intention was to transform our community from apathy and isolation to awareness and active participation.”

 

Minneapolis City Council members Diane Hofstede, Meg Tuthil, Park Board President and Commissioner at Large John Erwin, Park Board Commissioner Scott Vreeland, DFL and Labor endorsed candidates Abdi Warsame, Jacob Fry and Park Board Commissioner at Large candidate Hashim Yonis, City Council Candidates Abdi Abdulle, Thy Moore, and Minnesota Secretary of state candidate Debra Hilstrom attended the ceremony. Mark Andrew, a Minneapolis mayoral candidate endorsed by Somali Public Radio’s editorial board was also among the attendees.

 

 

 

Somali Public Radio Staff recognized Somtv Siyad Said Salah in the ceremony for over 15 years of service to the Somali Community. He is one of the founders of Somali TV, a community local channel in the twin cities. Siyad voluntarily serves thousands of Somali speakers and helped produce education, social and environmental programs

 

The ceremony featured poetry, skits, song performances and standup comedy and presented a unique cross-cultural perspective, a combination of Somali traditional arts and American Hip-Hop. Celebrated Somali actors and stand-up comedians Happy Khalifah and Abdixakiin B.R were among the performers.

 

Young and talented Axzaab, Jaabir Jar-kabood and Somali music composer Barkhad were among some of the performers along with illustrious Somali singers Sahra Cumar Dhuule, Mahad Indha-deero and Dalmar Yare, one of the founders of Waayaha Cusub Band. Somali Rapper Young Yubi was also among the performers who all performed with excellence through D.J Gogetta’s musical moderation.

 

The night ended with joy; as it marked a communion of Somali arts, literature and music.

 

Video coming soon!

 

Photos:

 

 

 

 

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http://www.spr.fm/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=4891%3Ahundreds-of-minnesotans-celebrated-somali-public-radio%E2%80%99s-third-anniversary&Itemid=121

 

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[Libaax-Sankataabte]

Thanks for the update Alpha. The team is busy with absentee/early voting efforts.

[Tillamook]

I doubt he will win.

[Khadafi]

Wish the best for Abdi Warsame. He is a honest guy giving the somalis in Minneapolis a voice. Kudos for the guy

[Libaax-Sankataabte]

The election is Tuesday, November 5th.

 

The internals numbers coming our are very very promising. This momentum is clearly on Abdi Warsame's side. History will be made. Please go out and vote.

 

Follow the results right here after the polls close.

[Libaax-Sankataabte]

The election is Tuesday, November 5th.

 

The internal numbers coming our are very very promising. The momentum is clearly on Abdi Warsame's side. History will be made. Please go out and vote.

 

Follow the results right here after the polls close.

[Hawdian]

good Luck Abdi Warsame , qofkasto oo dheeg kujiraa haseeyo ninka dhalinya coodikisa.

 

 

 

note: America /yuurub waxan kunaxey minority ee jojiya isqabeybeysida oo haal nin tageera seeya.

 

Lets wait for thenumbers.

[Safferz]

Best of luck to Abdi Warsame during the election tomorrow, we're all rooting for him

[LayZie G.]

Sanka, are you rallying votes based on ethnic identity or policy issues?

 

If its the former, then you should be more transparent and disclose the full list of candidates in the ballot box, lastname and all.

 

After all, the candidates paid the same registration fee as your candidate, and the namesake of this thread.

 

 

For those that are not following the campaign for City Council in Minneapolis for Ward 6, the following candidates have their names on the ballot for Tuesday, November 5th, 2013:

 

 

1) Robert Lilligren (Incumbent)

 

2) Abdi Warsame (Sanka's choice of candidate)

 

3) Mahamed A Cali

 

4) Abdi Addow

 

5) Sheikh Abdul

 

6) Abukar Abdi

 

7) Abdulahi Mahamud Warsame (withdrew his candidacy shortly after the filing)

 

 

 

Source: http://vote.minneapolismn.gov; http://www.startribune.com/