I am a husband, father of four, educator, school leader, entrepreneur, and Rosemount resident. My family came to the United States from Somalia in 2000, and that journey taught me the value of democracy, opportunity, and community. My experience in education, leadership, and business has taught me how to listen, manage resources, solve problems, and work with people from different backgrounds. I am running to bring a practical, community-focused perspective to the City Council and to help ensure residents have a meaningful voice in Rosemount's future.
My top three priorities are no more data centers, accessible parks for all, and smart growth. I want Rosemount to carefully consider how major developments affect our neighborhoods, infrastructure, and future. I will advocate for parks that are safe, inclusive, and accessible to people of all abilities. Finally, I support responsible growth that plans for housing, roads, infrastructure, and city services while protecting the quality of life residents value.
I believe representation begins with listening. I will make myself accessible to residents, attend community events, meet with neighborhoods and local organizations, and create opportunities for people to share their concerns and ideas. I will work to engage residents who may not traditionally participate in city government and ensure that different perspectives are heard. Whether we agree or disagree, every Rosemount resident deserves respect and a voice in their city government.
Transparency begins with making information accessible and explaining decisions clearly. I will encourage residents to follow major projects and proposals before final decisions are made and support opportunities for meaningful public input. I will ask questions, explain my positions, and be accountable for my votes. Residents should be able to understand how and why important decisions are made, especially when they affect taxes, development, neighborhoods, and Rosemount's future.
I spent most of my life working in factories, stretching my dollars to make ends meet. I worked my way through college as a nontraditional student with a family, went on to law school, studied for and passed the bar exam, all with one goal: to help people. I am the best candidate for City Council because I base my leadership on these experiences. I know the struggle of the working people in Rosemount because I’ve been there. I know how to get things done in government because I know the law. Most importantly, I know that I will never stop fighting for Rosemount because I know what’s at stake – our community, our water, our environment, our future.
1. Restore transparency and accountability – I will work to ban future NDAs for developments and to ensure full accounting for city spending.
2. Protect our environment and natural resources – I will work to ban data centers, hold Meta accountable its existing data center's effects, and make our water quality a top priority.
3. Keep Rosemount enjoyable AND affordable – I will work to bring more retail, restaurants, entertainment, and affordable housing, and to stop your taxes from going up.
My husband and I have proudly raised adopted children of different ethnicities, backgrounds, and beliefs. Our family reflects our community's diversity. As a member of the council, I intend to be a visible representative that actively participates in the cultures that make up Rosemount’s diverse community. I look forward to fighting for the things that we have in common: our community, our environment, and our money.
I will spearhead an effort to make it official city policy that no official or employee may sign an NDA on behalf of the city or as a representative of the city for any future developments in Rosemount. If a project is good for the community, it shouldn’t have to be done in secret. I will also maintain an open-door policy with the community and establish routine times that I am available for in-person, drop-in meetings.
I have served on council for eight years and in that time, we have seen some very positive changes in Rosemount and 94% of our residents say Rosemount is a good or excellent place to live. My 33 years in financial leadership roles including many as CFO at various size organizations puts me in position to be a strong voice to keep our tax rates at the lowest 2-3 communities in all of Dakota County while investing in services and amenities that our residents are looking for. The current council looks to me for my strong financial acumen in our discussions. I also spent 9 years in real estate development, so I understand the development and entitlements process and when and how to get positive projects approved.
1- Public Safety – making necessary investments for our Police, Fire and Public Works to keep our residents safe and secure, 2- Economic Development – bringing businesses that our residents are looking for and that also increase our tax base to fund the amenities that our residents look for and expect in a community like Rosemount and continue to keep our property taxes at a low level. 3-Increase Resident Engagement. We keep hearing feedback about improving transparency with our decisions.
We need to continue to increase and improve the engagement with residents of our community. This will continue to be one of my priorities. Many want to be involved, give back, be kept aware of what's going on in Rosemount and have a say in the future of Rosemount. I want continue to be proactive and be engaged in dialogue with us. We currently have a number of listening sessions and I am heavily involved in community events where we get to interact with all residents.
I will continue to emphasize the importance of transparency with residents. We have more work to do regarding transparency. For all decisions we are contemplating, I will ensure that we have a solid plan in place and specific steps to communicate the facts and circumstances that are driving our decisions in our many modes of communication with residents. I believe that if residents are armed with all of the same information that we have, they would support more of our decisions.
Candidate response is not yet available.
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