We deserve better, so I’m Taking It to 11!
Hi, I'm Mariam, and I am seeking the DFL endorsement to be the next Ward 11 Council Member. With my many years of public service, I want to provide sensible solutions to the challenges facing our city, such as underfunded law enforcement, aging infrastructure and affordable housing.
As a lifelong Minneapolis resident, I care deeply about the well-being of our city and our community members. This is why I have spent my entire working life in the public service. I currently represent you as an active member on the Minneapolis Charter Commission. For the past five years I have worked for Saint Paul Mayor, Melvin Carter. And hopefully, I will continue my career in public service as your next City Council Member.
Prior to working in the municipal sector, I earned my Law Degree from Mitchell Hamline. Through Law School, I clerked for the Ramsey County Attorney’s office, specifically the criminal division, and for the Minneapolis City Attorney’s Office in the civil division. Before I dove into law, I interned for Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak and other city departments through the Step-Up and Urban Scholar program.
My Priorities: Public Safety, City Services, Housing, and Supporting Businesses.
Public Safety
Ensure that law enforcement officers are thoroughly screened for personal biases, receive proper training, and are adequately staffed and funded.
Allow police to do their jobs while ensuring professionalism and accountability.
Increase diversity efforts in law enforcement recruitment.
Invest in after-school, youth, and mentorship programs, such as Step Up and Urban Scholars, to keep kids engaged and allow them to succeed. (I owe my success to these programs!)
Repair and maintain streetlights and other environmental design measures.
City Services
Making sure the city is managed efficiently and our tax dollars are used responsibly!
Employing qualified and talented city directors, managers, and skilled tradespeople.
Prioritizing Street maintenance and repair.
Ensuring Pedestrian safety and bike lanes that work for both cyclists and drivers.
Replacing aging infrastructure, such as older service lines.
Preserving high quality drinking water.
Housing
Increasing supply without changing the character of Minneapolis (the 2040 Plan is not panning out).
Improving our Neighborhoods without pricing existing or aging residents out of their homes.
Promoting home ownership through cooperative housing and rules on new development.
Implementing an informed and permanent solution to ending homelessness in our city and finding dignified housing for our unsheathed neighbors.
Ensuring that green spaces are not developed (we will never get them back otherwise).
Supporting Business
Ensuring viability of small businesses in Ward 11 and the city at large.
Sustaining and increasing Minneapolis small business support and programs.
Connecting business with grants and resources.
Review zoning, tax and other local polices that impact business development.
A City That Protects Its People
Beyond my qualifications, my desire to serve as your council member is deeply personal. Eighteen months ago, my best friend, Maleni, was nearly killed by a hit-and-run driver on Lyndale Avenue. She suffered a traumatic brain injury and, while she is slowly recovering, her life will never be the same. Maleni was a vibrant and active member of our community—she worked for TakeAction MN and held a prestigious role at Medtronic. Now, she lives with her parents and spends her days in a group home. Her tragedy has strengthened my commitment to making our streets safer for everyone.
Due to a lack of city resources, Maleni’s case was poorly investigated. Had it not been for her friends stepping in to investigate on their own, the driver would never have been identified. Even after the driver was found, they were never prosecuted.
As your council member, I want to ensure that our city properly invests in public safety, including concrete crime prevention, investigation, and meaningful police reform measures. No one should have to experience what Maleni and her loved ones have endured.
Rooted in Resilience
I was raised in a liberal, Christian, golden-rule household, the daughter of resilient immigrants—a Palestinian father and a Syrian mother. I’m a proud big sister and a lifelong Minneapolis resident. I attended Hale, Field, and Southwest High before becoming the first in my family to attend college, earning degrees from Hamline University and Mitchell Hamline School of Law.
I’m deeply connected to this community—I walk, bike, swim, run, and rollerblade around the lakes, and I box at MKG on Chicago Avenue. I love cooking, gardening, and caring for my home, family, and friends. Like so many of you, Ward 11 is my forever home, and we need to keep the city livable by having strong and sensible local governance and leadership.
