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Nadia Mohamed sworn in as Mayor of St. Louis Park, Minnesota

Standing before City Clerk Melissa Kennedy, Nadia Mohamed took the oath of office as Mayor of the St. Louis Park City Council. (Photo: Jeff Wheeler)

By Dennis Tarus | Wednesday, January 3, 2024

Her family migrated to Kenya after the civil war in Somalia, and she lived at the Kakuma refugee camp until she was 10.

Nadia Mohamed was on Tuesday sworn in by the St. Louis Park City Council as the city’s mayor.

Nadia is the first Somali-American mayor in the state. She also made history as the youngest person to be elected to St. Louis Park’s City Council in the city's 170-year history.

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The 27-year-old was elected as city mayor in November last year garnering nearly 59 per cent of votes beating Dale A. Anderson who got 41 per cent of votes.

She succeeds Jake Spano, who announced in March last year that he would not seek re-election. Spano had earlier endorsed Nadia as his successor.

It’s official! pic.twitter.com/jwActsjmvs
— Nadia Mohamed (@Nadia_Mohameds) January 3, 2024

“I am somebody from the community,” she said after her election.

“I want to include people’s voices and highlight their stories – as I would have wanted somebody to do for me – regardless of their skin colour and identity and religion.”

Nadia centred her campaign on increasing homeownership and community policing.

At just 23, Mohamed was elected in 2019 to serve on the St. Louis Park City Council, making her the youngest individual to hold the position.

Her family migrated to Kenya after the civil war in Somalia, and she lived in the Kakuma refugee camp until she was about 10 after which they moved to St. Louis Park.

Before politics, she also held a position at the Minnesota Department of Human Services as a diversity, equity, and inclusion specialist.

St. Louis Park is represented by Rep. Ilhan Omar, the first woman of colour elected to represent Minnesota and the first Somali American elected to Congress.