Omar Fateh

Omar Fateh was born in Washington, D.C., and lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota.[2] Fateh graduated from Falls Church High School. He earned bachelor's and master's degrees in public administration from George Mason University. Fateh's career experience includes working as a campaign finance analyst for the Federal Election Commission and as an academic advisor with Northern Virginia Community College.[2][3]

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Video submitted to BallotpediaReleased November 30, 2024

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

My name is Omar Fateh – I’m a State Senator, husband, renter, son of Somali immigrants, and a long-time advocate for working people. I’m running for Mayor of Minneapolis to work with you to achieve the vibrant, loving city we know Minneapolis can be.

I currently serve as the Minnesota State Senator representing District 62, a seat I first won in 2020 and again in 2022. My terms in the Minnesota Legislature and my current mayoral campaign are the culmination of a life dedicated to improving the lives of my neighbors and fellow Minnesotans, informed by progressive values and strong community bonds.

My career in public service is defined by my belief that community members are experts on their own needs, and leaders must listen to them when developing policy. I have deep ties in our community and have worked on issues such as environmental and racial justice through restorative urban planning, including reparations to Black neighborhoods destroyed by highways. I will continue fighting for these initiatives as Mayor to ensure that Minneapolis becomes an equitable and welcoming city for all of its residents.

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?

1. Build a Minneapolis working people can afford to call home. This means:

-Raising the minimum wage to $20/hr by 2028.

-Passing rent stabilization while incentivizing new construction & tenant protections.

We deserve: A Mayor who stands with working people.2. Protect our City from Donald Trump. This means:

-MPD should not support ICE, whether it’s an Immigration raid or not.

-Stand up against Trump’s attacks on healthcare and bodily autonomy.

We deserve: A Mayor who won’t run from Trump, but will build the line of defense.3. Diversify our City’s public safety response. This means:

-We need to fund non-police programs like mental health responders, crisis teams, and youth programs: 47% of MPD calls don’t require an armed response.

-Fix the broken systems and clear the backlog of unsolved police cases.

We deserve: Care, not crackdowns. That’s true public safety.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

This campaign isn't about baby steps. It's about flipping the priorities. That is why I will:

-Build a Minneapolis working people can afford to call home

-Protect our City from Donald Trump

-Diversify our City's public safety response

What do you love most about your city?

From the streets to City Hall, Minneapolis is full of people who are ready to invest in long-term solutions that will bring security and stability to our communities. Minneapolis residents work hard for the city we love. We are City full of creative and caring residents that work hard and take care of each other. We deserve a Mayor that works as hard as we do.

From my first senate race in 2020, working in partnership with and being accountable to the community has been at the center of my campaigns and work. As a State Senator, I have worked in lock step with community members and leaders to fight for real, tangible changes for people in our city and state. This is reflected in my years-long work alongside Uber and Lyft drivers, pushing for raises and worker protections for all Uber and Lyft drivers in our state, despite facing vetoes from both the Governor and the Minneapolis Mayor. It is also reflected in my consistent presence and participation on picket lines, actions, and overall in the community.

As Mayor, I will continue to work in close partnership with community leaders and with residents of the City. I will make sure that leaders are brought to the decision-making table, I will hold public hearings and meetings ahead of every major decision the City has to make, and I will hold regular community hearings, forums, accountability sessions, meetings etc. throughout the city in areas that are easily accessible for everyone. We deserve a City that is accountable to us, and I know that the only way to achieve that is by working in lock step with the compassionate and creative residents of this city.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

All the endorsements I have received can be found here: https://www.fatehformayor.com/endorsements

What is an accomplishment that you are proud of?

In 2020, I won state-level office and became the first Somali American and the first Muslim to serve in the Minnesota Senate. I authored 54 bills during the 2021-2022 legislative session, including a bill to exempt fentanyl test strips from classification as drug paraphernalia, which passed and has resulted in increased overdose prevention.

After winning reelection in 2022, I was appointed chair of the Higher Education Committee, and vice-chair of the Human Services Committee. My most notable achievements during this term have been a higher-education bill proposing free public college for students from households that make less than $80,000/year, and serving as chief author of a bill to secure a minimum wage and worker protections for Uber and Lyft drivers.

Omar Fateh did not complete [the profile publisher]'s 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

Omar Fateh did not complete [the profile publisher]'s 2020 Candidate Connection survey.

Candidate website

Fateh's campaign website listed the following themes for 2015:

As an At-Large Member of the School Board, my primary goal would be to more responsively serve the actual members of the entire community—from students and their families to teachers and staff—and to meet all of their diverse needs. I would seek, in particular, to provide more substantive representation to the County’s under-served populations, including minority students, disadvantaged students, and students with special needs, among others. In doing this, I would hope to make the County’s Student Achievement Goals realities for each and every student.

In order to make this possible, I’ll have to focus on three main areas:

Expanding Community Engagement

Many members of the community are unaware of what the School Board is or who their representatives are on the Board. We must be sensitive to the fact that the families of our diverse county face different realities, which obligates the School Board to reach out to parents on their terms. By effectively communicating with parents, students, and teachers to better understand their specific needs, we will be better equipped to serve the whole of the County, including the traditionally underrepresented communities.

As a Board member, I will also make it a priority to tap into the area’s valuable resources to benefit our students and the community as a whole. I will work to expand public-private partnerships, improving relationships with civic organizations, community leaders, as well as the Board of Supervisors.

Addressing the Needs of the Full Range of Students

For far too long, our low-income and minority students have fallen victim to the achievement gap, often from as early as before kindergarten. The county’s African-American and Latino student populations continually score between 20 and 25 percentage points lower than their peers on Math and Science SOL tests. Even worse, in my time as a college academic advisor, I witnessed countless students—even those with advanced test scores—enter college unprepared, some finding themselves placed in remedial Math and English courses, as well as starting their academic careers unsure of their strengths, passions and potential paths. I will work to provide students the support and resources they need to be better prepared to succeed in today’s ever-globalizing, modernizing economy, identifying their interests and potential career paths in an all-out effort to close the achievement gap.

Equitably Managing the County’s Rapid Growth

Working within the constraints of our County’s budget, I’ll seek to ensure that all students are provided with the necessary environments in which to learn, the best possible resources, and the most-qualified and fairly compensated teachers. I’ll treat our students and their educations as an investment rather than an expense, working more collaboratively with the community and its leaders, including the Board of Supervisors, to fairly and fully address the most pressing needs. As a School Board Member, I will put students first, investing in early childhood education, providing additional resources to those students who are the most at risk to fall victim to the achievement gap, and providing a stable and safe environment in the face of overcrowding and cost-cutting.[7]

—Omar Fateh, (2015)[8]