Read below for some of our top priorities

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Immigrant Safety &amp; ICE Accountability

Renters' Rights &amp; Housing Justice

Clean Water &amp; Environmental Justice

<h3>Fighting for Our Community</h3>These are some of the top priorities our campaign is focused on.

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The issues at the heart of this campaign are the everyday realities people in Ward 1 are living right now—housing that is increasingly out of reach, public safety that must be both effective and community-centered, youth who need real opportunities and support, and a local government that feels too distant from the people it serves. This campaign is rooted in the belief that Ward 1 deserves leadership that listens first, acts with urgency, and centers the voices of residents most impacted by city decisions. AJ’s approach is simple: show up, stay connected to the community, and focus on practical solutions that make daily life more affordable, safe, and equitable for everyone.

Our Campaign’s Top Issues

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<h2>Why I’m Running</h2><h3>AJ is running because he believes Ward 1 deserves leadership that is present, responsive, and grounded in the lived experiences of its residents.</h3>He has seen firsthand how decisions made at the local level impact families in real time—whether through housing affordability, access to resources, public safety, or the quality of public information during moments of crisis. During COVID-19 and beyond, he has watched communities step up for one another while too often navigating systems that feel distant or unresponsive. <img src="https://run.imgix.net/4c30eb33-d84d-4d90-9323-65a30e5dc51e/bfb5a437-2464-44c5-8e2e-26f5f7461750/bfb5a437-2464-44c5-8e2e-26f5f7461750.jpg?ixlib=js-3.8.0&amp;bri=0&amp;con=0&amp;sat=0&amp;high=0&amp;shad=0&amp;usm=0&amp;rect=0%2C1004%2C4000%2C4012&amp;w=1500" alt="" caption="" align="left" alignwidth="40" tiltdirection="left" variant="framed">This campaign is about changing that. It’s about making sure that we not only speak about residents, but also actively hear and include them in the decisions that shape their daily lives. AJ is stepping forward not as a career politician, but as a neighbor committed to listening, learning, and showing up consistently for Ward 1.

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Rooted in Community. Driven by Service. Leadership that shows up.

Ward 1 deserves better. Help make it happen.

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<h3>Contribute now to support our campaign!</h3>

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Abdilahi Jama (AJ) was born in Somalia and raised in Minneapolis by immigrant parents who came to this country in search of stability, opportunity, and a better future for their children. His upbringing was shaped by hard work, sacrifice, and a simple value: when you show up for your neighbors, you build something stronger together.He attended Spring Lake Park High School, where he began to see both the promise of his community and the gaps that too often hold it back. After graduating, he stayed close to home and began his college journey at Anoka-Ramsey Community College, balancing school, work, and community responsibilities. He is now a rising junior at the University of Minnesota.AJ is not a career politician. He’s a neighbor who stepped into public life because he saw too many people in his community being left out of decisions that directly affect their daily lives.During the COVID-19 pandemic, he watched essential workers in his community continue showing up while facing barriers to clear, culturally competent public health information and support. Since then, he has seen the same pattern persist: residents organizing, speaking up, and still not always being heard by the systems meant to serve them.Professionally, AJ works with the Tanzania Life Project, helping build clean water systems in rural communities. That work has shaped his understanding of leadership: that basic needs matter, systems should work for people, and accountability is not optional.He also serves as a DFL delegate and sits on the State Central Committee, giving him a firsthand view of how decisions are made—and how often everyday voices are left out of those spaces.AJ is 22 years old, Black, Muslim, and Somali-born. He represents a generation that is not waiting its turn but stepping up because the urgency of now demands it.He brings lived experience, deep community roots, and a commitment to listening, learning, and showing up consistently—not just during election season, but every day.Ward 1 is home. And AJ is running to make sure the people who live here feel seen, heard, and represented in every decision that shapes their lives.

Meet AJ

<h2>How to handle donations on your website</h2>Run does not process donations directly on our platform, as is standard with most political and advocacy sites.Campaigns are often required to comply with reporting requirements, donation limits, and other regulations, so using a donation processor that specializes in serving campaigns is generally a good idea. Sign up with a donation processor and then on your Pages sidebar, click the Link icon on the Donate page and add the link to your donation page. Some common options for donation processing include:<ul><li><a href="https://secure.actblue.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">ActBlue</a></li><li><a href="https://www.campaigndeputy.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Campaign Deputy</a> </li><li><a href="https://goodchange.app/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">GoodChange</a></li><li><a href="https://numero.ai/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Numero</a></li><li><a href="https://www.ngpvan.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">NGP VAN</a></li></ul>

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This campaign is powered by people—not politics as usual. Every conversation, every door knock, every phone call, and every dollar helps build a Ward 1 where residents feel seen, heard, and represented.If you believe in leadership that shows up, listens closely, and works alongside the community, there’s a place for you here. Sign up to volunteer, stay informed, or support the campaign—however you’re able to get involved makes a real difference.Together, we’re building a campaign rooted in community, driven by service, and focused on real change for Ward 1.

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Welcome to the campaign events hub! Whether you’re knocking doors, attending a coffee meet &amp; greet, making calls, or helping at community events, every moment makes a difference. Thank you for being part of this movement!

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AJ is running because he believes local government should reflect the people it serves—not sit above them.

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Make a plan to vote!

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<h2>June 26 – Aug 10, 2026</h2>

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<h2>August 11, </h2><h2>2026</h2>

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<h2>November 3rd, 2026</h2>

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When I walk down University Ave, I feel the weight of what this street has been through. I see the families who were here when ICE came to our neighborhood. I see kids who should be walking to school without fear.&nbsp;This is my street.&nbsp;I've lived here since 2018. And I'm running because nobody at city hall feels what I feel when they walk it.

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Where AJ stands on the issues facing Fridley Ward 1 — immigrant safety and ICE accountability, renter rights fairness, and clean water and environmental justice.

Issues | Abdilahi (AJ) Jama for Fridley Ward 1

Meet AJ in the community. See upcoming town halls, coffee chats, and campaign events for Abdilahi Jama "AJ" for Fridley City Council, Ward 1.

Events | Abdilahi Jama (AJ) for Fridley Ward 1

Born in Somalia, raised in Minnesota. Abdilahi Jama (AJ) is running for Fridley City Council, Ward 1—a community leader who shows up for his neighbors.

About Abdilahi Jama (AJ) | Fridley Ward 1

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Abdilahi Jama (AJ) is running for Fridley City Council, Ward 1. Rooted in community, driven by service — a young leader who shows up for the neighbors he represents.

Abdilahi Jama (AJ) for Fridley City Council, Ward 1

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Join the campaign to elect Abdilahi Jama (AJ) to Fridley City Council, Ward 1. Knock on doors, make calls, host a coffee—every hour helps win this race.

AJ for Fridley City Council — Ward 1

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Coffee Hour with AJ

Come Run with AJ

Come join AJ for the Fridley Fun Run during the Fridley 49er Days Parade celebration! Lace up your running shoes and be part of a vibrant, energetic community event as we celebrate Fridley together. Register on-site.

Walk through Ward 1 today and you'll see what makes this place worth fighting for. Apartment buildings full of families from East Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia. Parents working two jobs to give their kids something better. Neighbors who came here looking for safety and a chance to build, and stayed because somebody made it feel like home. That's not a side story about Ward 1. That is Ward 1.During Operation Metro Surge, our ward felt it. Masked agents stopped our neighbors outside grocery stores and restaurants. Our kids stayed home from school. Our families stopped going to work. Minneapolis banned ICE from staging on city property. Fridley stayed quiet. And while Ward 1 families were hiding in their apartments, the city was handing out grants to local businesses to install Flock license plate readers, the same surveillance network that investigations have found ICE quietly accessing through local police, thousands of times across the country, to track immigrants. I'm not running because I always wanted to be a politician. I'm running because this is my community, my family came here for the same reasons most of Ward 1 did, and I watched what Operation Metro Surge did to my neighbors. Nobody on the current council is going to fix it. End the camera grants. Pass a separation ordinance like Minneapolis. Stop pretending silence is neutral.Trust is not built with statements. It is built when families know that the person representing them actually understands what they are living through. That means a council member who shows up year round, not just during election season. I will host community events every three months so Ward 1 residents have a direct line to me — to ask questions, raise concerns, and hold me accountable. I will be in the neighborhood, talking to my neighbors and constituents, because that is what showing up actually looks like. When people feel seen by their government they engage with it. When they feel surveilled or ignored they disappear from it. Ward 1 deserves better than that.

During Operation Metro Surge, Ward 1 families were terrified to leave home. Kids were scared to go to school. That fear was real, and it was wrong.Minneapolis banned ICE from staging in city lots. Fridley should too. Ward 1 deserves a council member who says it plainly: you are safe here.

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I've been working on clean water access for communities that don't have it. Clean water isn't a side issue. It's what everything else depends on. Every family deserves that, including ours.Our city has three federal Superfund sites, places where toxic contamination was bad enough that the federal government had to step in. Two of them, the old FMC plant and the Naval Industrial Reserve Ordnance Plant, sit at 4800 East River Road, right on the Mississippi. The contamination got so bad that Minneapolis had to move its drinking water intake further down the river. TCE, a probable human carcinogen, was found in the groundwater at the Navy site in 1981. The cleanup pumps at FMC have been running since 1987. Both sites are still on the federal list. A third, Kurt Manufacturing, sits on Main Street. The contamination isn't only in Ward 1, but the river runs past all of us, and what's in our groundwater eventually becomes someone's drinking water.There's a Community Advisory Group that meets at City Hall to discuss these sites with the EPA. Almost nobody in Ward 1 has heard of it. Meetings are in English, with no outreach to the apartment buildings where most of our families live, no childcare, no translation. On the council, I'll push to fund community environmental health navigators, people trained on the Superfund sites and fluent in Somali, Spanish, and Hmong, to meet families where they are and help them understand what's in the ground, whether their home is in an affected zone, and what they can actually do about it. Forty years of cleanup is happening in our city, and the people who live closest to it know the least about it. That's the part a council member can change.Ward 1 also lacks tree canopy and green space in areas that need it most. Trees are not just aesthetic — they reduce heat, improve air quality, and make neighborhoods more livable. Blocks along University Avenue and Mississippi Street that are heavy on concrete and light on shade feel it every summer. I will push for a tree planting program that prioritizes the parts of Ward 1 that have been overlooked, and make sure green space investments actually reach the neighborhoods where families live, not just the ones that already look good on paper.

Ward 1 sits upstream of Minneapolis's entire drinking water supply. Two federal Superfund sites sit near the Mississippi — and most residents don't even know.Clean water isn't just a global issue. It starts right here. Ward 1 deserves a council member who treats it that way.

Ward 1 has more apartments than any other part of Fridley. We're working families, immigrants, neighbors paying rent every month and watching it go up every year. And right now, the city is too quiet about what renters' rights actually are.Fridley runs a rental licensing program. That's the council's job, not the state's, and it exists to make sure apartment buildings are safe, working, and decent for the people inside them. But too many renters in Ward 1 don't know the program exists, don't know how to file a complaint about broken heat or mold, and don't know what their landlord legally owes them. Minnesota has real tenant laws too. The right to a livable home. The right to your security deposit back. The right to fight an unfair eviction. None of that matters if you don't know about it.There's also money on the table. Minnesota has a Renter's Credit worth thousands of dollars that most Ward 1 renters never claim, usually because nobody walked them through it. The state already prints the materials in Somali, Spanish, and Hmong. Free tax-prep sites already operate across Anoka County. HOME Line, a free statewide tenant hotline, even has direct lines in our languages. The help is there. It just isn't reaching our apartment buildings.On the council, I'll push the city to do real tenant rights outreach in our buildings, in our languages. I'll work to make sure every renter in Ward 1 knows about HOME Line, and the free tax-prep sites already serving Anoka County. And I'll push for stronger enforcement of the rental licensing program so families aren't living with broken heat, mold, or landlords who think they can get away with it because nobody's watching.Ward 1 needs a council member who actually shows up for renters.

Most of Ward 1 rents. Apartment buildings, families, neighbors paying rent every month, and for most of them the city is quiet about what their rights are and what they're owed. I'll bring renter protections, tenant outreach, and the help that already exists straight to our buildings.Ward 1 needs a council member who actually shows up for renters.

Commons Park Grand Opening 

The Commons Park in Fridley, MN, will celebrate its grand opening during the Fridley '49er Days Festival on July 16–18, 2026, with the official ribbon-cutting on Saturday.

AJ files for Candidacy

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In-Person Coffee Hour with AJ

Join AJ for an In-Person Coffee Hour. Come share your ideas, ask questions, and discuss the issues that matter most to you and your family. Grab a cup of coffee and join the conversation.

Weekly Coffee Hour With AJ

Come Door Knock with AJ

Be part of history and join AJ for the campaign’s very first door knock before the official launch! Help us connect with neighbors, introduce AJ’s vision for Fridley Ward 1, and build momentum from the ground up. Whether you’re an experienced volunteer or brand new to campaigning, we’ll provide everything you need. Come ready to meet the community, have meaningful conversations, and kick off this movement together!

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Come Meet AJ

Come meet AJ, ask questions about the campaign, and share what matters most to you about Ward 1.

Join Me at the Fridley Lions '49er Days Parade

The route starts at the corner of 61st Ave and 7th Street.

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