Meet Abdihakim
"I am a father, engineer, and public servant who has built my life in St. Louis Park."
From Mogadishu to Minnesota
My wife and I are raising our daughter and two boys in St. Louis Park, a community I am proud to call home. I came to the United States in 2014 after a journey that began in Mogadishu, Somalia, continued through Lahore, Pakistan, and included professional experience in the United Arab Emirates.
I grew up in Mogadishu during the civil war that followed the collapse of Somalia's central government in 1991. I witnessed friends, neighbors, and strangers lose their lives to the brutality of urban conflict — an experience that continues to inform my dedication to securing communities and ensuring robust public safety. In 2003, I left Mogadishu to pursue my education abroad.
Before serving on the St. Louis Park School Board as the first Somali American member and a vice chair, I built a career in electrical and test engineering, telecommunications, and manufacturing. I attended the University of Engineering and Technology (UET) in Lahore, Pakistan, where I earned a BSc in Electrical Engineering, with a major in Electronics & Communication. While in college, I served as the President of Foreign Students, representing my peers and working with university leadership to address student concerns. I believe learning is a lifelong process, which is why I recently completed a Certificate in Community Organizing for Social Justice from the University of Michigan.
During my time abroad, I absorbed a variety of cultures and languages. I speak English, Somali, Arabic, Urdu, Hindi, and Punjabi, allowing me to connect with a diverse array of residents.
Before I was elected to the school board, I served on the St. Louis Park Police Advisory Commission, where I built relationships with officers and key community stakeholders. I worked on school district referendum campaigns in 2017 and 2019 and served on the St. Louis Park 2020 Census Complete Count Committee. In 2021, I was elected to the St. Louis Park School Board.
Public office is a public trust.
Most residents rarely think about county government. They shouldn’t have to. The county government should quietly manage public resources, protect essential services and deliver results.
But today, Hennepin County is facing a crisis of accountability.
Three controversies reveal one pattern: county leadership has lost its discipline, neglected its core responsibilities and forgotten that every public dollar belongs to the people.
Twelve years, three failures, one pattern.
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Pay Before Priorities
She voted to advance a 49% commissioner pay increase.
Campaign video Marion Greene voted to advance a proposal increasing commissioner salaries from $122,225 to $182,141 — a 49% increase — before righteous public outrage forced the board to withdraw it.
At a time when families are confronting rising costs and county services face growing financial pressure, Greene believed commissioners deserved substantially more from taxpayers. Disgraceful.
On the record Leadership should put residents before its own compensation.
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HCMC at the Edge
HCMC exhausted its cash reserves under her watch.
Campaign video Hennepin Healthcare lost money in seven of eight years before exhausting its cash reserves. When HCMC faced a $127 million budget gap in 2023, Greene opposed additional county oversight requirements and incorrectly asserted that adequate oversight already existed.
When the crisis hit, she seized control of hospital governance — even though she already contributed to bankrupting the hospital without direct authority over it. The last thing HCMC needed was further input from Marion Greene.
Marion Greene did not create every financial issue at HCMC. But after twelve years in office, she cannot claim authority over the institution while denying responsibility for its condition.
On the record Oversight means preventing a crisis, not explaining it afterward.
Sources
- Greene opposes additional oversight amid $127 million budget gap — Minnesota Star Tribune
- HCMC loses money in seven of eight years and faces growing deficit — KARE 11
- Records reveal budget turmoil as HCMC exhausted its reserves — Minnesota Star Tribune
- Official 2026 Hennepin Healthcare governance review — Hennepin County
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Public Safety Dismissed
She said she was “not willing” to fund the Sheriff’s Office to provide public safety.
During a public county meeting, Greene declared:
“I’m not willing to fund the sheriff to provide public safety for Hennepin County.”
More than forty police chiefs and mayors responded in an open letter that their communities rely upon essential services provided by the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office. Budget discipline is absolutely necessary, but dismissing the public-safety responsibilities of an entire elected office is not discipline. She refused an interview with KSTP to explain her comments, so let’s take her at her word: she places maximum value on funding her own salary but none on ensuring law enforcement is equipped to keep our streets safe.
On the record Public safety demands cooperation, seriousness and respect for the communities being served.
Why Abdihakim?
An Engineer’s Approach
As an engineer, I examine systems, identify root causes, measure whether solutions work and take responsibility for results. County government needs that same discipline.
Experience Grounded in Community
I am an immigrant, husband, St. Louis Park parent and former elected school board member. I have governed locally, worked across differences and remained accountable to my community.
Independent, Grassroots Leadership
I came to America believing public office is a public trust, not personal property. Apparently, Marion Greene never learned that lesson. Authority is temporarily entrusted by citizens and must continually be earned through positive outcomes.
District 3 deserves a new standard.
As commissioner, I will protect HCMC, support effective public safety, scrutinize county spending and demand measurable results before asking taxpayers for more.
It needs discipline, accountability and results.
That is why I am running.
Proven results on the School Board
Steered the district through a crisis when two board members and the superintendent departed unexpectedly, leading key appointments and a successful superintendent search.
Led a successful effort to approve no-school days for Yom Kippur and Eid.
Increased accountability and enrollment by demanding excellence across the district.
Added new voices to the board by creating a Student School Board Representative position.
Secured more funding by partnering with state legislators on budget increases and policy reforms.
Championed multilingual learners and families navigating the system, ensuring education is accessible.
Worked on school transportation policy and Equitable School Buildings.
Abdihakim also earned the Minnesota School Boards Association Leadership Development Award and recognition as a finalist for the St. Louis Park Human Rights Award.
In the community
