Jamal Osman (politician)
American politician
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jamal Osman is an American politician. A member of Minnesota's Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party, has served in the Minneapolis City Council since his 2020 election, representing the 6th ward. Since 2026, he has been the council's vice president.[1] Ward 6 includes Cedar-Riverside, Elliot Park, Stevens Square, much of Phillips, and parts of Seward.[2]
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Jamal Osman | |
|---|---|
| |
| Vice President of the Minneapolis City Council | |
| Assumed office January 6, 2026 | |
| President | Elliott Payne |
| Preceded by | Aisha Chughtai |
| Member of the Minneapolis City Council from the 6th ward | |
| Assumed office August 28, 2020 | |
| Preceded by | Abdi Warsame |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1983 or 1984 (age 41–42) |
| Party | Democratic |
| Children | 5 |
| Website | Official website |
Early life
Osman was born in Somalia and was a refugee in Kenya before coming to the United States when he was 14.[3] After arriving in Minnesota, he lived in public housing.[4]
Career
Prior to his political career, Osman worked as a Resident Advocate for CommonBond Communities, a nonprofit affordable housing organization, where he assisted tenants and helped connect them with social services.[5] He also worked as a community organizer, focusing on issues such as housing, education, and social services within Minneapolis's East African community.[6]
Minneapolis City Council
Osman was first elected to the Minneapolis City Council in a special election on August 11, 2020, succeeding Abdi Warsame.[7] He was re-elected in 2021 and again in 2023. In the 2023 election, he won with 48.3% of the vote after the second round of ranked-choice voting tabulation.[8]In the 2025 election, Osman won re-election against challenger Mohamoud Hassan (DFL), winning 58.7% of the vote in the first round.[9]
In their first meeting in January 2026, the council elected Osman as vice president. He currently chairs the Business, Housing and Zoning committee.[1]
Personal life
Osman is Somali-American and was born in Somalia. He fled the civil war there as a child and grew up in refugee camps in Kenya before immigrating to the United States as a refugee.[10] He and his family live in the Phillips West neighborhood with their children.[11] As a teenager, he lived in public housing after arriving in Minnesota, an experience that he states inspired him to pursue a career in community service and helping others.[11]
Osman is married to Ilo Amba, the founder of the nonprofit organization Urban Advantage Services (UAS).[12] They have five children.[13] According to Osman, the family has resided in the Cedar Riverside neighborhood, but questions arose about his having had a Maplewood residential address during his 2020 campaign.[14]
In 2022, Osman apologized for making antisemitic and anti-gay comments that he made on Facebook between 2011 and 2013. His apology stated that the posts did not reflect his current beliefs and values.[15]
Feeding Our Future connection
On February 17, 2025, federal prosecutors presented evidence connecting Osman's former nonprofit, Stigma-Free International, to the large-scale fraud case centering Feeding Our Future.[16] Prosecutors alleged that Osman, his wife Ilo Amba, and two others, founded the nonprofit as a shell company before transferring it to others who were able to commit fraud under the nonprofit's name. Amba operated a Feeding Our Future food site, which received more than $450,000 in reimbursements from the program.[17][18][19] Neither Osman nor Amba has been charged with any crime.[20]
About a month after turning Stigma-Free over to new directors, Amba incorporated another nonprofit, Urban Advantage Center. Urban Advantage Center was shut down for civil violations in a settlement with state attorney general Keith Ellison, who alleged that Amba created a “sham” charity to enrich herself.[21]
Electoral history
Results
| 2025 Minneapolis City Council election, ward 6[9] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Round 1 | ||
| Votes | % | |||
| Democratic (DFL) | Jamal Osman (incumbent) | 4,164 | 58.78% | |
| Democratic (DFL) | Mohamoud Hassan | 2,837 | 40.05% | |
| Write-in | Write-ins | 83 | 1.17% | |
| Total active votes | 7,084 | 100.0% | ||
| 2023 Minneapolis City Council election, ward 6[8] | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Round 1 | Round 2 | ||||
| Votes | % | Transfer | Votes | % | |||
| Democratic (DFL) | Jamal Osman (incumbent) | 2,317 | 44.73% | +183 | 2,500 | 58.18% | |
| Democratic (DFL) | Kayseh Magan | 1,553 | 29.98% | +244 | 1,797 | 41.81% | |
| Democratic (DFL) | Tiger Worku | 1,127 | 21.76% | -1,120 | Eliminated | ||
| Republican | Guy Gaskin | 174 | 3.36% | -174 | Eliminated | ||
| Write-in | Write-ins | 9 | 0.17% | -9 | Eliminated | ||
| Total active votes | 5,180 | 100.00% | -883 | 4,297 | 82.95% | ||
| 2021 Minneapolis City Council election, ward 6[22] | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | % 1st Choice |
Round 1 | ||||
| Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party | Jamal Osman (incumbent) | 59.41% | 3,722 | ||||
| Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party | Abdirizak Bihi | 39.39% | 2,468 | ||||
| Write-in | N/A | 1.20% | 75 | ||||
| Total votes | 6,871 | ||||||
| Threshold | 3,436 | ||||||
| Turnout | 43.5% | 6,871 | |||||
| Source: Minneapolis Elections & Voter Services | |||||||
| Minneapolis City Council Ward 6 special election, 2020[23] | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Political party/principle | Candidate | Round 1 | % 1st Choice | Final round (Round 4) | Final round % | |
| DFL | Jamal Osman | 2,131 | 27.51 | 2,795 | 55.01% | |
| DFL | AJ Awed | 1,722 | 22.23 | 2,286 | 44.99% | |
| DFL | AK Hassan | 1,066 | 13.76 | Eliminated | ||
| DFL | Abdirizak Bihi | 1,002 | 12.94 | Eliminated | ||
| DFL | Michael P. Dougherty | 391 | 5.05 | Eliminated | ||
| DFL | Alex Palacios | 384 | 4.96 | Eliminated | ||
| DFL | Saciido Shaie | 333 | 4.30 | Eliminated | ||
| Exhausted | 2,665 | 34.40 | ||||
| Total active ballots | 7,746 | 100.0% | 5,081 | 65.60% | ||