Race is on in Ward 11

In Ward 11 the incumbent council member, Emily Koski, is not seeking reelection. Jamison Whiting and Mariam DeMello have stepped up to replace her.

Whiting, an attorney in the city attorney’s office, formally started his campaign on Dec. 5, 2024, shortly after Koski announced she was stepping down to run for mayor (which she has since terminated). DeMello, a policy aide to St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter and a member of the Minneapolis Charter Commission, announced her campaign in March. 

They are both seeking the Democratic Farmer Labor (DFL) Party endorsement that could be determined at the party’s Ward 11 convention on Saturday, May 31 at Washburn High School. 

Party affiliation is not the only thing the two candidates have in common. 

 

Both were raised on the southside, attended city public schools, and went on to became attorneys who now work in city government. 

DeMello is the daughter of immigrants, a Palestinian father and a Syrian mother. She attended Hale, Field, and Southwest schools before becoming the first in her family to attend college. She received her law degree from Mitchell Hamline in 2018, and worked in the past for the Ramsey County and the city of Minneapolis. She currently works for the city of St. Paul in the mayor’s office, where she has been for the past five years. 

“In addition to my lived experience as a lifelong Minneapolis resident and the daughter of a low-income immigrant family, my professional background has uniquely prepared me to serve as a city council member,” said DeMello. “My entire career has been rooted in public service, with roles across the city of Minneapolis and St. Paul. I interned in regulatory services, worked for former Mayor R.T. Rybak, and held positions as a paralegal and law clerk in the Minneapolis City Attorney’s Office. Currently, I serve as an aide to St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter and am a proud member of the Minneapolis Charter Commission. These experiences have given me a deep understanding of local government, a strong commitment to equity, and a proven dedication to serving our communities.” 

Whiting was raised by his mother in a single parent household and attended Hale, Field, and Washburn schools. He received his law degree from the University of California, Irvine School of Law in 2021. Before joining the city attorney’s office in 2023, he served 10 months on the Minneapolis Civil Rights Commission and worked at the Faegre Drinker law firm for two years. 

“I have dedicated my career to driving meaningful change at the intersections of justice, reform, and Minneapolis progress particularly around what I believe is our city’s most important issue, improving our public safety ecosystem,” said Whiting.

 “After the murder of George Floyd, I was inspired to make a direct difference in public safety within the city, and I joined the Minneapolis City Attorney’s Office to work on implementing the DOJ consent decree and MDHR settlement agreement. Through this work, I have had the privilege of working alongside officers eager to be part of real reform, and with community members pushing for a Minneapolis Police Department that is well-trained, accountable, and rooted in service,” Whiting added.

They both live in the Hale neighborhood.

“I may be a little biased, but I truly believe our city’s lakes are its greatest asset, and Lake Nokomis is the best of them,” said Whiting. “What I love most about our ward, though, is that we are home to the best high school in the city, Go Millers. I have the privilege of volunteering as a football coach at Washburn High School, for both the men’s and now the women’s teams.” 

 “One of the things I love most about Ward 11 is our easy access to beautiful trails, green spaces, and waterways – like Lake Nokomis, Lake Hiawatha, and Minnehaha Creek,” said DeMello. “We’re also home to vibrant small business hubs, such as 48th and Chicago, that add so much character to our community. What makes this area even more meaningful to me is that my parents still live nearby in the house where I grew up, which keeps me deeply rooted and connected to the community I’m proud to call home.” 

 

In announcing his campaign Whiting said, “I believe that our city’s role is simple: to provide the mechanisms that empower our residents to live their best lives. To meet their needs so they can, in turn, give back to those around them.”

He identifies five priorities on his website: a strong public safety ecosystem, safe and affordable housing for all, thriving public schools, supporting local businesses and building sustainable robust public transportation.  

DeMello stresses the “need to keep the city livable through strong and sensible local governance and leadership” on her website and outlines four priorities: public safety, city services, housing, and supporting businesses.

DeMello thinks the current council and mayor are doing a good job of keeping people informed. “This commitment to communication is essential and worth continuing because transparency isn’t just good governance,” she said, “it’s what our community deserves when decisions are being made that affect our daily lives.”

Whiting identified work on public safety as one thing the current elected group is doing right. “I can confidently say our city has taken great strides forward in developing a public safety ecosystem grounded in justice, dignity, and, above all, safety for all residents,” 

He added,  “Our public safety ecosystem must evolve beyond traditional beliefs, and we must avoid binary thinking. A fully staffed and accountable police department is not mutually exclusive and is not only possible but required by both the settlement agreement and consent decree.”

The working relationships of the elected officials is something they would like to see improve.

“I wish that the city council and mayor’s office could do a better job of reaching across the aisle,” said DeMello. “Our city would be better served if the city council and mayor’s office could foster a more trusting, collaborative, and diplomatic relationship. In my professional experience, I’ve seen the powerful impact of intentional team-building and cross-functional collaboration training on organizational success. That’s why I strongly support the idea of city leadership investing time, energy, and interdepartmental resources into quarterly training sessions and group activities – facilitated by a credible, nonpartisan organization – focused on bridging ideological divides and strengthening their ability to govern effectively together.”

“I believe the current political climate at city hall has forced a move away from the foundational municipal basics that make Minneapolis such a great place to live,” said Whiting. “The relationship between certain factions of the council and the mayor has eroded over time and residents of Minneapolis are the ones that feel the brunt of those disagreements. Municipal governance should not be about choosing sides, it should be about delivering results. Most of our city’s biggest challenges, from public safety to housing and core service delivery, are not ideological. They are issues of strategy, accountability, and execution. Unfortunately, too much of our current discourse has become polarized, mirroring national politics in all the worst ways.”

 

A city council member is expected to make hundreds of decisions every month, some with significant and long-term consequences. 

Whiting said that “the ability to recognize the limits of your expertise and seek out the right input is essential to good decision-making.” 

He believes that city employees “are experts in their fields, and their input must be at the center of how we make decisions.” 

He said that he also knows “that no one person has or should be expected to know all things. That is why, in addition to relying on our internal city experts, I will always prioritize listening to residents of Ward 11. People know their neighborhoods, they live with the impact of the decisions of elected officials, so they should help shape those decisions.”      

“I take a rational, data-informed approach when faced with a difficult decision,” said DeMello. “I gather relevant information, evaluate the most feasible options, and carefully weigh the costs and benefits to determine the best possible outcome. I’m a strong proponent of strategic tools like SWOT (Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities and Threats) analysis, which help me anticipate potential impacts and make thoughtful, outcome-oriented choices.”  

 In November 2025, Minneapolis voters will elect 13 city council members, three at-large park board commissioners, six district park board commissioners, two members of the board of estimate and taxation and one mayor.