The race for District 5 on the Dakota County Board of Commissioners was narrowed to two during the state primary on Tuesday with the incumbent Liz Workman receiving 50.4% of the vote or 2,001 votes.
Ms. Workman faced off against three challengers, among them Kenyan-born businessman Yusuf Haji, who came in second with 994 votes (25.04).
The two will advance to the Nov. 5 general election to determine who will be District 5’s commissioner on the board. Incumbent Workman has represented the district since 2009.
The other two candidates in the race were Bruce Johnson, who received 619 votes (15.60%), and Phillip “Phil” M. Sterner who trailed with 355 votes (8.94%).
In an interview with Mshale before the election, Haji said one of his motivations for challenging Workman was to bring in voices of those currently not represented on the board.
Only 3,969 of the district’s 37,469 registered voters in its 17 precincts cast ballots on Tuesday.
It is Minnesota’s third largest county by population and the commissioners provide oversight for the county operating budget of $336 million (for 2024) for its almost 440, 000 residents. When you include capital improvements in the budget, total spending that they oversee comes to $514 million in the current budget year.
In a statement the morning after the election, Haji thanked supporters and expressed his “heartfelt gratitude for every voter who believed in our campaign.”
“As we look ahead to the general election, together we will address challenges we face and build a brighter future for all of Burnsville and our great county,” Haji said.
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About Tom Gitaa Gitaa, Editor-in-Chief
Born and raised in Kenya's coastal city of Mombasa, Tom is the Founder, Editor-in-Chief and Publisher of Mshale which has been reporting on the news and culture of African immigrants in the United States since 1995. He has a BA in Business from Metro State University and a Public Leadership Credential from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. He was the original host of Talking Drum, the signature current affairs show on the African Broadcasting Network (ABN-America), which was available nationwide in the United States via the Dish Network satellite service. On the show, he interviewed Nobel laureates such as 2004 Nobel Peace prize winner, Professor Wangari Maathai, the first woman from Africa to win the peace prize and heads of states. Tom has served and chaired various boards including Global Minnesota (formerly Minnesota International Center), the sixth largest World Affairs Council in the United States. He has previously served as the first Black President of the Board of Directors at Books for Africa. He also serves on the boards of New Vision Foundation and the Minnesota Multicultural Media Consortium. He has previously served two terms on the board of the United Nations Association. An avid runner, he retired from running full marathons after turning 50 and now only focuses on training for half marathons.
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