CHAMPLIN, Minn. — As rain fell on Election Day, Samuel Mwangi found himself remembering something his mother used to tell him while he was growing up in Kenya: When it rains, good things are coming.
After two unsuccessful campaigns for the Champlin City Council and an unsuccessful bid for an appointment to the same seat earlier this year, Mwangi took the rain as a hopeful sign.
By Tuesday night, he had reason to celebrate.
Mwangi won the Nov. 3 special election for Champlin’s Ward 4 City Council seat with 1,178 votes, or 41.30%, defeating three opponents. Lorraine Coan, who was appointed to the vacant seat earlier this year, finished second with 990 votes, or 34.71%, according to unofficial election results.
“Thanks It’s Official- New Champlin City Council Ward 4 Member- it rained,” Mwangi wrote on Facebook after his victory. “Thanks for your support my community. God is Good.”
His victory also appears to mark a milestone in Kenyan American political representation.
Based on nearly three decades of reporting on African immigrant political participation in Minnesota, Mshale has found no previous record of a Kenyan-born person elected to a city council in the seven-county Twin Cities metropolitan area.
Check out: Mshale Black Ballot – Election results for Black candidates around Minnesota.
Mwangi may also be the first Kenyan-born person elected to a city council anywhere in Minnesota, although Mshale has not been able to independently establish that distinction across the state’s municipal election history.
In a Wednesday interview with Mshale, Mwangi said his mother, who lives in Kenya, had learned about the results before he had a chance to tell her.
“She got information already, even before me,” he said. “She was just like screaming. Just dancing and praying and saying, God is good.”
For Mwangi, the victory ended a long effort to win a seat on the council in the city where he has lived for nearly 25 years.
In 2020, he lost his first City Council race to Ryan Sabas, who is now Champlin’s mayor. Four years later, Mwangi came within 47 votes of defeating then-Ward 4 Councilmember Tim LaCroix.
When the Ward 4 seat became vacant in March, Mwangi applied for an interim appointment. The City Council instead selected Coan, who took office in April.
That decision set up an unusual contest in which Mwangi returned to the voters to seek the same seat he had unsuccessfully pursued through the appointment process.
In a September interview with Mshale, Mwangi said his repeated campaigns had helped build recognition among residents, some of whom were contacting him to request yard signs.
On Wednesday, he credited a more organized campaign, including direct-mail outreach, an effective campaign manager and small neighborhood gatherings, with helping him finally secure a victory.
He recalled residents gathering in his driveway during an August neighborhood event, not simply to discuss politics but to get to know one another.
The election also gave Mwangi an opportunity to revisit the council’s earlier decision to appoint Coan.
He said voters were looking for leaders with experience and a demonstrated commitment to community involvement, pointing to his nearly decade-long service on Champlin’s Environmental Resources Commission.
“I think that experience is what we’re looking for,” he said, arguing that residents want council members who will listen to them and create opportunities for public participation.
Mwangi’s criticism of the appointment process was a recurring theme during his campaign. In September, he told Mshale he believed his previous campaigns and civic involvement should have received greater consideration when the vacancy was filled.
Now, as he prepares to join the council, Mwangi said his immediate concern is bringing residents together.
“Our community is so divided, and my city is so divided,” he said.
He pointed to disagreements over local issues and political differences, saying he wants to create opportunities for residents with competing views to discuss their concerns.
“For me, I represent the new Champlin here,” Mwangi said. “This is an opportunity creating a pathway to bring these people together and talk about our issues in the community.”
He also wants the city’s increasingly diverse population to see itself reflected in community activities and public decision-making.
Mwangi suggested cultural celebrations featuring music, dance and food as one way to encourage residents from different backgrounds to participate more fully in civic life.
“Our city is becoming diverse,” he said. “We want these people to be given a space also to bring new ideas.”
He said even an annual celebration recognizing a community’s culture could help residents feel a stronger connection to Champlin.
“That person is going to feel, oh, this city is my city, I love this city,” he said.
Beyond cultural programming, Mwangi wants more residents to attend City Council meetings and speak directly to their elected representatives.
His victory gives him the opportunity to pursue those ideas from the council dais rather than as a candidate or volunteer commissioner.
Mwangi will serve the remainder of the Ward 4 term, which runs through Dec. 31, 2028.
Asked what he would say to the people who encouraged him through years of unsuccessful campaigns, Mwangi returned to the persistence that has defined his political journey.
“Don’t give up. Don’t give up,” he said. “I had my purpose and I have to keep my purpose burning.”
He acknowledged the criticism and setbacks he encountered along the way but said his determination to serve the community kept him running.
“I never gave up,” he said.
His message, particularly to young people, was that failure should not mean the end of an ambition.
“If you fail once, you drop down once, but you’re going to wake up again and do it again,” he said.
About Tom 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 board of 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.
- Web |
- More Posts(523)
(No Ratings Yet)
Loading...
