Sheila Nezhad
Sheila Nezhad (Democratic Party) ran for election for Mayor of Minneapolis in Minnesota. She lost in the general election on November 2, 2021.
Nezhad completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2021. Click here to read the survey answers.
Elections in Minneapolis are officially nonpartisan, but the Minneapolis City Charter allows mayoral and city council candidates to choose a party label to appear below their name on the official ballot. Ballotpedia includes candidates' party or principle to best reflect what voters will see on their ballot.[1]
Biography
Sheila Nezhad was born in Fargo, North Dakota. She earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Minnesota, Morris, in 2009 and a graduate degree from the University fo Minnesota, Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs, in 2012. Nezhad's career experience includes working as a policy organizer at Reclaim the Block and a crew member at the Ricardo Levins Morales Art Studio.[2]
Elections
2021
See also: Mayoral election in Minneapolis, Minnesota (2021)
General election
General election for Mayor of Minneapolis
The ranked-choice voting election was won by Jacob Frey in round 2 . The results of Round are displayed below. To see the results of other rounds, use the dropdown menu above to select a round and the table will update.
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Total votes: 143,974 |
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 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
Endorsements
To view Nezhad's endorsements in the 2021 election, please click here.
Campaign finance
Endorsements
This section lists noteworthy endorsements issued in this election, including those made by high-profile individuals and organizations, cross-party endorsements, and endorsements made by newspaper editorial boards. It also includes a bulleted list of links to official lists of endorsements for any candidates who published that information on their campaign websites. Please note that this list is not exhaustive. If you are aware of endorsements that should be included, please click here.
Click the links below to see endorsement lists published on candidate campaign websites, if available.
| Noteworthy endorsements | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Endorsement | Frey (D) | Knuth (D) | Nezhad (D) |
| Elected officials | |||
| Gov. Tim Walz (D) | ✔ | ||
| Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) | ✔ | ||
| Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.)[3] | ✔ | ✔ | |
| Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison (D) | ✔ | ||
| Minneapolis City Councilor Lisa Bender | ✔ | ||
| Minneapolis City Councilor Steve Fletcher (D) | ✔ | ||
| Minneapolis City Councilor Jeremy Schroeder (D) | ✔ | ||
| State Sen. Erin Murphy (D) | ✔ | ||
| Individuals | |||
| Former Minneapolis Mayor Sharon Sayles-Belton | ✔ | ||
| Former state Rep. Jean Wagenius (D) | ✔ | ||
| Organizations | |||
| AFSCME Council 5 | ✔ | ||
| IUPAT DC 82 | ✔ | ||
| Minneapolis Building and Construction Trades Council | ✔ | ||
| Minneapolis Firefighters Local 82 | ✔ | ||
| SEIU MN State Council | ✔ | ||
| Teamsters Joint Council 32 | ✔ | ||
| TakeAction MN | ✔ | ||
| MN 350 Action | ✔ | ||
| Minnesota DFL Environmental Caucus | ✔ | ||
| OutFront Minnesota Action (2nd rank choice) | ✔ | ||
| Sierra Club Minneapolis Political Committee | ✔ | ||
| OutFront Minnesota Action (1st rank choice) | ✔ | ||
| Run For Something 2021 | ✔ | ||
| Twin Cities DSA | ✔ | ||
Campaign themes
2021
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Sheila Nezhad completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2021. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Nezhad's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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I was born in Fargo to two teachers, my Persian immigrant father and Anishinaabe-Scandinavian mother. They instilled in me a love of public service and justice. I have spent over a decade working at the intersection of civil rights and public policy. Last year, I was out alongside the young people, parents, community elders, and faith leaders who were all demanding justice for George Floyd. In my work, I’ve trained hundreds of people on how to get involved in the city budget process and pushed the city to reinvest $8 million from the police budget into mental health services and violence prevention last fall. As mayor, I will invest the most in our safety and youth programming.
It takes policy knowledge and community connection to be an effective elected official, that’s why I am asking to be your #1 ranked choice for Mayor this November.
- We deserve to thrive, not just survive. That means affordable housing, rent stabilization, wage theft protections, and environmental justice including shutting down heavy industry polluters.
- Justice and safety are intertwined. That means establishing a new Department of Public safety, more resources for mental health, violence prevention, youth programming and youth jobs.
- Power comes from the people, and policy should too! That means $10M for participatory budgeting so community can have a real voice in how our money is spent, and policymaking that starts from the group up.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
Campaign website
Sheila Nezhad's campaign website stated the following.
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A Just Transition: A People’s Plan for MinneapolisThe term “Just Transition” came out of the climate and labor movements. It refers to a set of principles, processes, and practices to move from our extractive economy to a regenerative one. The organizers say, “The transition itself must be just and equitable; redressing past harms and creating new relationships of power for the future through reparations.” In Minneapolis, we get to choose what comes next. The pandemic and uprising taught us that we have collective power to build systems that work better to care for those who are most vulnerable. Just like we build wind turbines so we can shut down coal plants, we can build city government that treats Black lives as sacred, supports our ability to thrive, shares power, and finally gives everyone some peace. From corporate control to people power It’s time that our city builds policies and services that are led by and for all the people of Minneapolis, not just special interests that have the deepest pockets. We can chart a new course forward, expanding our democracy, protecting workers, and making reparations that are integral to a just transition. Decision-making everyone can join No initiative, no matter how sensible or strategic, will succeed if the community isn’t bought in. especially Black, brown, and Indigenous people at the table. My administration will focus on creating more access to City Hall and opportunities for communities to shape the policies that affect their lives - especially Black, brown and Indigenous community members.
Reparations and Restoration In order to repair the harm to our Black & Indigenous communities, we need Truth & Reparations. Our city was built on stolen land with stolen labor, and it’s time for justice, healing, and repair.
Protecting workers Workers deserve fair wages, safe workplaces, and protection from workplace exploitation.
From scarcity to abundance Abundance means we have enough for everyone, and no longer feed the systems that only offer housing, access, and self-determination for a few. Healing through public art
Housing with dignity The pandemic taught us that so much more is possible in housing than we had seen. We saw that empty hotels can become dignified shelter, unemployment benefits can actually be enough to survive on, we can stop eviction & utility shut offs, and organizing allows us to build power with our neighbors. Housing first policy Minneapolis needs culturally competent, stable housing services. Right now it is difficult to find appropriate shelter and transitional housing spaces that use harm reduction, allow people to live with their chosen family, or with their pets. That is why I support a housing-first policy model, including
Renters’ Rights Half of Minneapolis residents are renters, and 47% of renters spend more than a third of their income on housing. Rising rents are driving our city’s BIPOC residents into the suburbs, undermining the benefits of pro-density housing policy. We must create a city that is safe for renters and encourages tenants to lay down roots in their communities.
Revive Public Housing Public housing should remain a public good. Housing should not be treated as a source of profit for millionaires or corporations, but something that is a guaranteed right to every resident of our city.
Disability Justice 11% of Minneapolis Residents live with a disability. We must make sure that everybody has access to transportation, housing, and recreation, according to their own needs.
Programs, jobs, and stable housing for youth
From fear to safety COVID-19 taught us that in order to stay “safe,” we must act as a community. We saw wide-scale collective care: those who sewed masks, delivered groceries, and took action to protect our elders and most vulnerable literally saved lives. COVID-19 also made bright the flames of injustice in our criminal legal system. Hennepin County Jail stopped detaining people accused of low-level offenses, and cut the jail population by 26%, only booking those who were accused of hurting another person. Which made us wonder, why were we incarcerating all those people in the first place? In the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd, it became clear is that the people of Minneapolis are ready for change. Change that’s big enough to be meaningful can be scary. But like those who came before us who fought for the abolition of slavery, we have a mandate to fight for racial justice, equity, and for institutions that protect Black life from violence. We are changing the world together - and it’s time for city institutions to change with us. Building real public safety Past mayors, including Jacob Frey, have implemented dozens of police reforms in Minneapolis, such as body cameras, “community policing.” As of 2020, every officer had gone through anti-bias training. Despite that, the Minneapolis Police Department murdered George Floyd and is now under state and federal investigation for human rights abuses - abuses that many of you saw with your own eyes. Safe communities start with making sure everyone has a home, enough food, and kids have safe places to play, learn and grow. And when emergencies or harm happens, we need safe options to come help. New Department of Public Safety We must fund more safety options, not heavily armed law enforcement, and the most effective way to do that Pass the #Yes4Minneapolis Charter Amendment. Under our current charter, due to lobbying by the police federation in 1961 , we spend a third of our city budget on the police department. Affordable housing, health care, youth programs, and city services like roads and trash cleanup have to fight over what’s left. A new Department of Public Safety will have:
Craft community-led safety strategies Craft community-led safety strategies Like our predecessors who changed America’s government structure to abolish slavery, give women the right to vote, and pass gay marriage, we get to build government structures that expand protections of human rights and human life. And we have to make sure every voice is included as we build it! As mayor, I will push for a census-style community engagement program where we knock on every door in Minneapolis to learn what safety means to you. We will use those comprehensive results to develop neighborhood safety strategies based in racial justice. Stopping state violence Decriminalization It’s time for Minneapolis to decriminalize homelessness, drugs, drug use and sex work. As mayor, I will work with the city attorney towards decriminalization so we do not funnel more people into our already-bloated criminal legal system, nor continue to endanger residents through evictions, dangerous work conditions, or risk of overdose or HIV transmission. We can push back against the racist American criminal justice system starting with the city attorney through:
Don’t protect and bankroll police violence + surveillance As mayor, I will push for policies that:
Compassionate Protest Response
Addressing the core conditions that lead to violence & harm We build safety by housing people, ending poverty, supporting youth, and teaching healthy relationship skills and consent. We cannot punish our way out of violence. Most crime is not random: it happens because people don’t get their basic needs met. The research has already been done, and as mayor I will push for policies and resources that advance these five proven strategies to stop violence. From climate catastrophe to to community resilience In 2020, our community got in the practice of sharing food, supplies, and developing ways to drive less and spend more time outside. In the year since, gardens have been planted and mutual aid networks have continued on, planting seeds of a green future through local supply chains, fully-liveable neighborhoods, and a green economy. Green jobs Some of the fastest growing jobs in America are in renewable energy & healthcare. To create the same amount of energy, renewable energy jobs employ 2-5 times more people than fossil energy sources. Meanwhile, jobs where residents care for their neighbors, like nurses & youth workers, have low emissions and create more resilient communities. As Mayor I want to plant the seeds for a Green Future by creating a local economy where people earn a living caring for the planet and for each other.
Food access While most of the food we eat is produced outside of Minneapolis, there is still much we can do to reduce our food system’s impact and guarantee access to food as a right for all residents.
End environmental racism We must deindustrialize our Green Zones, so that BIPOC and working-class people have clean air and water. I lived next to the Roof Depot Site in 2018; the air pollution in East Phillips was so bad I had to keep my windows closed on the hottest days of summer. Some of our most diverse & low income neighborhoods have been subjected to the worst environmental pollution from a handful of industrial sites.
Invest in clean energy, divest from pipelines
Resilience & care economy Regardless of what challenges climate change creates for our city, we’re all going to take care of each other no matter what.
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See also
2021 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ City of Minneapolis, "Common questions about filing for office," accessed September 10, 2025
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on October 7, 2021
- ↑ Patch.com, "Rep. Ilhan Omar Announces Endorsements In Minneapolis Mayor Race," October 20, 2021
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
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