Sekou Sirleaf

My preparation comes from a combination of community leadership, ministry, and public service. For many years, I have worked closely with individuals and families, helping resolve challenges and bring people together around solutions. As a local pastor in the community and Chair of the Fargo Human Rights Commission, I’ve engaged with residents, community partners, and local leaders to address concerns and encourage dialogue. My professional background in operations management and my current graduate studies in Global Development Practice (Sustainable Development) also provide a practical understanding of systems and accountability. These experiences have taught me how to listen, collaborate, and make thoughtful decisions that serve the broader community.

My top three priorities are public safety, affordable housing, and responsible leadership. Public safety is essential because every resident deserves to feel secure in their neighborhood. Affordable housing is critical to ensuring that people who work in Fargo can continue to live here. Responsible leadership means managing resources wisely, communicating clearly, and working in partnership with the community. These priorities are interconnected and reflect what I consistently hear from residents across the city.

Fargo’s greatest opportunity is its continued growth, attracting new residents, businesses, and investment. If managed well, this growth can strengthen our economy and improve the quality of life. The challenge is to ensure that growth remains affordable and sustainable. Rising housing costs, infrastructure demands, and workforce needs must be addressed thoughtfully. The goal is to guide Fargo’s growth in a way that benefits all neighborhoods while maintaining the strong sense of community that makes Fargo a great place to live.

Supporting a strong business climate starts with creating a predictable, efficient, and responsive local environment. The city can help by streamlining processes, investing in infrastructure, and supporting local entrepreneurs. Incentives can be useful when they are targeted, transparent, and tied to measurable outcomes such as job creation and long-term investment. The focus should always be on ensuring that any incentive delivers clear value to the community while maintaining a level playing field for existing businesses.

The city plays an important role by supporting quality-of-life factors that attract and retain workers – housing availability, childcare access, safe neighborhoods, and strong community partnerships. We can also collaborate with employers, educational institutions, and training programs to strengthen the local talent pipeline. Workforce challenges require coordinated efforts, and the city can serve as a connector to bring partners together around shared solutions.

To meet housing demand, the city should focus on encouraging responsible development, reviewing zoning where appropriate, and supporting a mix of housing types. Streamlining permitting processes and working with developers can help reduce delays and costs. Public-private partnerships can also help increase housing supply. The goal is to expand market-rate housing while maintaining affordability and ensuring that development aligns with the needs of different neighborhoods.

Public safety is fundamental to a strong and thriving community. It supports economic growth, neighborhood stability, and overall quality of life. Strengthening public safety requires promoting values that promote strong families, neighborhoods, and communities, supporting law enforcement, investing in training and resources, and building strong relationships between officers and the community. Prevention also involves working with community partners to address underlying challenges in ways that help create safer neighborhoods over the long term.

I am open to thoughtful discussion on a ward-based system and believe the decision should ultimately reflect what best serves Fargo residents. The goal should be fair representation, accountability, and effective governance. Any change to the current system should be carefully evaluated with community input to ensure it improves responsiveness and maintains strong citywide leadership.