ST. CLOUD, Minn. — History was made Monday after the St. Cloud City Council voted unanimously to appoint Hudda Ibrahim to a vacant seat.

Ibrahim is the first Somali American to be appointed to the council.

The vote was held near the end of the almost four-hour meeting, but supporters remained till the end.

After the six ballots were read by St. Cloud City Clerk Seth Kauffman, the majority of the audience stood up and clapped their hands in support.

Ibrahim will now serve as the Ward 3 representative for the next two years.

“This has been something due for a long time, and Hudda, to be able to unite this entire council on the first ballot is very significant, it shows a lot about your candidacy,” outgoing Mayor Dave Kleis told Ibrahim before swearing her in to the council.

She fills a vacancy left by former Council Member Jake Anderson, who was elected mayor on Nov. 5 to succeed Kleis, who’s retiring after nearly 20 years in the post.

Ibrahim said the vote spoke about the importance of her appointment to the City Council.

“I’m really excited for our city, because if you look at the data right now, 30% of St. Cloud residents happen to be young people, people of color,” she said. “But I’m not just a person of color. I’m also competent and qualified for this, I’m a leader.

“It’s important to have young leaders who do embody those different cultures and identities, However, I have the qualifications,” she said.

Her qualifications include a doctorate in education from St. Mary’s University, a master’s degree in conflict resolution from the University of Notre Dame and a bachelor of arts from the College of St. Benedict.

Ibrahim has taught at St. Cloud Technical and Community College, served as executive director of OneCommunity Alliance, and been a board member on the St. Cloud Area Chamber of Commerce and Anna Marie’s Alliance. She also is the founder and president of Filsan Talent Partners, a workplace diversity consultancy.

Ibrahim ran for an at-large council position during the 2024 election. She received the highest share of votes among 16 candidates in the primary but fell short in the general election.

She said one of her priorities during her candidacy was public safety — something she will continue to advocate for, she told the council during a 15-minute interview session before the normal meeting.

Ibrahim also stressed the importance of housing and economic development.

“I want to work with everyone so that we can address those issues, those critical issues that we need to address moving forward,” she said.