Making Progress in Our City

Here are just a few of the ways Columbia Heights has improved since I took office.

Smarter spending

The city has relieved the finance department by hiring a full time IT director. Immediate improvements include laptops, digital backups, and paperless systems. This smart decision is bringing our technology into the 21st century and preparing our systems to move into the new city hall.

Easier access to services

Utility billing has implemented automatic online payments. Notifications about snow emergencies, hydrant flushing, and other important information are now available by phone, text, or email via the city’s new CodeRED system. The city has hired a full time Community Engagement Specialist.

Modernized public safety

The city has received a grant to add a social worker to the police department. This new addition has been a resounding success in 2022, and we are working to add a second social worker in 2023. I have assembled a Rapid Response Team to make sure citizens will always have a way to safely assemble and protest if needed.

Healthier spaces

The city has now eliminated the sale of flavored tobacco products from stores where children can make purchases. Renters now have access to information and meetings that were previously limited to landlords. During the height of the pandemic, I worked to extend the mask mandate.

Thriving local businesses

I frequently visit and support local businesses and promote them on social media. Because of this, business owners have felt comfortable asking me to help them navigate difficult city matters, such as parking.

The American Dream

A uniformed person becomes a US citizen, holding an American flag and a naturalization certificate

Columbia Heights is one of the most diverse cities in Minnesota. Since taking office, I have helped two people become US citizens. This includes reuniting a family that was separated internationally. As Mayor, I have no power to make these changes. I simply saw opportunities to connect people with the resources they needed.

Strategic Thinking

The government was built to benefit some people more than others. We need more representative government and city staff, specifically more Black and brown people in these roles. Creating a balanced and just system is difficult and will take generations. I regularly meet with various cultural leaders, community groups, other elected officials of color for support and long-term strategies. If you want to represent your community in Columbia Heights, please contact me so I can help.

Columbia Heights mayor declares July 1 Somali American Day in the city

Endorsements

Visibly Committed

Happy to support Amáda for another term! I have lived in Columbia Heights for 30 years and in that time, I have never experienced a Mayor as visibly committed to the wellbeing of the community, its people, and its businesses as her. She has been such a positive change for Columbia Heights!
Lois Burnett
Columbia Heights Resident

A Proven Leader

Amáda Márquez Simula is a proven leader with vision and courage; two attributes we will need as we shore up our local economy, build a community that is welcoming to all, and face tough challenges of the future. I look forward to moving our communities in the right direction with a leader like Amáda Márquez Simula!
Mary Kunesh
Minnesota State Senator, District 39

Turning ideas into action

Amáda is one of the most perfect candidates we have for mayor. She’s smart. She’s competent. She cares, all for the right reasons. These are the things that are starting points. However, she also has this leadership ability and she’s proven it both in the job that she does in the city, the job she does in the school district, and personally with the job she does with HeightsNEXT. I’ve watched this woman take ideas and turn them into action and results. I’ve never seen that happen so many times before my very eyes. Everywhere she goes, she draws people in. She brings a passion to what she does. Whenever she sees something that needs to happen, she finds a way to get it done. This is exactly what we need in a mayor.
Carolyn Laine
Former Minnesota State Senator, District 41

Powerful Track Record

Amáda is an active and engaged leader in Columbia Heights who has a powerful track record of getting things done for the good of the community! She does so with passion, heart, and unmatched energy while inspiring those around her to join in. My 5-yr old remembers her dressed as Wonder Woman, and was excited when Amáda told her that she could be a leader someday, too. It’s not enough that Amáda cares deeply for all walks of life… she also takes action, and shows up with integrity. I’m proud of the way she inspires me and my children to have courage and compassion, and equally proud to support Amáda Marquez Simula for mayor.
Jessi LeClear Vachta
Columbia Heights Resident

LGBTQ-Endorsed

Stonewall DFL is proud to endorse Amáda Márquez Simulau003cbru003efor Mayor of Columbia Heights!u003cbru003eu0022Progress means removing barriers. My advocacy includes removing gender-specific language from all city documentation and delivering the first official proclamation of our annual PRIDE celebration. I am thrilled to continue working for equality for my city, my children, and the entire LGBTQ community.u0022
Stonewall DFL

A Bold Advocate

Women Winning is proud to endorse Amáda Márquez Simula for Mayor of Columbia Heights. Amáda is a dedicated organizer and leader who has spent years working on the issues that matter most to her community. She is a bold advocate for racial justice and has been on the front line in the fight for sustainability, women’s rights, and LGBTQ equality. As Mayor, Amáda will work tirelessly to ensure that her community thrives and is resilient, and that everyone is treated with dignity and respect.
Meggie Wittorf
Executive Director of Women Winning

Cares about Everybody

We have to bring in new leadership, and I feel like Amáda is that person; someone who cares about everybody, not certain people. She’s not going to be singling-out any community. She’s going to be representing everybody.
Abdirizak Adan
Columbia Heights Resident

You have our vote!

Thank you for your diligent effort and continuous involvement. We see you everywhere, and know how hard you work to build community. You are exactly what Columbia Heights needs. 
Kelly Lightner Beaman
Columbia Heights Resident

Labor-endorsed

Our local communities are the epicenter for the critical power building work that needs to happen in this moment. We are proud to support Amáda Márquez Simula as a labor-endorsed candidate.
Minneapolis Regional Labor Federation
AFL-CIO

Where No Mayor Has Gone Before

I wholeheartedly endorse my friend, Amada Marquez Simula for re-election as Mayor. Even though she is very busy in her personal life, she has found the time to reach out to many members of the Columbia Heights community. In that regard, she is one of the most approachable people on the City Council.u003cbru003eI also find her slogan: u0022Where no mayor has gone before,u0022 very appropriate since she has proactively done so much for the community.
J P Johnson
Resident