In a recent story run in the Minnesota Daily titled "Who’s Who: Minneapolis city elections 2009," candidates running for mayor, Ward 2 and Ward 3 were profiled to give students and residents a better understanding of who they can choose from at the polls in November. However, because of lack of space, not every candidate was profiled, including an additional University of Minnesota graduate running for Ward 3, which represents the Marcy-Holmes neighborhood.

Allen Kathir

Party: DFL

Web: allenkathir.com

Background: Kathir, who graduated from the University in 2007, served as the President of the Mock Trial Association, Vice President of Tau Beta Pi and the Electrical Engineering Honor Society as a student at the University. Kathir is currently the co-chair of the Public Relations and Education Committee for the Minneapolis Commission on Civil Rights, and is still active in the University community as an adviser and coach to the Mock Trial Association. He also works as a risk consultant for FM Global, a property insurer that uses engineering analysis to help clients prevent and mitigate losses. 

Platform: Kathir’s main areas of focus during his campaign are creating resident participation and a sense of community, becoming energy efficient (he is running a 100 percent carbon-neutral campaign), supporting local businesses, preventing foreclosures and other housing issues and political and community interaction.