Outgoing Edmonton Mayor Don Iveson is set to give his endorsement to the city’s former poet laureate in the race for Ward 3..Ahmed Ali, better known by the pseudonym Knowmadic, is a Somali-Canadian poet, writer, actor, musician, and youth activist along with being Edmonton’s former poet laureate..He is taking on Ward 3 incumbent Jon Dziadyk, who suggests he knows why he doesn’t have Iveson’s support..“I ran because I was tired of Iveson ignoring the North Side. I did the impossible and took out an incumbent, one of his lieutenants, and I think he’s still upset about that,” said Dziadyk..“For too long the suburbs have been excluded from decision making and Don wants councillors who will continue his downtown agenda.”. Ali from served from July 1, 2017, to June 30, 2019, as poet laureate..In 2017, he was runner-up for public school board trustee in Ward A in Edmonton..Ali was born November 28, 1984, in Mogadishu, to a nomadic father and a mother whose family were farmers. His family immigrated first to Italy in 1989, then to Canada..Ali is married and has two daughters..Other candidates in the riding include.Cody Bondarchuk,.Iannie Gerona,.Zain Hafiz and.Karen Principe..Dave Naylor is the News Editor of the Western Standard.dnaylor@westernstandardonline.com.Twitter.com/nobby7694
