TED speaker Omar Ahmad died this morning of a heart attack in San Carlos, California, where he was the Mayor. A Mayor with a very open line to his constituents. In December 2009, when he pitched us what would become his short talk for TED University at TED2010, his suggested title was: “How to effectively lobby elected officials and move them on issues you care about.” Now, coming from an elected official, it could have been a quip, a wisecrack, a provocation — but it was in fact an invitation: an invitation to get involved, to learn about the political system and about raising issues properly, to “add weight to your views” in the eyes of politicians. In other words, Omar wanted everybody to contribute to a better polity.
Omar was close to completing a TED Book titled Citizen Advocate: How to Get Government to Move Mountains and Change the World just before his passing. We hope to release that work soon.
He will be badly missed.
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commented on Sep 5 2012
looking for the cc on this clip? where to find it? we thought all TED videos had access via quality captioning…thanks, ls/ccac
JD Schramm commented on Nov 25 2011
I have used the clip of Omar in teaching my students at Stanford the past year or so; I feel as though I know him…and now wish that I had. RIP.
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Nilofer Merchant commented on May 11 2011
Omar’s passion was contagious. I know I got infected by his love of government, and the idea that every day citizens could still influence outcomes. (The reason they don’t, he would say, is because we’ve stopped trying) He was working on a deep passion to bring high speed rail out in California, which was a difficult and contentious topic but he never stopped believing that it was a worthwhile pursuit.
Ellen Levy commented on May 11 2011
Omar was *so* excited about his TED Book… I do hope you can release it soon, and that it can serve as just one more reminder of his enthusiasm, insights, and commitment to serving others.
Adnan Shamsi commented on May 10 2011
I was privileged to know Omar after having first met him at the CAMP Leadership Summit in Princeton NJ where Omar delivered a fabulous, inspiring and personal keynote address – and I recall thinking to myself how Omar would make a marvelous speaker at TED. less than a year later he gave his own TED Talk. Omar will be sorely missed by the many whose lives he touched and the many more that have been inspired by his ideas, passions and talks. I’ll personally miss his frankness and his jovial ambience.
Suzie Katz commented on May 10 2011
I was so sad to hear about Omar’s passing. We’ve been friends for many years and he was one of my favorite people – smart, gutsy, interesting, and loyal. He and I were TED University Professors in the same session last year and supported one another. As Mayor of San Carlos he was excited to “get x#@*! done” in his words and was seriously considering running for higher office. He touched many of us and will be missed. He’d be happy to be remembered at the top of his game giving his TED University Talk. I’m glad to hear that TED Books is publishing his book and will be happy to share the news when it’s done.