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Dimple Ajmera

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Dimple Ajmera
Member of the Charlotte City Council
from the at-large district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 1, 2018
Member of the Charlotte City Council
from the 5th district
In office
January 1, 2017 – December 31, 2017
Preceded byJohn Autry
Succeeded byMatt Newton
Personal details
Born
Dimple Tansen Ajmera

(1986-09-02) September 2, 1986 (age 38)
Surat, Gujarat, India
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse
Vaibhav Bajaj
​
(m. 2018)​
EducationUniversity of Southern California (BS)

Dimple Tansen Ajmera is an American politician and Certified Public Accountant serving on the Charlotte City Council.[1] She has served on the Charlotte City Council since 2017.[2] Ajmera is the first Asian-American and youngest woman to ever hold this position.[3]

Early life

Dimple Tansen Ajmera was born in Surat, India. Her family immigrated to Los Angeles when she was 16 where she learned English.[4] Her parents relocated the family to Durham, North Carolina in 2003 where they found work at a motel.[5] After graduating from Southern High School, Ajmera Attended Chaffey Community College for an associate degree and transferred to the University of Southern California receiving a Bachelor of Science in Accounting in 2008.[6][7] Ajmera was employed by Deloitte & Touche LLP in Los Angeles.[8] She earned her CPA license in 2011.[5] Later, she was recruited to work for TIAA-CREF in North Carolina.[6] Ajmera left her her lucrative six-figure career in order to devote her full attention to a position and mission she valued – helping to make Charlotte a place where everyone has a chance to succeed and prosper, regardless of background or geography.[7]

Political career

In 2017, Ajmera was unanimously appointed to fill the remainder of Rep. John Autry's term in the City Council representing the 5th district.[9] Later in 2017, Ajmera successfully ran for an At-Large seat on the City Council.[10] She received endorsements from Harvey Gantt the first Black Mayor of Charlotte, and Hugh McColl former CEO of Bank of America.[11][12] At the beginning of her term, Ajmera focused on creating affordable housing and bringing economic opportunities in all parts of our city.[10]

During her tenure on city council, Ajmera played an integral role in securing the funding and neighborhood support for the St. John's Place affordable housing development.[13] She is widely known for expanding access to affordable housing, increasing local awareness on school safety, and bringing traction and economic opportunities to the 69-acre Eastland site, an area left undeveloped for years.[14] Ajmera is widely known for chairing the Environment Committee and helping Charlotte become a global leader in sustainability with bipartisan support.[14] The adoption of the Strategic Energy Action Plan (SEAP) is the city's first ever framework to transition to a low carbon future.[14] Within 24 hours of its passing, former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg visited Charlotte to announce a $2.5 million grant from his foundation towards Charlotte's efforts to fight climate change.[14]

For Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools, Ajmera advocated for funding ($4.6 million) to improve safety for students including hiring more mental health workers and training staff workers for mental health care.[15] In 2019, she successfully championed affordable health care for thousands of city employees.[16]

In 2019, Ajmera was re-elected to serve a second term on the Charlotte City Council.[14]

Later in 2019, Ajmera was recruited to run for North Carolina State Treasurer.[17] January and February polling in the North Carolina Democratic primary placed her as the frontrunner, though with 80% of voters still undecided.[18][19] Ajmera missed victory for the Democratic nomination by 1.6% of the vote in the March 3, 2020 Democratic primary.[20]

Electoral history

Democratic Primary for North Carolina Treasurer, 2020
Candidate % Votes
Ronnie Chatterji 35.8 408,346
Dimple Ajmera 34.0 387,616
Mathew Leatherman 30.2 345,044

[21]

Personal life

Dimple Ajmera is an American Politician and Certified Public Accountant serving on the Charlotte City Council [22] and a vegetarian. On July 23, 2018 she was engaged to Dr. Vaibhav Bajaj during a City Council meeting.[23] She married Dr. Vaibhav Bajaj, a dentist, in Charlotte, NC on November 4, 2018.[24]

References

  1. ^ Coleman, Dashiell. "What You Need To Know About Voting In 9th District Election, Charlotte Primary". WFAE 90.7. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
  2. ^ "'We Deserve a Fighter': Charlotte City Councilwoman Has Eye on State Treasurer Seat". Spectrum News. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
  3. ^ Alexander, Samantha. "13 Charlotteans who made us proud in 2017". Charlotte Agenda. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  4. ^ Harrison, Steve. "Shae came to the U.S. at 16 not speaking English. Now she's on the City Council". The Charlotte observer. The Charlotte Observer. Retrieved January 8, 2020.
  5. ^ a b Harrison, Steve. "Shae came to the U.S. at 16 not speakiing English. Now she's on the City Council". The Charlotte observer. The Charlotte Observer. Retrieved January 8, 2020.
  6. ^ a b Harrison, Steve (February 8, 2017). "She came to the U.S. at 16 not speaking English. Now she's on the City Council". The Charlotte Observer. Retrieved January 8, 2020.
  7. ^ a b "Dimple Tansen Ajmera At-Large Representative". City of Charlotte. City of Charlotte. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
  8. ^ "Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey 2019". 2019. Retrieved February 23, 2020.
  9. ^ Delia, Sarah. "Dimple Ajmera: Let Your Work Speak For You". WFAE 90.7. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
  10. ^ a b Pitkin, Ryan. "Young, Progressive Wave Rolls Over Charlotte City Council Elections". Creative Loafing Charlotte. Retrieved February 10, 2020.
  11. ^ "Endorsements". Dimple Ajmera. Dimple Ajmera for NC Treasurer. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  12. ^ Spanberg, Erik. "Hugh McColl makes a high profile political pitch in council race". The Charlotte Business Journal. Charlotte Business Journal. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
  13. ^ Olin, Matt. "City Councilmembers Ajmera, Bokhari, Egleston and Winston". Symmetry. Creative Mornings. Retrieved June 12, 2020.
  14. ^ a b c d e "At-Large City Council Member Dimple Ajmera". official Charlotte City Council website.
  15. ^ Tinoco, Stephanie. "Charlotte leaders discuss how to spend $4.6M on improving school safety". WSOCTV. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  16. ^ Becker, Mack. "Charlotte City Council noise ordinance change met with resistance". WSOCTV. Retrieved May 31, 2020.
  17. ^ "Charlotte Councilwoman announces she's running for NC State Treasurer". WSOC. December 12, 2019. Retrieved February 23, 2020.
  18. ^ "North Carolina Survey Results, January 10-12, 2020" (PDF). Public Policy Polling. Retrieved February 23, 2020.
  19. ^ "North Carolina Survey Results, February 4-5, 2020" (PDF). Public Policy Polling. Retrieved February 23, 2020.
  20. ^ "North Carolina Board of Elections". Retrieved July 3, 2020.
  21. ^ "North Carolina Board of Elections". North Carolina Board of Elections. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
  22. ^ "Licensee Details". NC State Board of Certified Public Accountant Examiners. Retrieved February 10, 2020.
  23. ^ "PIO city council member gets proposal during meeting". Deccan Herald. Press Trust of India, Washington.
  24. ^ Breeden, Erin. "Inside Councilwoman Dimple Ajmera's traditional/nontraditional wedding ceremony". The Charlotte Observer. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
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