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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 accountant who has served on the Charlotte City Council since 2017.[1][2] Ajmera is the first Asian-American and youngest woman to ever hold this position.[3] In 2021, she became the second sitting Charlotte City Council member to give birth since the arrival of her daughter in 2021.[4] A member of the Democratic Party, Ajmera was a candidate for North Carolina State Treasurer in the 2020 election.

Early life and education

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Dimple Tansen Ajmera was born in Surat, India. With little means, Ajmera's parents immigrated to the U.S. to provide their children with greater opportunities.[5] Her parents relocated the family to Durham, North Carolina in 2003 where they found work at a motel.[6]

Ajmera graduated from Southern High School in Durham and attended the University of Southern California. Upon graduation, Ajmera was recruited by Deloitte & Touche LLP in Los Angeles, and earned her CPA license in 2011. [7][8] [9] Later, she was recruited to work for TIAA-CREF in North Carolina.[7] Ajmera stated that after the sudden passing of her father, she decided to leave the finance sector and work on the City Council.[10]

Career

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In 2017, Ajmera was unanimously appointed to fill the remainder of Rep. John Autry's term in the City Council representing the 5th district.[11] Later in 2017, Ajmera successfully ran for an At-Large seat on the City Council.[12] She received endorsements from Harvey Gantt the first Black Mayor of Charlotte, and Hugh McColl former CEO of Bank of America.[13][14]

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.[15] 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.[16] Ajmera is also known for chairing the Environment Committee and helping Charlotte become a global leader in sustainability with bipartisan support.[16] The adoption of the Strategic Energy Action Plan (SEAP) is the city's first ever framework to transition to a low carbon future.[16] 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.[16] She received the Blue Sky Award for Public Policy Work in 2019 by Clean Air Carolina, an advocacy group focused on air quality, climate change, and environmental justice in North Carolina.[17][18]

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.[19] In 2019, she successfully championed affordable health care for thousands of city employees.[20]

In 2019, Ajmera was re-elected to serve a second term on the Charlotte City Council.[16] Later in 2019, Ajmera was recruited to run for North Carolina State Treasurer.[21] January and February polling in the North Carolina Democratic primary placed her as the frontrunner, though with 80% of voters still undecided.[22][23] After running a 90-day statewide campaign for NC State Treasurer, Ajmera earned 387, 616 votes but missed victory for the Democratic nomination by 1.6% of the vote in the March 3, 2020 Democratic primary. Ajmera continues to serve as Charlotte City Councilwoman At Large.[24]

Personal life

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On July 23, 2018, she was proposed to by Vaibhav Bajaj after a City Council meeting.[25] She married Bajaj, a dentist, in Charlotte, NC on November 4, 2018.[26] She and her husband welcomed their first child, Charlotte Bajaj Ajmera, on June 26, 2021, naming her after the city they fell in love with.[4]

References

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  1. ^ Coleman, Dashiell (September 5, 2019). "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. ^ a b Kuznitz, Alison; Marusak, Joe (June 26, 2021). "Charlotte City Council member Dimple Ajmera, husband welcome baby daughter".
  5. ^ Harrison, Steve. "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.
  6. ^ Harrison, Steve. "Shae 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 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.
  8. ^ "Dimple Tansen Ajmera At-Large Representative". City of Charlotte. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
  9. ^ "Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey 2019". 2019. Retrieved February 23, 2020.
  10. ^ "Dimple Ajmera: Democrat for Charlotte City Council At-Large". Dimple Ajmera for Charlotte. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
  11. ^ Delia, Sarah (February 7, 2017). "Dimple Ajmera: Let Your Work Speak For You". WFAE 90.7. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
  12. ^ Pitkin, Ryan. "Young, Progressive Wave Rolls Over Charlotte City Council Elections". Creative Loafing Charlotte. Retrieved February 10, 2020.
  13. ^ "Endorsements". Dimple Ajmera. Dimple Ajmera for NC Treasurer. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  14. ^ Spanberg, Erik. "Hugh McColl makes a high profile political pitch in council race". The Charlotte Business Journal. Charlotte Business Journal. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
  15. ^ Olin, Matt (February 2019). "City Councilmembers Ajmera, Bokhari, Egleston and Winston". Symmetry. Creative Mornings. Retrieved June 12, 2020.
  16. ^ a b c d e "At-Large City Council Member Dimple Ajmera". official Charlotte City Council website.
  17. ^ Kumar, Arun (August 2, 2022). "Dimple Ajmera re-elected Charlotte City Councillor at-large - The American Bazaar".
  18. ^ "Our Story". CleanAIRE NC. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
  19. ^ Tinoco, Stephanie (July 20, 2018). "Charlotte leaders discuss how to spend $4.6M on improving school safety". WSOCTV. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  20. ^ Becker, Mack (June 25, 2019). "Charlotte City Council noise ordinance change met with resistance". WSOCTV. Retrieved May 31, 2020.
  21. ^ "Charlotte Councilwoman announces she's running for NC State Treasurer". WSOC. December 12, 2019. Retrieved February 23, 2020.
  22. ^ "North Carolina Survey Results, January 10-12, 2020" (PDF). Public Policy Polling. Retrieved February 23, 2020.
  23. ^ "North Carolina Survey Results, February 4-5, 2020" (PDF). Public Policy Polling. Retrieved February 23, 2020.
  24. ^ "North Carolina Board of Elections". Retrieved July 3, 2020.
  25. ^ "PIO city council member gets proposal during meeting". Deccan Herald. Press Trust of India, Washington.
  26. ^ Breeden, Erin. "Inside Councilwoman Dimple Ajmera's traditional/nontraditional wedding ceremony". The Charlotte Observer. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
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