Ameya Pawar
Ameya Pawar | |
---|---|
City of Chicago Alderman | |
Incumbent | |
Assumed office May 16, 2011 | |
Preceded by | Eugene Schulter |
Constituency | 47th Ward |
Personal details | |
Born | Chicago, Illinois | April 22, 1980
Political party | Democrat |
Residence | Chicago, Illinois |
Alma mater | University of Chicago, M.A., Social Service Administration (exp. 2011) University of Chicago, M.S., Threat & Response Management Illinois Institute of Technology, M.P.A., Public Administration Missouri Valley College, B.A., Religion & Philosophy |
Website | City of Chicago 47th Ward |
Ameya Pawar (born April 22, 1980) is a member of the Chicago City Council as Alderman of the 47th Ward of the City of Chicago. He was first elected in the 2011 municipal elections, and was elected to a second term on February 24th, 2015. Pawar's 2015 re-election was secured with over 82% of the vote, the largest margin in the election cycle. The large margin is attributed to Pawar's immense popularity; in 2014 Pawar was voted 'Best Alderman' by the Chicago Reader. Pawar is the first Indian American and Asian American in Chicago City Council history. He succeeded Eugene Schulter who had been the Alderman of the 47th Ward since 1975. Prior to his election, Pawar was on staff at Northwestern University in the Office of Emergency Management. At Northwestern, he was responsible for the development of a university-wide business continuity program.
While working at Northwestern, he and two of his classmates from the University of Chicago were awarded a contract from Taylor and Francis to write a textbook based on their work in emergency management. The textbook is based on a model Ameya developed with two of his classmates at the University of Chicago’s MSTRM program — the model is called Social Intelligence. Their work calls for the real-time aggregation of data to develop composite views of communities to better inform emergency preparedness, mitigation, response and recovery activities. Pawar and his co-authors have presented their work at annual Federal Emergency Management Agency conferences and other national conferences since 2008. He holds a M.S. in Threat and Response Management from the University of Chicago and a Master's degree in Public Administration from the Illinois Institute of Technology.
He is enrolled in a third master’s degree program at the University of Chicago in the school of Social Service Administration. In 2009, Ameya was a US State Department Scholar. In 2011, Pawar was named to the Crains Chicago Business 40 under 40 list. He was also recognized by the New Leaders Council as an emerging leader under 40 in 2011. In 2012, he was named an Edgar Fellow by the University of Illinois.
In 2011, Pawar was one of 200 invitees to the Google ORD camp. Ameya led one breakout session on Open 311, government data, and providing context to city issues.
Prior to taking office, he authored an opinion article published in the Chicago Sun-Times. This piece outlined the need for Chicago to attract manufacturing jobs through an industrial cluster initiative.[1]
In 2011, Gov. Patrick Quinn appointed Pawar to the Illinois Innovation Council. Pawar is the only elected official on this statewide council. In 2013, Gov. Patrick Quinn appointed Ald. Pawar to the Asian American Employment Plan Council.
Pawar was listed as a surrogate on the Obama 2012 campaign.
In his first year in office, Pawar has advanced the following projects:
- Lawrence Avenue Streetscape
- Lycee Francais development
- Bell Elementary Annex
- Cubs Park at Clark Park
- Coonley Elementary TIF allocation
- Ravenswood Station development
- Lake View High School TIF funding for STEM program
Pawar sponsored and passed the following city-wide legislation:
- Urban Agriculture
- Human Rights Ordinance - prohibiting employers from discriminating against job applicants' credit history or employment gaps
- Anti-wage theft Ordinance
- Licensure of Debt Collectors Ordinance
- City Council Office of Financial Analysis - the independent budget office
- Sweat Free Procurement
- Preservation of SRO Housing in Chicago
- TIF Accountability Ordinance
He is working on an Aldermanic Transition ordinance to ensure continuity of government after elections.
In December of 2012,Pawar introduced an ordinance creating an Office of Independent Budget Analysis.This proposal and major reform creates an office which would provide City Council with independent analysis of privatization efforts and the annual budget. New York City and Pittsburgh have similar offices. The ordinance was immediately sent to Rules Committee where it is currently buried. In August of 2013, Mayor Rahm Emanuel threw his support behind Pawar's budget office proposal and the proposal passed in December of 2013.
He co-authored an opinion article with Ald. Pat Dowell on Mayor Emanuel's Infrastructure Trust proposal. As a result of their opinion piece, the language in the legislation was changed.[2]
In April of 2013, Pawar introduced the TIF Accountability ordinance. This ordinance passed City Council in July of 2013. For the first time, Chicago will publish TIF promises versus what is finally delivered. According to Pawar, the TIF accountability ordinance is major TIF reform and will prevent companies from forcing Chicago into paying TIF subsidies.
While running for office, he created a 'first generation' Open 311 app named Chicago Works. This app enabled Chicago residents to make service requests from their iPhone. A new version of the Chicago Works app is available in the Apple app store. Chicago Works is the first app to connect directly into the City of Chicago's 311 system. It's the first app developed after the Open 311 announcement.
Pawar sits on Chicago's Open 311 Steering Committee.
In February of 2013, Pawar authored an op-ed titled, "Insure Guns to Ensure We Save Lives." This opinion piece was published by the Chicago Tribune. In it, Pawar argues for the requirement of gun liability insurance in order to own a gun. Pawar argues that gun liability insurance would curb straw purchases.
Committee assignments
Alderman Pawar serves on the following committees in the Chicago City Council:
- Public Safety
- Economic, Capital and Technology Development
- Zoning, Landmarks and Buildings Standards
- Special Events, Cultural Affairs and Recreation
- Committees, Rules and Ethics
Appointments
Alderman Pawar was appointed to the Illinois Innovation Council by Illinois Governor Pat Quinn in 2011
External links
- City of Chicago - Ward 47 Official Website
- City of Chicago - Ward 47 Info
- City of Chicago - Ward 47 Map
- Illinois Innovation Council
- How Ameya Pawar Bowled Over 47th Ward - Chicago Reader
- Unlikely Alderman Is Helped by an Unlikely Ally - New York Times
- The Biggest Upset of the Chicago Elections - The Huffington Post
- In 47th Ward, a long-shot outsider relishes his victory - Chicago Tribune
- Change Comes to the City Council - Chicago News Cooperative
- 47th Ward voters buck establishment - Chicago Sun-Times
- 47th Ward Winner Will Be First Indian-American Alderman - CBS
- Pawar’s surprise win in 47th Ward - Chicago Sun-Times
- The Fighting 47th Is Dead - NBC
- City’s first Asian American alderman glad to have ‘seat at the table’ - Chicago Sun-Times
- Meet 4 Winners in Chicago’s Aldermanic Races - Chicago Tonight | WTTW
- Major Overhaul of Chicago City Council After Election - Yahoo News
- Runoffs for Aldermen Pose First Test for Emanuel in Dealings With Council - New York Times
- First Indian American elected to City Council - ABC
Politics Tonight - Ameya Pawar and Will Burns - CLTV|WGN:
- Part 1
- Part 2
- Part 3
- Part 4
- The Talk: Meet Ald. Ameya Pawar - NBC
- FOX Chicago Sunday: Alderman-Elect Ameya Pawar - FOX
- Fresh faces in Chicago - Chicago Tribune
- Candidate Creates App to Connect Residents, City - NBC
- What this election has taught us - Chicago Sun-Times
- High-caliber candidates for Council - Chicago Sun-Times
- Ameya Pawar: Alderman of the People - Chicago Tonight | WTTW