CARY, NC (TIP): Indian American information security professional Sarika Bansal faces a runoff in the race for a Cary Town Council seat in North Carolina as she just missed the 50% plus one majority needed to win outright.
In the Oct 10 election, Bansal and Rachel Jordan finished first and second in District D with 49% and 28% votes respectively, ahead of incumbent Ryan Eades in third position with 23%.
Jordan announced Friday she has asked for a runoff, the media reported. The runoff will take place on Election Day, Nov 7.
Cary is home to over 180,000 residents, and Asian Americans make up 20% of the population. District D consists of west Cary and parts of Chatham County.
The district was represented by Ya Liu before she resigned from the post to serve in the state House of Representatives. Eades was appointed in December 2022 to complete her term.
Bansal told the media she is ready and looking forward to the Nov 7 race. If elected, Bansal would be the first Indian American to serve on the town council. “The runoff election will allow constituents in District D to cast their votes again and choose the candidate who best represents their vision and aspirations,” Jordan’s campaign manager said in a statement. In August, Bansal found one of her campaign signs vandalized. Her head on the sign was seemingly scratched off and a photo of a Black person’s face was superimposed over it. The sign was found in the Highcroft Village neighborhood in West Cary in District D, where she is running.
An advocate for women’s rights and better mental health resources throughout the community. Bansal knows “the importance of community service,” her website says.
She’s also committed to making investments in our town for future generations. “I want to set an example for my daughter that anything is possible with dedication and hard work,” she says. “We should teach our kids to dream big because it is the first step towards achieving your goals.”
She also believes Cary’s future hinges on big ideas and leadership. “We must embrace our town’s potential. We must include more voices and citizen engagement so we can make strategic investments in our town that will benefit generations to come.”
Bansal moved to Cary in 2015 to pursue a career in cyber security. Five years ago, she and her husband Naresh Lunani started a small business called Raj Jewels.
Tag: Sarika Bansal
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Indian American information security professional Sarika Bansal faces runoff in Cary Town Council poll
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Indian-origin town council Sarika Bansal’s campaign sign defaced
CHARLOTTE, NC (TIP): The campaign sign of an Indian-origin woman running for a town council in the US state of North Carolina was vandalized, with a photo of a Black person’s face superimposed over her face, according to a media report. Sarika Bansal, the only person of color running for the Cary Town Council this year, found a campaign sign of hers defaced on Thursday, a report said.
Bansal was attending the town council’s regular meeting when she was informed that her campaign sign was found vandalized in the Highcroft Village neighborhood in West Cary, where she is contesting for the seat.
Bansal’s head was seemingly scratched off, and a photo of a Black person’s face was superimposed over her face on the sign, the newspaper reported on Friday.
She termed the incident “shocking” and said she was “truly saddened by the act of vandalism and racism” against her campaign.
“We must embrace diversity as a means of building strength and unity in our town. There is no place for bigotry and racism against people of color, brown or Black, in the Town of Cary,” she was quoted as saying.
In North Carolina, it is a class 3 misdemeanor for a person to steal, deface, vandalize or remove a political sign that is lawfully placed.
In a statement, Mayor Harold Weinbrecht said the town will do “everything we can to get to the bottom of this”.
“This racist, despicable act stands in stark opposition to the values we hold dear in Cary and will only serve to bring our community closer,” Weinbrecht said.
According to the report, Asian Americans make up 20 per cent of the 180,000-resident population in Cary.
“West Cary needs sustainable leadership,” Bansal said.
“Having diversity on the Town Council is going to help bring the change that we need today,” she added.
A small business owner and resident of Cary, Bansal started her business, Raj Jewels, in Morrisville five years ago. She has been active in local government in recent years.
In a statement on Friday, Bansal called on other candidates to “commit themselves to working for a Cary that accepts people of all backgrounds and color.”
Bansal is in a three-way race with current Councilman Ryan Eades and newcomer Rachel Jordan for the town’s District D seat.
If elected, Bansal would become the second woman of color and the first Indian American to serve on the town council.
Cary’s municipal election is on October 10, weeks before the county’s Election Day on November 7.