Ameya Pawar facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ameya Pawar
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| Member of the Chicago City Council from the 47th ward |
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| In office May 16, 2011 – May 20, 2019 |
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| Preceded by | Eugene Schulter |
| Succeeded by | Matt Martin |
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| Born | April 22, 1980 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Education | Missouri Valley College (BA) Illinois Institute of Technology (MPA) University of Chicago (MS, MA) |
Ameya Pawar (born April 22, 1980) is an American politician. He used to be an alderman for the 47th ward in Chicago. An alderman is like a city council member who helps make decisions for a specific part of the city.
He was first elected in 2011 and won a second term in 2015. He won his second election with a very large number of votes. Ameya Pawar is important because he was the first person of Indian American and Asian American background to serve on the Chicago City Council.
He also tried to become the Governor of Illinois in 2018 but stopped his campaign. Later, he ran for City Treasurer of Chicago in 2019 but did not win.
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Early Life and Work
Ameya Pawar was the alderman for Chicago's 47th Ward. He was the first Asian and Indian American to be elected to the Chicago City Council. After leaving his job as alderman, he started working on ideas to help people.
He is now a senior fellow at the Economic Security Project. He works on ideas like "guaranteed income" and "public options," which means finding ways to make sure everyone has enough money and access to important services. He also works with the Open Society Foundations to explore public banking.
While he was an alderman, Ameya Pawar worked hard for social justice and worker rights. He helped pass laws in Chicago that made a big difference. These laws included raising the minimum wage to $13 per hour. He also helped make sure workers got paid sick leave. He worked to stop wage theft and protect housing for people who needed it most.
Ameya Pawar has also been recognized for his work. He was named one of Crain's Chicago "40 under 40" in 2011. He also led a group called the Chicago Resilient Families Task Force. This group looked into starting a city program to give people a guaranteed income.
Chicago City Council
The 47th Ward, which Ameya Pawar represented, was where the mayor at the time, Rahm Emanuel, lived. This meant the mayor was one of Pawar's own neighbors and voters!
Important Laws
In 2018, Ameya Pawar suggested a new idea for Chicago. He wanted to try out a "Universal Basic Income" (UBI) program. This means giving everyone a regular amount of money, no matter what their job situation is. He was chosen to lead a special group to study this idea. This group also looked at ways to help people with their taxes and other support.
2019 City Treasurer Campaign
In 2018, Ameya Pawar decided to run for Chicago Treasurer. The City Treasurer is in charge of managing the city's money. He thought about running for mayor first but chose the treasurer position instead.
In the election, he got a lot of votes, but not enough to win right away. This led to a second election, called a "runoff," against another candidate. Ameya Pawar lost the runoff election.
One of his main ideas during the campaign was to create a "municipal public bank." This would be a bank run by the city itself, which could help local businesses and projects.
Other Activities
In 2011, the Governor of Illinois, Pat Quinn, asked Ameya Pawar to join the Illinois Innovation Council. This council works on new ideas for the state. He was the only elected official on this council. Later, in 2013, Governor Quinn also appointed him to a council focused on jobs for Asian Americans.
Ameya Pawar also supported President Barack Obama's campaign in 2012.
When he was running for office, he created an iPhone app called Chicago Works. This app let people in Chicago easily ask the city for help with things like fixing potholes or reporting problems.
As of 2023, Ameya Pawar continues to work as a senior advisor for the Economic Security Project. This is a group that works to improve financial security for people.
