Dimple Ajmera Seeks Another At-Large Term, Balances Budgets and Housing Goals
Dimple Ajmera, the certified public accountant who rose from an immigrant childhood in Durham to become one of Charlotte’s most visible local officials, is seeking another At-Large term on City Council in 2025. She enters a crowded Democratic primary where four incumbents, including Ajmera, face five challengers for just four spots on the November ballot.
The primary is scheduled for September 9, with early voting running August 21–September 6. Whoever advances will face Republican contenders Misun Kim and Edwin Peacock III in the general election on November 4.
Biography and Early Career
Ajmera was born in Surat, India, and immigrated to the U.S. with her family at age 16. She learned English as a high school student in Durham, graduated from Southern High, and earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Southern California in 2008. After passing her CPA exam in 2011, she built a professional career at Deloitte and later at TIAA-CREF.
Her personal story — working minimum-wage jobs to pay for college, cleaning hotel rooms, and later becoming a finance professional — forms the backbone of her political appeal. Today she is married and raising two daughters in Charlotte.
Entry Into Public Service
Ajmera first served on the Charlotte Housing Authority Board and became active in local Democratic organizations before being appointed to represent District 5 on City Council in 2017. At the time, she was the youngest woman and the first Asian-American to serve on the body.
In 2019, she successfully ran for Council At-Large, earning the most votes of any candidate, a feat she repeated in both 2022 and 2023.
Leadership and Policy Record
On Council, Ajmera has built a reputation around fiscal stewardship and progressive community investment. As chair of the Budget Committee, she shepherded a $3.3 billion city budget that raised salaries for city employees without raising taxes.
As former chair of the Environment Committee, she helped develop Charlotte’s first Strategic Energy Action Plan and introduced the “Sustainable and Resilient Charlotte by 2050” resolution, laying a path toward carbon neutrality.
Ajmera has also backed successive $50 million housing bonds, invested more than $100 million in the city’s Housing Trust Fund, and championed projects like St. John’s Place. She led negotiations on the Eastland redevelopment, a 69-acre mixed-use site in east Charlotte.
Her advocacy extends to public safety and employment: she supported pay raises for first responders, mental-health initiatives under SAFE Charlotte, and the HIRE Charlotte workforce program.
Campaign Messaging
For 2025, Ajmera’s campaign emphasizes fiscal responsibility, equitable growth, and sustainable development. She frames her candidacy around lived experience — immigrant, working mother, and CPA — and her track record of budget discipline paired with community investment.
Her core message is that Charlotte’s growth must benefit all, not “just a select few.” She points to her votes for affordable housing, transit investment, and higher wages as proof of that commitment.
Her campaign hub is available at dimpleajmera.com.
Challenges Ahead
Ajmera faces a primary field with nine Democrats competing for four At-Large spots. That dynamic could split the vote and put even experienced incumbents at risk. The November general election will likely pit the surviving Democrats against Republicans Peacock and Kim, who bypass primaries.
Her opponents have occasionally challenged her positions on development projects, particularly around transparency and community engagement. But Ajmera’s citywide name recognition and history as a top vote-getter could give her an edge.
Ajmera’s re-election campaign rests on the same themes that propelled her onto Council in 2017: financial competence, a commitment to sustainability, and a belief in expanding opportunity across Charlotte.
The choice for voters is whether those qualities — and her proven ability to attract citywide support — can withstand the pressures of a crowded primary and an electorate skeptical of incumbency.
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