Vimala Rajendran, candidate for Chapel Hill Town Council

Seven people are competing in the November election for four seats on the Chapel Hill Town Council.

Executive chef and business owner Vimala Rajendran is running against incumbent Council member Karen Stegman and fellow newcomers Robert Beasley, Camille Berry, Jeffrey Hoagland, Paris Miller-Foushee and Adam Searing.

An eighth candidate, Andrew Creech, told The Daily Tar Heel last week that he’s dropping out of the race to focus on his business interests. He will still appear on the ballot. The News & Observer’s efforts to reach Creech were unsuccessful.

The council is guaranteed to get at least three new council members, since Hongbin Gu passed on a second run to join this year’s Chapel Hill mayor’s race, and former Council member Rachel Schaevitz resigned last year, leaving her seat vacant.

Council member Allen Buansi announced this summer he would not seek a second term, freeing up a third seat. Buansi recently announced plans to run for N.C. House District 56 when state Rep. Verla Insko retires next year.

Early voting in the nonpartisan election begins Oct. 14 and runs through Oct. 30.

To find polling places and full details on early voting, visit co.orange.nc.us/1720/Elections or contact the Board of Elections at 919-245-2350 or vote@orangecountync.gov.

Name: Vimala Rajendran

Age: 62

Residence: 244 Indian Trail Road, Chapel Hill

Occupation: Chef, business owner

Education: Bachelor of Arts, political science; Master of Education, instructional design, educational media technology

Political or civic experience: Co-founded The People’s Channel, our area’s nonprofit-run community access media station. Held positions of secretary and then president of the board for 23 years.

Founded a community supported, living wage-paying local restaurant, which has become a gathering space for activists, nonprofits, political candidates and university and high school classes. Many have come with their teachers to hold classroom sessions and study the business principles and mission and vision of Vimala’s Curryblossom Cafe.

Provided business coaching and served as a commissary/incubator for new food businesses over the last 11 years.

Served as a voter registration center over the last decade.

Lobbied on Capitol Hill for better wages and working conditions in the restaurant industry.

Founder and board chair of Curryblossom Foundation, which has supplied thousands of meals to elderly shut-ins, refugees and front-line health care workers during the pandemic.

Outspoken voice for Black Lives Matter, refugee resettlement, domestic violence victims, housing issues for displaced families (fundraising and advocacy through the Compass Center)

Campaign website: voteforvimala.com

Endorsements: Sierra Club, Chapel Hill Alliance for a Livable Town

What do you think the town’s top three priorities should be? Choose one and describe how you will work to address it.

▪ Addressing the Climate Crisis.

▪ Affordable housing — housing access for low and middle income families. Development that is true to the values and character of this area, protective of our vulnerable natural resources and that makes good on our commitment to keep our community livable, walkable and bike friendly.

▪ Transparency in the workings of the town officials and Town Council.

Begin by incorporating citizens’ input, ideas and needs into development. At this time, it looks like citizens’ ideas are not incorporated into the outcomes. There needs to be transparency and better and more timely communication between the council and citizens, especially about council decisions, and when developers are involved. I will recommend that the Office of Communication and Public Affairs will make public council decisions on the Town’s webpage and hold them responsible to make the council minutes available in a timely manner.

I will create a blog that will provide a bulleted list of major items before the town that will have an impact on our community/residents with a link to more detailed information.

I will continue to participate in community listening sessions.

What is the town doing right, and wrong, about development and growth?

The town did the right thing about development in hiring consultants and experts to make recommendations on how to solve problems. The town has obtained an improved traffic model to identify ways to reduce traffic congestion, and procured a report to identify the town’s housing needs.

What is wrong with the town’s development and growth: Poor communication with citizens, especially not relaying information in a timely manner and not listening to community input. The town has had a number of focus groups and then ignored their suggestions, and as a consequence, many citizens are unhappy with the amount and scale of development that is changing the unique character of the town.

What is special about Chapel Hill now that people don’t know or what you would like the town to be known for in the future?

As the home of the oldest state university, Chapel Hill combines the intellectual stimulation and cultural diversity provided by the university with its large number of foreign students combined with the local population that includes African American, Native American, Central and South American communities, as well as a significant number of immigrants and refugees from around the globe that now call Chapel Hill “home.” This is a mix of people often found in much larger metropolitan areas. It is a microcosm of the world but on a small scale that makes it possible for people of vastly different backgrounds and economic statuses to interact in a variety of ways and build relationships.

In the future, we should be known for our diversity, inclusivity, innovation and the way we protect the natural beauty of our community with a commitment to making the town a place for all to thrive.

What skill or life experience do you have that would bring diversity to local government?

I have overcome housing insecurity, poverty and unemployment, domestic violence and immigration challenges, and now am thriving as a business owner/community member, and a U.S. citizen.

I have worked in nonprofits, such as The Center for Peace Education, teaching multicultural awareness and nonviolent communication skills.

I have engaged in community organizing around natural disaster relief, housing crisis and hunger relief.

As a woman of color, an immigrant and now a business owner, I bring a fresh and unique perspective that our local government needs.

This story was originally published September 28, 2021 at 8:40 PM with the headline "Vimala Rajendran, candidate for Chapel Hill Town Council."