Nasim Ansari Survives the Perfect Storm

Despite the November 4 historic shift in politics, Republican Nasim Ansari was elected for the fourth consecutive time as Kalamazoo County Commissioner for his district in Michigan.  

Until late Tuesday night it seemed as if his Democratic opponent Attorney Dorphine Payne was riding Barack Obama’s coat-tails to victory, as many Democrats in local offices seemed to have done this election.  But after the final count of votes Nasim Ansari held off a vigorous challenge from Payne, winning by a 4 percentage point lead.  

 He attributes his success to God, his family, and hard work.  Despite a furious and negative campaign run by his opponent, Ansari insisted on running his campaign on a budget, using age-old campaigning methods such as knocking at hundreds of doors to directly meet and greet his constituents and fellow voters in person.  Ansari believes running a door-to-door campaign has its advantages; he has the opportunity to hear about issues first hand directly from the community he serves without wasting unnecessary resources.

 Nasim was first elected as a Portage Councilman in 1999 and then in 2002 as Kalamazoo County Commissioner, taking 65% of the vote, transcending the boundaries and stereotypes cultivated after the 9/11 tragedy, just a short time before the election. 

For nearly a decade, Ansari has enjoyed an open-arms embrace from the community. He has been its integral part since 1977, the year of his arrival   in the US to  study at  the Western Michigan University where he obtained a Master’s degree in Business Administration.  He also has a Master’s in Chemistry and a Diploma in Public Administration from the Sindh University. 

Having worked in both public and private sectors in Pakistan and in the US, he has developed an excellent relationship with the community and participates in political, technical and social activities at local, state and national levels. He serves on several boards and commissions.

 

 

 

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