Exponential growth in numbers forces move in city.
By Deepak Chitnis
WASHINGTON, DC: The city of Aurora, Illinois is planning to create an Indian American Community Outreach Advisory Board (IACOAB).
The purpose of the Board will be so that the Indian American community has a more direct connection between itself and the city’s government, making it easier to voice concerns and have more of a say in local politics, reported The Beacon-News reported.
The move makes sense, since the Indian American community in the city has grown an astonishing 80% between 2000 and 2010, making NRIs a vital part of the Aurora – and greater Chicago metro area – community. The city of Aurora, and its surrounding area, is home to a number of IT startups, many of which are founded, run by, and employ Indian Americans.
The IACOAB will consist of 18 board members, one of which will be a non-voting liaison for the city of Aurora. It has not been said if these board members will be appointed by the city or elected by its citizens.
The Board is the third of its kind being created for an ethnic minority in Aurora, which lies only an hour west of Chicago; the local Latino and African American communities have similar Boards already in place. The Hispanic Heritage Advisory Board came into being in the late 1990s, while the African American Heritage Advisory Board was founded in 2003.
The proposal to create the IACOAB was unanimously approved on Tuesday by the city’s Government Operations Committee, and will next be debated by the full Aurora City Council on December 17.
To contact the author, email to deepakchitnis@americanbazaaronline.com