Dr. Gurdip Brar: New Middleton alder
| Dr. Gurdip Brar was elected councilman in the city of Middleton on April 1. The Association of Indians in America (AIA)-Madison Chapter must be very proud of Brar’s entry into politics. Brar was a former AIA president and lifetime achievement awardee. “I’m very excited about it,” Brar said in a brief interview with Asian Wisconzine before the election. “I ran for election, not that I had wanted to do it; but my neighbors and friends had been asking me for months to run.” He asked his children and they said OK, so he said, “all right then.” His supporters went around the neighborhood, and in a very short time, they collected three times the number of signatures needed for Brar to run. Although a scientist by profession, Brar is never cofined in the lab; he is well known in the community. “I have been very active in this community so I know a lot of people and I know the issues.” He said his background in scientific research would be helpful in solving problems. “We define a problem, then collect the data, analyze them, and then draw some conclusions. Then you come up with options, and get the people’s input. I think that’s really the best way to solve any problem — to bring all people together.” Some of the issues in Middleton that Brar hopes to focus on are: traffic, growth sustainability, nature conservancy, and adequate funding for the Middleton library. “What’s really important to me is that we leave this place better for our children,” he said. |
Dr. Gurdip Brar with wife Dorothy