SOUTHERN CITY QUARTER 2 2022 22 Morrisville Councilman Satish Garimella is On Call JACK CASSIDY NCLM Communications Associate DEDICATING MANY HOURS OF EVERY DAY TO THE COMMUNITY AND AT-THEREADY TO HELP EVEN THE SMALLEST OF ISSUES, SATISH GARIMELLA IS THE RIGHT PERSON AT THE RIGHT TIME FOR MORRISVILLE. Satish Garimella occupies a unique position in Morrisville—one that goes well beyond the typical scope of a locally elected councilperson. It’s not something bestowed on him by election at all. Rather, it’s built on a burgeoning reputation for effectiveness and representation, both towards the town as a whole and the individuals that reside in it. Garimella was born and raised in Mumbai, and nearly 47 percent of Morrisville is of Asian descent—the vast majority being Indian. “Morrisville has a lot of immigrants, and they want someone they can relate and talk to about shared experiences and opportunities to be a part of this community,” said Garimella. “They want someone to help provide them a voice for awareness and understanding.” Garimella fills this need admirably and relentlessly. The impact is seen clearly in a few numbers: Eight. The number of one-on-one engagements, both over the phone and in person, Garimella estimates he has with citizens on any given day, some of which take hours and nearly all of which come from people he does not previously know. “I have an open-door policy, and people come,” he said. “I’ll take it. They’re coming to me not because they’re my best friend—they’re coming because they have no one else whom they feel they can go to.” Nineteen. The number of hours Garimella fits into his working day, from 5am until at least midnight, much of which is spent dealing with the aforementioned pleas for assistance. With the support of his wife, Bhanu, their son, Vaibhav, and his mother and father, he is more than just an elected representative. He is a resource, and a confidant, and a lifeline for help, often for people who are facing serious uncertainty. Three hundred. The number of Morrisville families Garimella helped with expedited travel to India during the pandemic, allowing them to be with sick or dying loved ones. He facilitated arrangements through long-maintained relationships with the Indian embassy in Washington DC, and ensured that Morrisville community members were prioritized under India’s rules at the time. “I didn’t know 80 percent of them, but the word went out that this guy can help you,” Garimella said. “And when someone comes to my door, I’ll never tell them no.” One hundred thousand. The number of free or reduced fee lunches that Morrisville and its partners provided throughout the pandemic to schools, homeless shelters, and other organizations, through the coordinating leadership of Garimella. Four hundred. The amount of people that helped Garimella’s first campaign. “I had great support from all segments of the community, not just Asian Indians, and they made it easy for me to focus on the issues and sharing my message,” he said. The win, according to Garimella, marked the first time an Indian-born American had won election in the state of North Carolina. And, about 2,000. If any number tells the story of what Garimella means to Morrisville, it is this one because this is the amount of people that came to see Garimella when he had no assistance to give. It took place during a months-long, near-death hospital stay. This count includes family and friends of course, but also people he had helped and otherwise didn’t know—or simply people he didn’t know at all, but would likely help in the future. Even when defined by figures, much of Garimella’s impact is incalculable. For a growing city comprised of a growing international population, Garimella’s commitment and work, as he notes, more closely resembles the role of public officials in India. “People there fall back on the politicians to move the needle. They don’t have anyone else to fall back on. Here, it is not like that.” Garimella’s local political career began without political aspirations at all. The child of two university professors, Garimella’s first goal was to simply match the education level of his parents. His father served as vice chancellor to a dean of a university in Mumbai, and was a professor with an expertise in mathematics, statistics and demographics. He would report to the Government of India in a job similar to a demographer, researching policies dealing with issues such as overpopulation and public health. Garimella’s mother was a PhD professor of sociology and a postdoc in psychology. Both also serving as counselors, Garimella remembers viewing their work through the lens of public service. Already a degree-holding electrical engineer, Garimella and his parents decided that he too should pursue post-graduate education, and that he should do it in the United States. In 1997, he made the move to Tulsa, Oklahoma where he earned a master’s in computer science. Next, Garimella moved to Kansas for one year, then finally to North Carolina, residing near his cousin, a chief resident at Duke University Hospital in Durham. From there, he embarked on a 20-year career at AT&T as an architect on the
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