NORWICH, CT (TIP):  Democrat Swaranjit Singh made history on November2 when he became the first Sikh ever elected to a City Council in the State of Connecticut.

Sikhism, the fifth most-followed religion in the world, originated in the Punjab region of India and Pakistan in the 15th century, and counts more than 25 million followers across the globe today. An estimated 500,000 Sikhs live in the U.S., according to the Sikh Coalition advocacy group.

In Norwich, Singh estimates there are around 10 Sikh families in total, but he recognized his candidacy spoke to the diversity of the entire city. He found support from Indian families and the Haitian community, and others who found a sense of trust in his bid for the municipal body, he said.

The newly elected City Council member received a congratulatory call from Lt. Governor Susan Bysiewicz.

“I congratulate Swaranjit for his achievement. …He is a person who loves his community and loves public service and we are very lucky to have him.” The Lieutenant Governor noted the state’s legislative body is failing to fully represent the diversity of the state, where one in 10 citizens are immigrants from another country. “It’s important for people who are new to this country to see people who look like them succeeding in elected office,” she said.

When it comes to the state’s legislative body and local governments across Connecticut, she acknowledged diversity is lacking on multiple fronts.

“I think that we have diversity in our ranks, do we need more? Absolutely. We need more people of color, we need more women,” said Bysiewicz. One-third of the Legislature is women, she said, short of the 52% present in the state. “We are not there yet, and we are not there yet in terms of having a [legislative] population that reflects the ethnic and racial composition of our state,” she said, “but every election we make progress.” While excited about his history-making win, Singh was quick to note his approach to working on the City Council is not about personal achievement.

“It’s for the people of Norwich and for us how to make our city a better place – simple as that.”

The city needs economic development, he said, and it needs to be a more attractive place to live, including creating opportunities for young people. “That is more important to me and a lot of people are scared because the city council can get too political,” he said, “but my approach will be very simple. If it makes business sense, if it is good for our city, we should definitely move forward with it.”

Mayor Peter Nystrom commented on Singh’s work ethic and ability to connect with different communities – a strategy he knows is increasingly important given shifting demographics in Norwich.

The Mayor also said he shares Singh’s attitude toward working across party lines – something he knows will be important once the election results are certified next week.

“I would start by asking everybody to leave the party code at the door, when you walk in the chamber it’s a city council of seven for the city – not political factions, partisan things – check them out – they don’t belong in that room and people don’t want that. They don’t want people fighting,” he said.