Week 6: The Culture of the Charlotte City Council

Interning with the local government has been a very different experience for me, in comparsion to my last internship, interning with a political-communications organization as a campaign management intern. Some differences that I have noticed are with Councilwoman Ajmera, I work closely with her rather than reporting to a supervisor, I have direct contact with her, and I attend events around the city instead of just sitting in the office. According to Robert E. Quinn and Kim S. Cameron at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, there are four types of organizational culture: Clan, Adhocracy, Market, and Hierarchy. I would describe my internship to be “clan-oriented.” Quinn and Cameron described a “clan-oriented” culture to be a “family-like, with a focus on mentoring, nurturing, and “doing things together.” I consider my internship to be “clan-oriented” because of how closely I work with Councilwoman Ajmera. I am with her during meetings, community events, interviews as well as in the office. Working by her side allows me to see and hear the things that she is doing so that I could understand her role as a member of the council, observe her day-to-day tasks, improve my communication and writing skills, and expand my network.

A highlight of my week was being with Councilwoman Ajmera when a huge story released. Tomorrow, the city council is voting on whether the Republican National Committee (RNC) convention will come to Charlotte. Some people want the RNC to come because it will be great economic opportunities for the city while other’s do not want the RNC to come because they do not support President Trump. Charlotteans are curious to know how each member will vote. I was able to read Councilwoman Ajmera’s statement before it was released to the press, attend live interviews, and be present for phone call interviews with local news outlet and journalists. After she gave her statement to the press and posted the statement on social media, I was able to see the results of people’s reactions to her vote as she received many comments and phone calls to discuss her decision and how she responded to the calls and comments she received. This experience reminded me of how important local politics is and what it means to be an elected official representing residents!