November 27-2015
An Iranian immigrant has lost a race for a seat on the commission in a wealthy suburb of Philadelphia.
Parviz Hanjani, a physician, ran for the office of Lower Merion Township commissioner as an Independent candidate. A Republican and a Democratic candidate filed earlier, but the Republican candidate withdrew before the election earlier this month.
For an independent running in a strongly Democratic community, Hanjani did well. He got 43 percent of the vote, holding Democrat Johua Grimes to just 51 percent, with the remainder being write-ins.
Hanjani is not a career politician or a political insider. He said he was a concerned citizen who had seen how the community had developed over the years and strongly believes “the Board of Commissioners is in desperate need of an independent representative, one free from the influence of either political party and focused on doing what is best for our community.”
Lower Merion has a population of 60,000 and abuts Philadelphia. It is one of the communities identified as the Main Line, referring to the railroad west from Philadelphia.
Lower Merion has the fifth highest per capita income of any community in the United States with a population of 50,000 and up.
The winner, Grimes, was appointed by the board in June to serve as Ward 2 commissioner through January 4, 2016, so he was running for the remaining two years in the post as an incumbent.
The office came open with Commissioner Jenny Brown’s resignation May 31 after nearly nine years. A Republican, Brown said she was stepping down at that time to allow for scheduling a special election November 3 of a candidate to serve the remaining two years of her term in 2016 and 2017. Brown backed Hanjani.
A 26-year resident of Lower Merion, Hanjani said in his announcement, “I want to keep our community a great place to live, work and raise a family. I strongly believe an independent voice representing residents is needed now more than ever.”
Educated in Tehran and in England and Chicago, Hanjani has specialized in the field of female reproductive cancers in a career in medicine of more than 40 years. The former head of the Department of Gynecology at Temple University, he now serves as medical director of clinical research at Abington Memorial Hospital.
Hanjani has a website, www.Hanjani2015.com. His biography identifies him as an immigrant who came to the United States 40 years ago, but does not say where he came from.
He and his wife, Ferry, have two children.
