This is the second in a five-part series profiling mayoral candidates.
Brenda Burnette said she knows most people might not expect a single mother of six to have time to be the mayor of Durham. But the 52-year-old Durham native said it is her experience as a mother that makes her a strong candidate.
"People are concerned about growth and development, but people also want to feel that you care about them, their personal issues, the road in front of their house, their sidewalks, their children's safety," said Burnette. "I'm a mother, so I'm aware of this. That's the thing I do naturally--the people thing."
A Durham City Council member for four years, Burnette sums up her platform with the acronym HELP--"healing our wounded posture, employment for men and women who lost jobs due to economic downturn, leadership with accountability and positive progression and growth."
Burnette hopes to focus on healing the inner city. "We need a gym in my neighborhood," she explained. "I see those kids just standing there.... They could be in that gym. Someone could be in there with GED classes, they could be shooting pool, they could have a big-screen TV and movies.... They're [in the streets] because they have nothing else to do."
Burnette also stressed the importance of education as a means to employment and the role of employment in improving the economy. "Those... things can make kids resilient, and all of us resilient in the face of crime," Burnette added.
She emphasized illegal drug trafficking as a major crime instigator, stressing that the kids and gangs are simply foot soldiers for an underground economy. "The city must address crime prevention from this perspective," said Burnette.
Neighborhood participation and citizen activism also play an important role in Burnette's anti-crime agenda. "We need police in our neighborhoods, but we also need people to get involved," she said.
"We need people to know they need to pass out fliers, do newsletters and those types of things."
Burnette also said that she is a stronger supporter of economic growth and development than her opponents.
"I was very unhappy when [former county commissioner] Bill Bell announced that he was running," Burnette said. "He embraces slow growth.... He's just not the person we need to have. When you have people losing their jobs and basic downturn of the economy, we need to continue to embrace economic development and growth."
In contrast, Burnette cited her support for the new Streets at Southpoint mall being constructed in Durham, noting that this has brought pre-eminent business opportunities as well as $15 million worth of road improvements.
Despite Burnette's vision, Bell and incumbent Nick Tennyson seem to be the front-runners of the mayoral race.
Burnette's opponents find her focus too narrow. They also question her legitimacy as a candidate given the fact that she has had problems in the past.
For example, she is currently working on repaying hundreds of dollars of unpaid phone bills, accumulated by making personal phone calls on a city-paid phone.
While Burnette's potential to win the election may be questionable, colleagues do appreciate her contributions as a council member.
"She is someone I have a lot of respect for. I believe her emotions are passionate, however, I don't view her as a viable candidate," said city council member Floyd McKissick. "I have not seen her incite the imaginations of the vast majority of voters, nor has she been able to get any endorsements."
Nevertheless, Burnette remains optimistic about her leadership potential.
"I want to do things better. I'm proud of my record. I've not been happy with present leadership and I know I could do a much better job," she said.
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