Duke employee joins ranks of City Council

Amid all the incumbent victories in last week's municipal election, newcomer Mike Woodard, Trinity '81 and a Duke administrator in financial services, emerged as the only new face elected to Durham office.

"Personally, it's an exciting time to be involved in city government," he said.

With his successful bid for City Council, Woodard will replace Ward 3 incumbent John Best, Jr. after garnering approximately 73 percent of the vote.

"Obviously his record is a lot more liberal than mine," Best said, adding that Durham citizens tend to lean ideologically to the left.

Best also cited negative press coverage as a reason for his loss.

"This election was more of a negative toward me instead of a positive toward him," he said.

Although it is his first time elected to higher municipal office, Woodard has served the community in various leadership roles since coming to Durham more than 20 years ago.

Woodard has worked as the president or director of several state and local organizations, including the Durham InterNeighborhood Council and the North Carolina Jaycees.

He said he intends to continue in his position at Duke while working as a public servant on the City Council-something he said would not have been possible were it not for the support of his employer.

"They've been very supportive in giving me flexibility," Woodard said of the University.

Woodard is not the first Duke employee to venture into the Durham political scene.

As the city's largest employer, Duke has served as a starting point for many of Durham's most prominent politicians. Recently re-elected mayor Bill Bell accepted a brief position at the University in the 1990s, and countless professors, administrators and their spouses have served on City Council or the County Commissioners in the past.

Woodard said his decision to continue his work at Duke while serving on City Council will not pose a conflict of interest, adding that he would excuse himself from matters in which one might exist.

"The fact that you're a Duke employee isn't necessarily going to govern how you do what you're going to do," said John Burness, senior vice president for public and government relations at Duke.

Woodard said crime and the economy are two of the most important issues he hopes to address while in office.

"I don't think Durham is going to be a great city until we're first a safe city," he said. "And until we can fight crime and the perceptions of crime, Durham won't be an attractive place to locate businesses or to have new residents."

Woodard said more job opportunities need to be created for the city's poorer and less-educated residents.

"While we're recruiting all these wonderful high-tech firms and master-level jobs, we've also got to find jobs for those folks," he said. "That's one long-term solution."

Although Woodard commended recent improvements to the city like the American Tobacco Complex, he added that there is still much work to be done in order for prosperity to spread to all of Durham's citizens.

In the recent election, Durham citizens voted to implement eight city development bonds. Woodard said he hopes the bonds will help in job creation.

"Our tax base has seen significant growth over the last five to 10 years," he said. "But I think our challenge is going to be to find ways to expand that to other parts of Durham."