Her Perspective: “I will continue to be a champion for safe neighborhoods, sustainable development, sound educational programs, and accountable user friendly government.”

Education: Work with the school board and community agencies to provide a sound education for all children to prepare them for college or career. Provide expanded pre-kindergarten services to assure that more children arrive at school ready to learn. Promote literacy training and lifelong learning so our citizens are ready for the jobs of the future. Use the Becoming grant to reconnect 16 to 21 year old disconnected youth with educational and other support services.

Sustainable Economic Development: Promote economic development and prepare our citizens to take the jobs coming to our area. Use information technology to better link the unemployed with new jobs.  Focus on sustainable development strategies including expansion of transit, open space preservation, energy conservation, and historic preservation.

Safe Neighborhoods: Continue to work with criminal justice agencies to implement the recommendations of the Crime Cabinet (that I co-chair), to make all of Durham’s neighborhoods safe. Expand the use of information technology and information sharing among criminal justice agencies. Increase penalties and bonds for violent crimes. Evaluate programs regularly for their efficacy.

Fiscal Accountability: Make county government more efficient, effective, accountable and transparent. Consider additional merger of county and city departments and programs. Examine non-mandated programs regularly to determine whether the program is meeting its goals and whether it should be continued.