Jim Harris for Pender County Commissioner District One
Updated often - please come back soon!
Jim Harris for Pender County Commissioner District One
Updated often - please come back soon!
Updated often - please come back soon!
Updated often - please come back soon!
I was born in Michigan, attended public high school, then worked my way through Michigan State University, where I graduated with a BA in Finance in 1975. My wife (who I met at MSU) and I have been happily married for more than 45 years and have 3 adult children and 6 grandchildren. After we both retired in 2017, we bought our current home in Hampstead.
My career began with IBM in Michigan and has focused on High Tech Information Systems. Taking evening classes, I earned an MBA at Wayne State University in 1980. Almost 40 years later, I retired from Intel Corporation as International Marketing Manager.
Since settling in Pender County, I’ve supported the political process as a Precinct Captain, poll volunteer, and Precinct Judge for both primary and general elections. I currently serve the Democratic Party as the 2nd Vice Chair in Pender County. I proudly support the Democratic Women of Pender County, the ACLU, Planned Parenthood, Disabled American Veterans, the National Park Conservation Association, and Habitat for Humanity.
I enjoy reading, traveling, boating, fishing, and spending time with our children and grandchildren.
Qualified, experienced, successful.
Mid-level and Executive Management leadership roles.
Passionate about serving the community.
Collaborative problem solver.
It is said that “all politics is local”. By running for District 1 County Commissioner, I commit to serve my friends, neighbors, and my local community through this position of community leadership.
Over the past 6 years, I’ve been impressed by Pender County’s people, its blessings and natural beauty. However, I’ve been here long enough to identify our shortcomings, limitations, and challenges. Currently, not all of Pender County’s voices are being heard, whether farmer, fisherman, stay-at-home parent, or local businesswoman. Your voices can and must be heard to ensure equal representation at the county level.
I am running because I'm confident I can contribute to the effective and efficient running of Pender County as a member of the Board. Despite the growing animosity amongst party extremists on both sides of the aisle, I firmly believe that reasonable people can agree to solve almost any problem. I will lead with open, democratic (small “d”) principles and a strong belief that small changes will lead to lasting improvements over time.
I am a Democrat, but early on was a registered Republican. I left the GOP 30 years ago due to my increasing disappointment with GOP policies affecting social, racial and financial equality. GOP policy had shifted to favor the largest corporations and the wealthiest in our society, and while I am a firm believer in capitalism, I also recognize that it’s partly responsible for many of our country’s problems, especially economic inequality. The American middle class is disappearing.
My perspective when it comes to measuring success has changed over my lifetime. Rather than using a sterile monetary Standard of Living statistic, I prefer to use Quality of Life (QOL) as a standard. I have come to believe it’s not about how much money we make (or spend), it’s about our sense of belonging to something better, longer lasting and more valuable than ourselves. Expressing our voices in a democratic system gives us and our families a greater chance of living a stable, healthy, safe and fulfilling life. This amounts to my primary goal – providing that voice for you, on your behalf, in the right measure and right manner.
Of course, everyone has different standards. For you – does it mean better hunting and fishing options, better educational opportunities, better employment (or self-employment) alternatives, or all the above? The following Section outlines the issues I understand should be my priorities, based on my discussions to date. As I’ve said, your input is always welcome and appreciated.
As I've traveled around Pender County, I've made a point to solicit input from the citizens and leadership of Pender County.
So far, I've confirmed significant interest in the following issues, listed here in no particular order.
PS - if you have specific ideas or comments, please use the Contact form below to share them with me!
Proactive, Strategic Economic Development & Land Use Plan
County-wide High Quality Public Education
Women's Rights
Affordable Housing
Parks & Recreation Development
Equal Access to Quality Healthcare
Safety & Security
Your support and contributions will enable us to meet our goals and fund this grass roots campaign.
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