Chapel Hill-Carrboro Board of Education member Mia Burroughs to run for Orange County commissioner

Mia Burroughs hopes to bring her communication skills to the table when she runs to fill Alice Gordon’s soon-to-be-vacant seat on the Orange County Board of County Commissioners for next year.

Burroughs has served on the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Board of Education for seven years, elected for the first time in 2007 and again in 2011. She currently holds the position of vice chairwoman but has also served as the school board’s chair in the past.

Burroughs said one of her qualities is her talent for communication. She said that during her years on the school board she has built solid relationships with other elected officials in the area, including members of the BOCC and the Carrboro Board of Aldermen.

Burroughs said that this kind of dialogue among officials is an important aspect of affecting change as a county commissioner.

“So many of our problems now are really complicated and are going to require cooperation from the different boards and commissions, so I think those relationships really will be helpful,” she said.

Burroughs said that her experience on the Board of Education is part of what inspired her campaign.

“I’ve come to believe that it would be very good to have a member of the commission who has a close understanding of the school budget,” she said.

The board’s chair and Burroughs’s campaign treasurer, Jamezetta Bedford, said she fully supports Burroughs’s run for office.

“I think it’s excellent that she’s running, and she would represent our community very well,” Bedford said.

About 48 percent of the Board of Commissioners’ budget is relegated to the two public school districts in Orange County. Bedford said that this is one reason why Burroughs’s school board experience will make her a strong candidate for commissioner.

“During this recession our capital needs have really been hit as money has been cut back,” Bedford said.

“Ms. Burroughs will be able to advocate for the schools from that base knowledge from years of seeing our budget. We haven’t had that kind of experience on the board of commissioners in a long time.”

While a member of the Board of Education, Burroughs was a part of a number of major decisions. She said one of her proudest accomplishments was the board’s implementation of the Spanish dual language program at Frank Porter Graham Elementary School starting this academic year.

“It wasn’t always the most popular change to make, but since it’s been up and running, all I’ve heard are good reviews,” she said.

Burroughs said she was also proud to be part of the team that hired Superintendent Tom Forcella about three years ago.

“We did a really good job and hired an excellent superintendent,” Burroughs said.

What Burroughs said she will miss most about working on the board is the people she has worked with over the years.

“I enjoy working with the current members of the school board and with educators,” she said. “They are a special group of people who have dedicated their lives to helping to improve the lives of children.”

If Burroughs wins the election, she will be replacing commissioner Gordon, who has decided to retire after 24 years on the board. Gordon was known for her focus on both environmental issues and public education. Commissioner Penny Rich said that it would be beneficial for Gordon’s replacement to be someone with experience in public education.

“One of Alice’s pet projects was always education,” Rich said. “We don’t really have anyone right now who has been on the school board before or who really understands these issues the way someone who’s been on the board does.”

Vice chairman of the board, Earl McKee , who will be up for re-election at the end of this year, said that a county commissioner should be skilled at compromise and communication.

“Being willing to listen and to consider all sides of argument are, for me, the top qualities that a commissioner needs,” McKee said.

Burroughs said she also finds these qualities important.

“You can never ask too many questions, and you can never talk to enough people in terms of getting different perspectives,” she said.

“You have to work with each commissioner, and then you have a real chance of making change.”

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