{"id":11531,"date":"2024-02-16T21:33:46","date_gmt":"2024-02-16T21:33:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/?p=11531"},"modified":"2024-02-16T21:33:46","modified_gmt":"2024-02-16T21:33:46","slug":"meet-the-candidate-wendy-jacobs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/2024\/02\/16\/meet-the-candidate-wendy-jacobs\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet the candidate: Wendy Jacobs"},"content":{"rendered":"

Editors’ Note: Eleven candidates \u2014 all Democrats \u2014 are vying for five seats on the Durham County Board of Commissioners in the March 5 election. No Republicans or Libertarians have entered the contest, so the March 5 results will determine who sits on the commission. The 9th Street Journal is speaking with each candidate in the race. In coming days, we’ll bring you profiles of all 11 candidates.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

When Wendy Jacobs was a Duke undergrad, she knew that United Duke Students, an umbrella organization for activist groups on campus, needed a place to meet. Fraternities had too much alcohol, and the Flowers Building closed at 9 p.m. Jacobs proposed the creation of a new meeting spot just for students but was repeatedly shut down by university leadership.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"Jacobs persisted, wiggling her way into \u201cBreakfast with Terry,\u201d a casual, often one-on-one meeting with the then-president of Duke, Terry Sanford.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018I know all about you and what you\u2019ve been doing on campus,\u2019\u201d Jacobs recalls Sanford saying. \u201c\u2018If I\u2019m going to have students like you plotting the revolution, I want it to be in our backyard.\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

After spending her time as an undergrad connecting Duke to its surroundings, Jacobs moved on to larger community issues.<\/span><\/p>\n

She received her teaching certification at UNC-Chapel Hill, then worked as an educator in Durham Public Schools, guiding all three of her children through the same system.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt was very, very natural for me to stay in Durham,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Jacobs has been on the Durham County Board of Commissioners since 2012, serving as chair for four years, and, most recently, as the vice chair.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Now she is running for re-election as a county commissioner.<\/span><\/p>\n

Before she ran for office, Jacobs spearheaded the New Hope Preserve initiative, which created a 100-acre regional park that spans Durham and Orange counties, and served on the Durham Planning Commission for six years.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As a commissioner, Jacobs has championed some large-scale programs that she wants to see through, such as the Durham County Transit Plan, which lays out $1 billion worth of transit investment over the next 20 years.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI want to be there to make sure we actually implement the plan,\u201d said Jacobs.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jacobs has also battled for funding for Durham Public Schools. While she is troubled by <\/span>the ongoing pay dispute in Durham Public Schools<\/span><\/a>, she told The 9th Street Journal that the commission needs more information to know how to proceed.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jacobs also says the state legislature needs to step up to provide more support for school system salaries. \u201cIt is a really unfair, frankly, unsustainable burden because we don\u2019t have the capacity at the local level to do the job of the state,\u201d said Jacobs.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Her presence during board meetings is lively \u2014 Jacobs speaks with a gentle tone but frequently and with attention to detail.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

She has garnered public support through her years working in the community, including endorsements from the People\u2019s Alliance, the Friends of Durham, the Durham Association of Educators and <\/span>Indy Week<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jacobs worked closely with former Durham mayor Steve Schewel during the Covid-19 pandemic, when she was chair of the board. Schewel praised Jacobs\u2019 response to the public health emergency, which included implementing stay-at-home orders and directing millions of dollars into virtual learning and food relief programs. Jacobs also helped make Durham one of the first counties in North Carolina to require face coverings.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf Wendy had not been the chair at that time, we would have lost a lot more lives in Durham,\u201d said Schewel.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Jacobs believes in systemic change \u2014 that is, attacking Durham\u2019s leading issues from the ground up. She helped secure a $10 million investment for Durham’s pre-kindergarten programs in the upcoming fiscal year and supports elevating the salaries for owners of pre-K and childcare facilities and investing in childcare providers\u2019 education.<\/span><\/p>\n

Heidi Carter, a commissioner who is not seeking reelection, served alongside Jacobs for seven years.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNobody works harder, longer or more tirelessly than Wendy does,\u201d said Carter.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Early voting continues through March 2, and the election takes place March 5.<\/p>\n

Above: Photo of Wendy Jacobs by Kulsoom Rizavi \u2014 The 9th Street Journal\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Editors’ Note: Eleven candidates \u2014 all Democrats \u2014 are vying for five seats on the Durham County Board of Commissioners in the March 5 election.…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":76,"featured_media":11538,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11531","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local-government","entry"],"yoast_head":"\nMeet the candidate: Wendy Jacobs - 9th Street Journal<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/2024\/02\/16\/meet-the-candidate-wendy-jacobs\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Meet the candidate: Wendy Jacobs - 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