Former Dallas mayor stumps for Obama

The first African-American mayor of Dallas, Texas, came to Kinston on Saturday to thank volunteers for the Barack Obama campaign, encourage early voting and — of course — promote Obama’s candidacy for president.

Ron Kirk, a Democrat, addressed about 20 workers who mostly were at the Lenoir County Democratic Headquarters making phone calls to people with early voting instructions. Several volunteers were unaware he was coming.

“You might wonder why a former mayor of Dallas would come all the way to Kinston,” Kirk, a member of Obama’s National Surrogate Team, said. “For one, we’re jealous — unfortunately, we’re still written off as a red state, so we don’t get nearly the attention and the love (in Texas).

“And more than anything, I just came to thank you on behalf of the campaign.”

The volunteers, who listened to Kirk’s speech intently, appeared ecstatic to have the politician at the headquarters on Queen Street.

“It is terrific,” volunteer Sharon Kanter of Kinston said. “It’s really encouraging to have someone of national stature come here and encourage volunteers who are already encouraged.

“It’s very reinforcing.”

Kirk briefly talked to the audience about his time working with Sen. Obama, D-Ill., and the impression the presidential candidate made on him.

“People have always asked what it’s like and I tell them your first impression (of Obama) is not so much that you met somebody who might be president,” Kirk said, “but you just think, ‘What a nice guy — what an incredibly nice guy.’ ”

He described Obama as “humble,” without a “pretentious bone in his body.” Kirk said Obama’s intellect, curiosity and commitment to helping working families were apparent in the conversations the two have shared.

“You judge a man by the company he keeps,” Kirk said. “When you look at Barack Obama and the company he keeps — particularly now, when so many people are worried about the economy and our jobs — what better person to be president than somebody who started in Chicago and passed up making tons of money working at a big law firm to go work with working families?

“If you want to go back and ask who he’s hung out with, well, there you go — people like us.” 

Kirk, 54, whose stops for the day included Elizabeth City, Tarboro, Kinston, Wilmington and Raleigh, served as the Dallas mayor from 1995 to 2001. He established a reputation for building coalitions — namely between the city council and school board.

He was elected to his second term in 1999 with 74 percent of the popular vote before resigning two years later to pursue a seat in the U.S. Senate. 

“You’ve got a great educational infrastructure in North Carolina,” Kirk said. “One thing North Carolina does well is hire education — but you’ve got to have jobs.

“And I think what Sen. Obama is talking about is having somebody who looks out for … families who are anxious about their future.”

Obama’s upbringing and dedication to working-class families, Kirk said, relates well to voters in Lenoir County and across the nation.

“It doesn’t matter whether you’re a farmer in Eastern North Carolina or you’re a displaced steel worker in Southland Chicago,” Kirk said. “Your first concern is going to be, ‘How am I going to make enough money to keep my house, put food on the table and be in a position to give my kids a better shot than I had?’

“I think people look at Sen. Obama and now believe he’s sincere. His life story and his life work make that believable.”

Kirk believed getting folks to vote early helps Obama’s campaign significantly.

“In most parts of the country, Democrats are voting 2-to-1 — almost 3-to-1 — in terms of numbers of early voting,” he said. “I think that pertains well for us.”

Justin Schoenberger can be reached at (252) 559-1075 or jschoenberger@freedomenc.com.

Who is Ron Kirk?

-          Graduate of Austin College and the University of Texas School of Law

-          First African-American mayor of Dallas, Texas

-          Twice elected, Kirk served from 1995-2001.

-          He won the 1995 mayoral election with 62 percent of the popular vote

-          He won the 1999 mayoral election with 74 percent of the popular vote

-          Kirk resigned during his second term as mayor to run for U.S. Senate but lost to John Cornyn, who was Texas’ attorney general at the time.

-          He is currently a partner at a law firm in Houston

Sources: www.thehistorymaker.com., www.nndb.com