BERLIN–Democrat Diana Purnell and Republican Lorraine Purnell-Ayres will face off in Tuesday’s general election for the District 2 County Commissioner seat vacated by James L. Purnell Jr., who is retiring.
Lorraine Purnell-Ayres
Purnell-Ayres, of Snow Hill said she was spurred to run by a Sep. 8, 2013 article in the Daily Times about the lack of gender and racial diversity in Worcester County government.
“It said with 14 departments in Worcester County only two are headed by minorities – one black and one white female,” she said. “In 1983, I, along with a professor from Howard University and several of his students from a political science class, came to Worcester County and asked that they assist us by documenting the disparity between blacks and whites. That resulted in our minority district.”
At the time, according to Purnell-Ayres, the county commissioners spent $1.2 million in an attempt to halt the creation of the redrawn district.
“I didn’t get a lot of support from the county when I was the president of the NAACP in 1983,” she said. “My father thought I was going to get killed at the time.”
Purnell-Ayres said she continued the fight because she was carrying her only daughter and did not want her to face the same hardships she had.
“When we had integration, my brother and I were two of the first 13 (African-Americans) that attended Snow Hill High,” she said. “My brother, along with David Purnell and George Wilson, were the first blacks to graduate from Snow Hill High. Valerie Hardy and I were the first to go from the 7th grade to the 12th at Snow Hill High. There were a lot of firsts there.
“I didn’t want her to have the same problems I did when I returned from college with no possible jobs, even though I had a master’s degree,” Purnell-Ayres continued. “That’s why I did what I did.”
Purnell-Ayres said the county is going in the wrong direction in the fight for racial equality.
“The way I see it we’re about to lose that minority district and I know there are blacks and females – there are minorities that are eligible to serve in Worcester County – and they have not been chosen,” she said. “This good old boy system has got to end.”
Purnell-Ayres said her opponent could not match her deep ties to the community.
“I am from this county and I know how people think in this county,” she said. “I’m not a stranger to this county. Ms. Purnell – the one I’m running against – she married a Purnell. She is not originally from Worcester County.
“I don’t want to just say you’ve got to be here and you’ve got to know somebody to get there – I want the best person for the job whether he’s black, male, female or studies Jehovah’s Witness or whatever,” she said. “I don’t worry about that. I want the best person for the position, and we don’t always get the best. What we get sometimes is just what they think you need, and it’s time for people to start voting for who they want and not to be told who can serve them.”
Diana Purnell
Diana Purnell, a native North Carolinian, has lived in Berlin for more than four decades.
“I’ve been in business in this area, I’m a mother and a community worker, but the main reason that I decided to run was because I was encouraged by a lot of the community leaders I’ve been engaged with over the years,” she said. “I know the dynamic of the community and what’s happening within the community, and they charged me to go ahead and start working in the community on a totally different level.”
A prolific volunteer, Purnell said this was her chance to, “work within the system.”
“I want to be a part of accomplishing a better Berlin and a better Worcester County,” she said. “I just said, ‘Hey, why not?’ I can get out there and do what I need to do. I’m a hard worker – I don’t mind working to do some things.”
Purnell said jobs were her priority.
“For me the key issues that I’m looking at are economic development, developing small businesses, bringing more business to within the county, and employment – bringing businesses that will give people year-round jobs, not just depending on the resort.
“A lot of our young people often leave the community to find a better job, but we want to have something here in this county to keep that valuable resource here,” Purnell continued. “Our young people are our greatest investment, and we need to be able to keep them here. That means developing businesses within the area and pushing education. Our kids need to be 21st-century kids. They’re going to have to know how to get out here and make a living for themselves. They need to be educated in all the latest technology. They need to have some incentives to get out here and develop businesses for themselves.”
Purnell believes she is the best candidate for the job.
“We have some of the same ideas – and some are different,” she said. “I just feel, for myself, we are two totally different people. I feel that I’m suitable for this election – for this county – because I know what I know about this community. I want to work for, not only for my district, but for the county as a whole. That’s what I want to do and I’m willing to put forth my efforts to do that.”
In response to accusations that she married into the name, Purnell said her “feelings were not hurt.”
“She’s absolutely right, I did marry a Purnell,” she said. “You look at a lot of different people and there are a lot of Purnells in the area and some were married and some were born into it – so what? Purnells or anybody else – when it comes to working in the community everybody has got their own abilities and their own goals. It doesn’t really make a difference what your name is.”
Lorraine Purnell-Ayres
Purnell-Ayres, of Snow Hill said she was spurred to run by a Sep. 8, 2013 article in the Daily Times about the lack of gender and racial diversity in Worcester County government.
“It said with 14 departments in Worcester County only two are headed by minorities – one black and one white female,” she said. “In 1983, I, along with a professor from Howard University and several of his students from a political science class, came to Worcester County and asked that they assist us by documenting the disparity between blacks and whites. That resulted in our minority district.”
At the time, according to Purnell-Ayres, the county commissioners spent $1.2 million in an attempt to halt the creation of the redrawn district.
“I didn’t get a lot of support from the county when I was the president of the NAACP in 1983,” she said. “My father thought I was going to get killed at the time.”
Purnell-Ayres said she continued the fight because she was carrying her only daughter and did not want her to face the same hardships she had.
“When we had integration, my brother and I were two of the first 13 (African-Americans) that attended Snow Hill High,” she said. “My brother, along with David Purnell and George Wilson, were the first blacks to graduate from Snow Hill High. Valerie Hardy and I were the first to go from the 7th grade to the 12th at Snow Hill High. There were a lot of firsts there.
“I didn’t want her to have the same problems I did when I returned from college with no possible jobs, even though I had a master’s degree,” Purnell-Ayres continued. “That’s why I did what I did.”
Purnell-Ayres said the county is going in the wrong direction in the fight for racial equality.
“The way I see it we’re about to lose that minority district and I know there are blacks and females – there are minorities that are eligible to serve in Worcester County – and they have not been chosen,” she said. “This good old boy system has got to end.”
Purnell-Ayres said her opponent could not match her deep ties to the community.
“I am from this county and I know how people think in this county,” she said. “I’m not a stranger to this county. Ms. Purnell – the one I’m running against – she married a Purnell. She is not originally from Worcester County.
“I don’t want to just say you’ve got to be here and you’ve got to know somebody to get there – I want the best person for the job whether he’s black, male, female or studies Jehovah’s Witness or whatever,” she said. “I don’t worry about that. I want the best person for the position, and we don’t always get the best. What we get sometimes is just what they think you need, and it’s time for people to start voting for who they want and not to be told who can serve them.”
Diana Purnell
Diana Purnell, a native North Carolinian, has lived in Berlin for more than four decades.
“I’ve been in business in this area, I’m a mother and a community worker, but the main reason that I decided to run was because I was encouraged by a lot of the community leaders I’ve been engaged with over the years,” she said. “I know the dynamic of the community and what’s happening within the community, and they charged me to go ahead and start working in the community on a totally different level.”
A prolific volunteer, Purnell said this was her chance to, “work within the system.”
“I want to be a part of accomplishing a better Berlin and a better Worcester County,” she said. “I just said, ‘Hey, why not?’ I can get out there and do what I need to do. I’m a hard worker – I don’t mind working to do some things.”
Purnell said jobs were her priority.
“For me the key issues that I’m looking at are economic development, developing small businesses, bringing more business to within the county, and employment – bringing businesses that will give people year-round jobs, not just depending on the resort.
“A lot of our young people often leave the community to find a better job, but we want to have something here in this county to keep that valuable resource here,” Purnell continued. “Our young people are our greatest investment, and we need to be able to keep them here. That means developing businesses within the area and pushing education. Our kids need to be 21st-century kids. They’re going to have to know how to get out here and make a living for themselves. They need to be educated in all the latest technology. They need to have some incentives to get out here and develop businesses for themselves.”
Purnell believes she is the best candidate for the job.
“We have some of the same ideas – and some are different,” she said. “I just feel, for myself, we are two totally different people. I feel that I’m suitable for this election – for this county – because I know what I know about this community. I want to work for, not only for my district, but for the county as a whole. That’s what I want to do and I’m willing to put forth my efforts to do that.”
In response to accusations that she married into the name, Purnell said her “feelings were not hurt.”
“She’s absolutely right, I did marry a Purnell,” she said. “You look at a lot of different people and there are a lot of Purnells in the area and some were married and some were born into it – so what? Purnells or anybody else – when it comes to working in the community everybody has got their own abilities and their own goals. It doesn’t really make a difference what your name is.”