Eleanor Kinnaird

Eleanor Gates 'Ellie' Kinnaird (born November 14, 1931) is a North Carolina politician who served as a Democratic member of the North Carolina General Assembly representing the state's 23rd Senate district from January 1997 until her resignation in 2013.[2] Her district included constituents in Orange and Chatham counties.

Eleanor Kinnaird
Member of the North Carolina Senate
In office
January 25, 1997 – August 19, 2013
Serving with Howard N. Lee (1997-2003)
Preceded byTeena Smith Little
Succeeded byValerie Foushee[1]
Constituency16th district (1997-2003)
23rd district (2003-2013)
Mayor of Carrboro
In office
1987–1995
Preceded byJames V. Porto, Jr
Succeeded byMike Nelson
Personal details
Born (1931-11-14) November 14, 1931
Rochester, Minnesota
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)Dan Pollit (Deceased)
ResidenceCarrboro, North Carolina
Alma materCarleton College, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina Central University,
Professioneducator, musician, librarian, attorney

Career

Kinnaird was mayor of Carrboro, North Carolina from 1987 to 1996; during that time, she also earned a law degree from North Carolina Central University (1992) and entered private practice. In 1996, she ran for and was elected to the North Carolina Senate.

At one point, Kinnaird served as Chair of the Appropriations Committee on Justice and Public Safety, as Chair of the Mental Health and Youth Services committee and as Vice-Chair of the Agriculture/Environment/Natural Resources committee.[3] In addition to these leadership positions and her other standing committee assignments on Appropriations/Base Budget, Finance, Health Care and Judiciary I (Civil), she was also a member of the NC Energy Policy Council[4] and the Environmental Review Commission.[5]

Senator Kinnaird is an advocate for electoral reform and lobby reform. For example, in 2005 she sponsored a bill to require that voting machine source code and election results in North Carolina can be audited;[6] the bill passed the Senate 48-0 and was signed into law in August 2005.

Senator Kinnaird is also an advocate for environmental protection. She received a 100% rating from the Conservation Council of North Carolina.[7]

A vocal opponent of the death penalty, in 2003 Senator Kinnaird sponsored a bill to initiate a moratorium on the death penalty in North Carolina; the bill passed the Senate 28-22, making the North Carolina Senate the first legislative body in the U.S. South to support a halt to executions.

Elections

In 2007, Kinnaird announced that she was contemplating whether or not to run in the next election, noting that she would like a woman to replace her in the Senate. She said that due to recent retirements and a dearth of female Senators, the Senate could be left with only three women if she retired, while there were seven women serving as Senators when she first took office.[8]

As of October 2007 only three men (Moses Carey, John Herrera, and Mike Nelson) had announced their intentions to run for the Senate seat possibly being vacated by Kinnaird. Kinnaird announced she would seek re-election in 2008. Both Herrera and Nelson dropped out of the race after Kinnaird's announcement. Carey, however, stayed in and lost to Kinnaird by 64% to 36%.

Kinnaird won re-election in 2010[9] and in 2012.[10]

References
  1. Whelan, Bridget (September 10, 2013). "Freshman Rep. Foushee to fill Kinnaird's Senate seat". WRAL.com. Retrieved August 25, 2017.
  2. Binker, Mark; Leslie, Laura (August 21, 2013). "Sen. Kinnaird resigns from legislature". WRAL.com. Retrieved August 25, 2017.
  3. "Senate Standing/Select Committees" (PDF). North Carolina General Assembly. June 10, 2008. Retrieved August 25, 2017.
  4. "NC Energy Policy Council Membership". North Carolina State Energy Office. Archived from the original on August 31, 2006.
  5. "Environmental Review Commission 2007–2008". NC General Assembly. Archived from the original on January 20, 2009.
  6. "Senate Bill 223 / S.L. 2005-323 (= H238)". NC General Assembly. Retrieved August 25, 2017.
  7. "2007 Legislative Scorecard" (PDF). Conservation Council of North Carolina. Retrieved August 25, 2017.
  8. Ross, Kirk (September 13, 2007). "Three are in, but is Kinnaird really out?". The Carrboro Citizen. Retrieved September 3, 2007.
  9. "State House and Senate Races". The News & Observer. November 3, 2010. Archived from the original on November 5, 2010.
  10. "NC General Election Results 2012". NC State Board of Elections. Retrieved November 23, 2012.
Political offices
Preceded by
James V. Porto, Jr		 Mayor of Carrboro
1987–1995		 Succeeded by
Mike Nelson
North Carolina Senate
Preceded by
Teena Smith Little		 Member of the North Carolina Senate
from the 16th district
January 25, 1997–January 29, 2003
Served alongside: Howard N. Lee		 Succeeded by
Eric Miller Reeves
Preceded by
Cal Cunningham		 Member of the North Carolina Senate
from the 23rd district
January 29, 2003–August 19, 2013		 Succeeded by
Valerie Foushee
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