Besse’s soft-spoken, cerebral style the cornerstone of his success
Dan
Besse always has time for a constituent. Sitting in a small café off
Hawthorne Road, the two-term Winston-Salem City Councilman spots a
resident of the city’s Ardmore neighborhood placing his coffee order.
Moments
later, Besse returns to the table with John Cardarelli, a precinct
chair for the Forsyth County Democratic Party. Cardarelli said he
supports Besse, a Democrat, because “he has a good vision and he
doesn’t give up on that vision.”
Cardarelli cited Besse’s work
on the tree ordinance passed by the city council on July 20 as a
perfect example of the councilman’s relentless approach to issues that
matter most to his constituents. Cardarelli said it’s no coincidence
the resolution adopted by the council was titled the “Besse
Compromise.”
“That’s a sign of good leadership: He’s
persistent,” Cardarelli said. Under the adopted ordinance, new
development in the city will be required to conserve either 10 percent
or 12 percent of the property’s total area for green space.
The
language of the tree ordinance is simple but getting all stakeholders
to agree on the language proved to be anything but. Melynda Dunigan, a
former president of the Winston-Salem Neighborhood Alliance, worked
closely with Besse during his attempt to get the first tree ordinance
passed in 2006. Despite their efforts, the community stakeholders —
including the Sierra Club, the Neighborhood Alliance, homebuilders,
realtors and the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools — could not find
common ground on the issue.
“The parties were not in agreement
and what Dan was able to do shows his leadership,” Dunigan said. “He
took the version that the staff proposed and took the version the
planning board approved and made his own compromise version — a
composite of those two versions. He fashioned something workable and
met the objective of preserving trees in the city and satisfied all
parties. To me that shows a tremendous amount of leadership on his part
— someone who’s able to go the extra mile to get something passed.”
Besse’s
journey in politics began more than 40 years ago at the age of 13. A
seventh-grader at Hickory Junior High, Besse made campaign calls for
Glenn Hilton, a Hickory city councilman. Besse said his motivation to
get involved in politics was borne out of his passion for environmental
issues. He was fed up with the Hickory City Council for not protecting
the forest surrounding Lake Hickory and for selling the timber rights
the previous year. That’s when he jumped into the political arena.
Besse
recalls that first political phone call, and how he had to overcome his
natural shyness. “I’m not a natural extrovert so doing things like
calling strangers on the phone and knocking on doors has always been
tough,” Besse said. “It’s a stretch for me — going to events and
introducing myself to people I’ve never seen. It’s all a challenge.”
Today,
Besse says he’s learned how to reach out to constituents. “Even though
I’m not a natural, I’ve practiced for years,” he said. “The key is
listening to what people have to say; if they’re comfortable and they
can tell you’re listening to what they’re saying; more often than not,
you’ll find they’re interested in at least some of the things you’re
concerned about. And if you can speak knowledgeably about the issues
they’re concerned about, they’ll remember you.” A graduate of the
UNC-Chapel Hill School of Law, Besse entered public service by working
on several state commissions, including the NC Coastal Resources
Commission and the NC Environmental Management Commission. In 1998, he
ran as the Democratic nominee for NC House, losing to incumbent
Republican Lyons Gray. In 2001, Besse achieved his goal of elected
office, winning a city council seat to represent Winston-Salem’s
Southwest Ward. Last year, Besse mounted a campaign for lieutenant
governor, but finished fourth in the May 6 Democratic primary. He is
running for his third term on the city council.
His environmental advocacy stems from his belief that protecting water and air is the foundation for a good quality of life. Besse cites the city council’s role in joining a regional early action compact, which was created under EPA authority to involve local governments in clean-up program in the area as one of his biggest achievements to date.
“We put together and implemented a plan to meet clean-air public health standards within a period of time,” Besse explained.
“We
had several dozen local governments in Triad sign on to the early
action compact. As of last year, we were judged by [Environmental
Protection Agency] to be back in compliance with urban air standards.”
The
results of the early action compact on local air quality are clear. “In
2002, we had 31 unhealthy air days in Triad. In 2008, we had three,”
Besse said. Last year, however, the EPA raised its clean air standards,
which means local governments in the Triad have more work to do. In
2007, Besse spearheaded the effort to make sure every new vehicle
purchase by the city is vetted to ensure it gets the most efficient
vehicle for the money, and approved the purchase 20 new hybrid city
buses. If he is reelected, Besse said he will continue his
environmental agenda by pushing the use of biodiesel in city buses and
vehicles, developing tougher stormwater regulations, and pursuing more
sidewalks, bike lanes and greenways.
Besse is known for his
egalitarian outlook. “I care about helping create opportunity here for
everybody,” Besse said. “There are too many people who grew up here who
don’t have a good job. There are too many parts of our city that still
lack good jobs and attractive development and we need to help them get
it.” Besse’s approach to economic development fits perfectly into the
overarching theme of his political career — improving the quality of
life for all citizens.
“My vision of the perfect city is a
place that’s clean, green, safe, welcoming to everybody and has
opportunity for everybody,” Besse said.
Besse could face a young Republican challenger in the November general election.
Ted
Shipley, a 35-year-old attorney, has filed for the Republican
nomination in the Southwest Ward. Besse, 54, is the youngest sitting
member of the council. He said would gladly challenge any young
opponent to a marathon.
Earlier this year, Besse — who runs an
average of four miles a day — competed in the Myrtle Beach Marathon and
finished in 3 hours, 46 minutes.
“It’s important for people to
judge each individual race on the merits of the candidates,” he said.
“It’s fair to ask, ‘Does Candidate A have the energy and time to
serve?’ If they look at my record, they’ll see the answer to that is
‘yes.’” Besse has more than just the energy and fortitude to get the
job done. He has something even more important — integrity, said Barry
Boneno, a longtime Winston- Salem resident. Boneno said he remembers
the days when the Reynolds and Hanes families ran the city council, and
the “good ol’ boy network.” Boneno said Winston-Salem residents have
had to deal with the fallout of large corporate interests holding sway
over the city council. And that is why he supports Dan Besse for city
council.
“As far as I’m concerned, Dan is the best we’ve had,”
Boneno said. “He’s honest, he has integrity, he always leads the
debate, and always has detailed information. Dan does his homework
better than anyone else. I’ve asked him why he does this, but he loves
it. He’s impressed me more than any councilman I’ve ever seen.”
