At Home With: Mayor Terry Bellamy - Politics & Poetry
By Margaret Williams
Photos By Matt Rose
In 1999, hardly anyone knew of Terry Bellamy. She was a 27-year-old Asheville native who had an English literature degree from UNC-Charlotte and worked for a local housing nonprofit.
Then she ran for a seat on the City Council. With a grassroots campaign that included her mother and grandmother, Bellamy won more votes than any other candidate in the primary. In the subsequent general election, she sailed into her first term, becoming Vice Mayor a few years later and, in 2005, Asheville’s first African-American mayor (and, at 33, its youngest ever).
She often exhibits a moderate approach, seeking a midpoint between liberal and conservative, business and neighborhood issues, but generally champions children’s issues. In 2003, she led a "budget revolt" to fund the hiring of three community resource officers for the city’s public housing neighborhoods. The move came after a group of teachers had petitioned city leaders to make their children’s homes safer.
Bellamy grew up in public housing, but currently resides in trendy West Asheville with her husband Lamont and their two children: Seth, age 5 and Imani, 3 (the name means "faith" in Swahili). We visited her there to catch up with the young mayor in a rare slow moment.
How would you describe your house?A family home. In my daughter’s room, she has lots of baby dolls. My son has lots of train tracks. In my room, there are lots of books. It’s very family-oriented.
Most unusual Living Room fixture:
A kid’s “Smart Cycle,” with a matching video [in which] they have to “move them legs” to catch SpongeBob [SquarePants].
Pets:
No. Well, we have a big fish tank downstairs.
Favorite gadget:
One gadget that I use all the time is my onion slicer. It’s nice and easy to clean, and my hands don’t smell like onions.
Drink of choice:
Water. I don’t drink alcohol at all, and I’m not a big caffeine person. [But] if I’m tired, I may get a Mountain Dew.
In the fridge:
Milk, juice, broccoli, cauliflower, cubed steak for dinner, a plethora of salad dressings.
In the freezer:
pops, Pedialyte, okra — I like okra. Downstairs, we have an even bigger freezer. We have a friend who raises cattle, so there’s plenty of beef in there.
Keeps on her bedside table:
Books and a computer. We have computers everywhere. A clock, a concordance and probably a cup and a napkin from my husband eating something in bed.
Favorite music/musician:
The kids and I will grab Daddy and we’ll dance. We’ll make up our own songs.
Must-see TV:
There’s not a must-see. I don’t watch much TV. I stream online.
Favorite podcast:
Mostly inspirational, [such as] www.streamingfaith.com to watch different ministries and uplifting things. Because I have a lot of potentially negative things that come into my life, I always look for ways to inspire [myself] and move forward.
Her church:
River of Life. It’s interdenominational.
A perfect Sunday would be:
We have a big breakfast, I do Imani’s hair, we visit Pawpaw, go to church, and usually Mommy’s not cooking, so we eat out. Watch a movie with Lamont and the kids, and go out after for ice cream.
Morning routine:
My quiet time, talking to my husband, getting the kids off to school. We have breakfast, and depending on what day of the week it is, I take them to school or my husband does, then it’s off to meetings.
Evening routine:
Usually, there’s at least one meeting or ribbon-cutting somewhere. Most days of the week, we pick up the children from pre-school, get something to eat, try to read at least two books [with them] and we’ve got to watch a little SpongeBob. I also have to have my quiet time. I read a lot. I have lots of books — downstairs, in my bedroom, books in the bathroom, books on my dresser.
Now reading:
Climbing the Ladder in Stilettos [by Lynette Lewis]. I like the title. And Created for Influence [by William L. Ford III]. If someone mentions a book, I have to go get it. Also, different translations of the Bible so that I can understand the scriptures differently — the King James and the New Living versions, for example.
Reads out loud:
Poetry. It helps me get ready to go speak [in public]. I read [local teen poets from] Project Steam, Shakespeare, Edgar Allen Poe, [local poet and teacher] Sally Grace Grainger. I’m looking for meter. I write poetry, but I don’t know if it’s good or not.
Favorite writer:
John Maxwell.
Little known fact:
I won’t say where, but I’m a college English professor, part-time.
Favorite period of literature:
There are two – the Harlem Renaissance and [the era of] Shakespeare. At both times, there was a resurgence of the poet. Poets make things easier to understand and make life a little better. There’s truth there.
Personal hero:
I don’t have just one. Many family members, not because of things they’ve accomplished but for their consistent support. I’ll be the first to admit to not being perfect, and I look to Christ as a source of inspiration. Of course, there are others, [Congresswoman] Barbara Jordan, Martin Luther King Jr., John Maxwell, [local activist] Johnny Hayes.
Personal philosophy:
Nothing beats a “can’t” but a “try,” and work only follows success in the dictionary.
As a child she wanted to be:
A judge.
Most memorable campaign experience:
[Points to a framed copy of the Asheville Citizen-Times cover story of the first election she won in 1999]. That one. My first campaign. No one had heard of me, essentially. At that time, my grandmother and mother were both still living and they helped me get the most votes in the primary.
Life lesson:
In 2001, I lost miserably [to Charles Worley in her first bid for mayor]. I talk to teens about how you can fail at something but not be a failure. That helped me to become more humble. It helped me to become refocused. Regardless of what people say, I will always do the best that I can for the people. Sometimes, that may not mean going with the crowd.
Cause closest to her heart:
Helping teens. What helps them, sometimes, is not a family member but someone a little older who’s been through what they’re going through.
Worst thing about public life:
Not being able to meet all the demands because of limited resources.
Best thing about public life:
I have an opportunity to speak to children and inspire them.
Secret fantasy:
Be a better, stronger runner, because I told people I’d never like it. Maybe to be a published writer — a book called Inside City Hall — but part of me wouldn’t want to write [it] under my name.
Guilty pleasure:
Candied yams!
Can’t live without:
My family.
Most treasured piece of clothing:
I love suits. But my wedding gown is the most protected piece of clothing I have. It’s tucked away in a nice little safe place like a treasure.
Item she’d grab from home in a fire:
Beside my children and husband? I’ve thought about this. We have all our valuables in a fireproof safe, and we send pictures of our children to family. I could walk away. Everything can be replaced.
Favorite getaway destination:
Most people think exotic locations, and I’ve been to the Plaza Hotel in Monterrey — fabulous — Tahiti and Jamaica. But my favorite getaway is to my in-laws’ farm near Wilmington. It’s so peaceful.
Favorite board game:
Monopoly. We take no prisoners over here.
Historical figures she’d like to meet:
I would invite several over to have tea — that would be cranberry tea. I would invite Abraham Lincoln, Langston Hughes, Einstein, Barbara Jordan, Harriett Tubman, Mrs. Truman and the parents of the children who were killed by a bomb in Alabama. We would talk about life and how do we get kids to understand that they can be an Einstein.
What comes after being Asheville mayor?
Re-election. After that, I don’t know yet.
If reincarnated, she’d like to come back as:
I like me. I wouldn’t like to be anybody else. I’m living a full life.
