EASTERN WAKE COUNTY - When Jeanne Bonds was in first grade, she got her first lesson on the importance of government in people's lives.

Segregation ended that year in Wilmington where Bonds lived. When she became ill and had to miss a great deal of school her African American teacher Eva Williams, now 81, tutored her and saw that she could be promoted to second grade.

"She advocated for me before the school board," Bonds said. "She must have spent half of her very limited salary on me. That was my first look at dedicated public employees."

Today, Williams makes calls from her home in Wilmington to friends and relatives in the Triangle to help get Bonds elected to a seat in the N.C. House from District 39. She faces incumbent Darren Jackson in the May 4 Democratic primary.

"I do hope she will win - that people will see the good in her," said Willams. "She has mastered everything that she has done."

In 2002, Bonds became Knightdale's first woman mayor when she was appointed to take the place of Joe Bryan after he was elected as a Wake county commissioner. She was a Knightdale council member from 1994 to 2003. During her years on the council, she served as mayor pro tem from 1995 to 2002.

Born in 1962, Bonds graduated from John T. Hoggard High School, then went on to UNC where she earned a degree in economics and a graduate degree in public administration. She is married to Robert Alexander Bonds III. The couple lives in Knightdale.

While serving on the council, she was deputy director of the N.C. Administrative Office of the Courts where she worked with former Chief Justice Burley Mitchell.

"She did a fantastic job," said Mitchell. "She developed a great relationship with the leaders of both the Senate and the House. She was successful with getting us money for new technology and personnel. We were generally well-pleased."

Mitchell said Bonds was bright and creative, and juggled many responsibilities at the same time.

In the early 90s, Bonds worked in economic development for the N.C. Rural Center with Billy Ray Hall and former Gov. Bob Scott.

She is now managing two economic development non-profits in Farmville, consulting and doing pro bono work.

Bonds said bringing jobs to eastern Wake County got her into the race.

"That's one of the reasons I'm running," she said. "I haven't seen anyone represent our district who is economic development focused, a job creator. Our side of Wake County hasn't progressed like the other side of Wake County and we definitely have the work source to support it."

Bonds said eastern Wake County, with close access to I-95, I-264, N.C. 70 and I-40, is in a prime spot to be a manufacturing center for Research Triangle Park. "We are pretty well-positioned for manufacturing," she said. "Some of the R&D facilities in RTP have manufacturing facilities some place else, many times in less desirable places."

Bonds said state incentive money should be used to lure those companies to locate their manufacturing facilities here and to keep companies created from technology developed at Triangle universities in the state.

"Major products and processes invented at our own universities have left the state," she said. "We should look at incentive policies so that the technology commercialized in our state stays here."

Bonds says her work in economic development and state government will serve her well as a representative.

"State government is a complicated process, especially appropriations," she said. "The budget's complicated. I have the depth and breadth on the issues. I understand the budget and tax issues. That experience having worked that process -- I have a great understanding of how the (budget) process works - good, bad and ugly."

Bonds says she gets her energy from people.

"I'm passionate about issues and people - it's public service. I'm doing it for them. I'm a very responsive person. I can't stand to let a phone call or e-mail go unanswered. I'm going to be vocal. I'm a leader. I'm going to lead on ideas, and not just follow what someone else asked me to do."