Jeanne Bonds

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Jeanne Milliken Bonds (Jeanne Bonds) was the first female Mayor of Knightdale, NC. She was first appointed to the Town Council in 1994. She was elected Mayor Pro Tem in 1995, elected by the citizens in 1995; re-elected in 1999; and appointed Mayor in 2002 upon the election of Joe Bryan to the Wake County Commissioners.

Bonds is a native of Wilmington, NC and a graduate of the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, NC where she earned a degree in Economics and a graduate degree in Public Administration. While serving on the Town Council, she was Deputy Director of the NC Administrative Office of the Courts where she worked with NC Chief Justice Burley Mitchell. As Deputy Director of the state Administrative Office of the Courts and special assistant to Chief Justice Burley Mitchell, Bonds was able to convince state lawmakers to increase funding to the judiciary for more personnel and new equipment. She was the North Carolina recipient of the Henry Toll Fellowship in April 1997. The fellowship is offered through the Council of State Governments to 40 emerging state leaders each year. Bonds was chosen for serving in a statewide Courts leadership position and in a local elected position.

During her tenure on the Council, Bonds was active on the Finance Committee, Public Works Committee, Nominating Committee and Transportation Advisory Committee, CAMPO. Bonds was elected by her peers to the North Carolina League of Municipalities Board of Directors and served on the Finance Committee; Vice Chair, Policy Committee; and the Nominating Committee. She served on the Triangle J Council of Governments, Board of Directors; the Wake County Growth Management Commission; the Board of United Arts Council of Wake County and, was the liaison to the Chamber of Commerce throughout her time on the Council. She is a member of the Junior League of Raleigh. She created and led the first Economic Development Committee in Knightdale and held an Economic Development Forum, "All Roads Lead to Knightdale."

Bonds has been a federal and state lobbyist; strategic communications and community relations professional; development professional; and, economic developer for more than twenty years. She began lobbying Congress in 1985 at the age of 22 and was featured on the front page of USA Today in 1986 for her efforts on the 1986 Tax Reform Act on behalf of small oil and gas producers. Still active in politics, she has not announced a run for another office even though she has a support committee that has been encouraging her to do so.

See also: List of Mayors of Knightdale, North Carolina