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Mayor Sharon Harker2025-02-06T18:00:10-05:00

Episode 5

Mayor Sharon Harker

Ground Breaker, History Maker, Mover and Shaker

Episode 5

Mayor Sharon Harker

Ground Breaker, History Maker, Mover and Shaker

We’re kicking off 2024 with a timely discussion about trust and how leaders earn it.

Join me in conversation with Beaufort Mayor Sharon Harker on getting involved, building connections, and voting every chance you get. In this episode, she talks about what concerned her when she ran for office, how she earned the trust of her constituents, and why your vote matters, among other things.

Listen to Episode 5

Catissa Head at her desk.

Learn more about the League of Women Voters of Carteret County and related topics mentioned in the episode.

Other organizations and programs mentioned in Episode 5

Inspired to make a difference in our community?

Explore opportunities to serve on one of Carteret County’s boards and committees Sharon mentions in Episode 5 and find other current vacancies in local leadership. For more details and to apply, visit the county’s boards and committees page.

Dancing Baristas Cafe

On March 20, Mayor Harker and her business partner Cookie Miron welcomed the Carteret County Chamber of Commerce and local coffee lovers to help celebrate one year in business. In Episode 5, join me at Dancing Baristas Cafe, where Sharon and I talked about local leadership over fresh, hot coffee in a cozy corner of the cafe. In the coming months, as the weather warms up, visit the Dancing Baristas in person for interactive movie nights, crafty family events, and, naturally, lots of opportunities to dance and enjoy fellowship with your favorite Beaufort friends and neighbors.

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This project is supported by the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, with administration by the Craven Arts Council & Gallery.

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Epic-Carteret Episode #:

A Conversation with [Name]:[something, something, something]

Transcribed by Autumn Ware with the help of Hindenburg Pro

Intro

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Heading

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Conclusion

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Epic-Carteret Episode 5:

A Conversation with Mayor Sharon Harker:
Mover and Shaker, Ground Breaker, History Maker

Transcribed by Autumn Ware with the help of Hindenburg Pro

Intro

Autumn (narration): Welcome to EPIC Carteret. I’m your host Autumn Ware. I’m a reformed recluse in a place that knows the secret of transforming strangers into neighbors. Join me as I explore what makes Carteret County such an extraordinary place to call home.

[music swells and fades]

Autumn (narration): In Season 1 of EPIC Carteret, I sat down with four dynamic locals who help make the Crystal Coast a vibrant community. We talked about qualities that create a healthy business ecosystem, about initiatives that support local learners, about celebrations that bring us together, and about how to meet the needs of vulnerable neighbors.

I met my first season guests – Tom, Amanda, Emily, and Sharon Harker – before EPIC was even a thing. In fact, it wouldn’t be a stretch to say they were my muses.

I did not know my first guest of Season 2, but everybody else did, and I heard all about her anytime I mentioned I was making a podcast on EPIC people in the area. She came recommended by friends, acquaintances, and even former EPIC guests.

Mayor Sharon Harker wasn’t just the people’s choice for my little podcast, though. The number of locals who turned out to vote for her in Beaufort’s mayoral race reflects her natural talent for motivating the community in a way that isn’t common among elected officials.

She has a gift for earning trust, and her leadership style is marked by civic energy. In this episode, Sharon discusses the importance of actively participating in your community whenever you’re able and voting every chance you get, among other things.

But let’s start with the meet-cute that led to Sharon marrying her Carteret County sweetheart Perry Harker and making Carteret County her home in the first place.

.

“We connected and then the rest was history.”

Sharon Harker: I am from New York, and I married a local, and I came to Carteret County because my mother remarried my stepfather who has family from Beaufort. And we used to visit in the eighties, early eighties on up, and my husband’s family were next door to my Aunt Emma Chadwick’s house. So when I came down, I was ten, and that’s when I first met him, and we all grew up and came back together just about every year.

One year my Aunt Emma was turning 100. She was the mother of the Church of Mount Zion, which is one of the oldest black churches in Beaufort, North Carolina. So we all had come down for that, and he was in town. He was, I think, a sophomore, maybe, at ECU, and I was a senior in high school, and we connected, and then the rest was history. We stayed together and got married and raised a family and moved back here.

[music swells and fades]

Autumn (narration): Studies show that the only thing more stressful than a wedding is a big move, so put yourself in young Sharon’s shoes: she’s a newlywed figuring out marriage and, then, parenting away from family and lifelong friends in a whole new hometown. What did she do to get the hang of it all?

“When I moved here, I had to learn my community.”

Sharon Harker: So when I moved here, I had to learn my community. I had to start all over again. It was very foreign for me. It’s difficult moving from your environment to another at a young age and then becoming a mother at the same time. A lot of change. So in order to do that, I just got involved. I did all sorts of things to learn this community. I even sold Electrolux vacuum cleaners door to door. I learned a lot about Carteret County then.

So when my son got old enough to go to school, then I got involved in that. He was there. I was going to be in there. So it was PTOs and whatever the classroom needed, volunteered every turn I could get, and that seemed to be very helpful, allowed me to get acclimated to what was going on and to meet some people because being an at-home parent can be a little isolating.

Autumn (narration): Oh, yes.

Sharon Harker: Yeah. So then all the children began to grow up, and I tried to figure out what I needed to do. I was into fitness at the time, and there was a place over at the W.S. King Building that was the Park and Rec for Morehead City. I met a friend who said, “Can you come over and teach this thing called step aerobics?”

I said, “You know what? I saw that on TV. Let me see if I can’t do that.”

So I started studying it, and I went over there and start teaching class for the seniors. I got paid 50 cent per class per person.

So that’s how I kind of got started. I met some amazing people and kept saying yes to a lot of opportunities. Did you want to do this? Sure, let’s do that. Do you want to do that? Sure, let’s do that. And along the way, I started building a village that I didn’t even realize that was coming together.

[music swells and fades]

Autumn (narration): Sharon’s involvement in the community allowed her to make lots of new friends, and those friends, in turn, introduced her to even more ways to engage. That’s how she found her way to the League of Women Voters of Carteret County, a nonpartisan, grassroots organization committed to enhancing voting rights and ensuring broad representation.

I love getting fresh information.

Sharon Harker: I had a friend who eventually said to me, “Will you come to the League of Women Voters meeting with me? It’s membership Drive Day.”

I said, “Sure, sure, I’ll go.”

And I was going really to appease her because she needed to bring some people. But when I got there, something happened. I began to like it. I said, Oh, well, this is pretty interesting.

The League would have key players and leaders come and speak to us. I was learning information firsthand, not after the fact or not after decisions were being made. I was getting it straight from the horse’s mouth, I guess you can say. And I love that. I love getting information fresh. You know anything about me like that. I started to get involved from that point on.

Autumn (narration): When challenges threatened the continuity of the local branch of the League, Sharon stepped up to lead the organization through the critical time. Despite facing difficulties and a dwindling membership, she saw it as an opportunity rather than a setback.

We’re going to get this back on track

Sharon Harker: They needed somebody to take over. And this was not probably a position that many people would have loved to take over: something that seems to be dialing down and having some issues. I saw it as a challenge.

I said, “Okay, all five of us (literally, that’s how many were left).” I said, “Okay, gang, we’re going to get this back on track.”

And they were, “Okay, okay, let’s do that.”

And we did. We wound up going from the 5 to 35 before the end of the year, and then the League had a conference that you can hold in different areas. I sought out an RFP for Carteret County to have that right here, and sure enough, we did. So we were making some moves and some trends, and I wound up serving on the State League board and started getting involved with legislators and things of that nature.

[music swells and fades]

Autumn (narration): We’ve already established that Sharon is a real go-getter, so it’ll come as no surprise to you that she didn’t rest on her laurels. The League had gotten her excited about the possibilities, and she wanted to encourage more women to get involved in leadership roles.

A woman should have a place in government because we see the world differently.

Sharon Harker: Well, then I put together a workshop called Putting Heels in Office – heels like in high heels, and it was all about the journey of women running for public office, which was a male-dominated field, and the support system that you’re going to have.

So when a man runs for office and there is a little baby at home, you don’t ask him how is he going to micromanage handling the baby. There’s a default that the woman’s going to do it, and you’re going to have your hands free to do whatever you want to.

But when a woman does it, there’s all sorts of questions. I also found out the questions mostly came from women. So how can you get past that barrier when you have the desire to serve your community?

[music swells and fades]

Autumn (narration): It would’ve been clear to anybody who knew her at the time that Sharon was 100% destined for public service. However, she wasn’t so sure initially. She was focused on other things: on her family, on strengthening the League of Women Voters, on encouraging other women through her Putting Heels in Office workshops. She’d also moved on from selling vacuum cleaners and teaching Silver Sneakers aerobics classes part-time to a full-time career in hospital administration at Carteret Health Care. Fortunately, her people were already planting the seeds for her future as an elected official.

There are times where you’re going to have that confidence, and then there’s times that you’re not.

Sharon Harker: Somebody came up to me and said, “You know what, I really think you should run for office.”

I’m like, “No, that’s not for me.”

I had a friend who ran for county commissioner, helped her with her campaign. She won. I had a friend run for county clerk. She won. My husband ran for school board, definitely helped with his campaign. And so I’ve seen the campaign world and what it was all about. And I’ve also seen the impact that these people made once they were elected. So I thought to myself, “Well, you know, maybe I could make a difference,” but I still wasn’t sure. There are times where you’re going to have that confidence, and then there’s times that you’re not.

[music swells and fades]

Autumn (narration): Never fear, listeners. We all know that eventually Sharon does embrace her fate, and if you’re anything like me, you’re going to love her origin story.

Not even a thought of being asked was really getting me a little hot around collar.

Sharon Harker: So funny enough, a friend came up to my husband and said, “Look, we are looking for someone to run for Beaufort Town Commissioner. We’d really love for you to run.”

My husband says, “Well, I’m already a county elected official on the school board, and education is what I love. So I found my calling. I don’t think I’m going to do that.”

I thought I had made somewhat of an impression in this community being the president of the League, won Woman of the Year. And I’m thinking, “Well, he didn’t even ask me. He just kind of bypassed me.”

And he sat there when my husband told him no. “So do you know anybody? Just anybody you can think of? Anybody. Is Garfield the cat available? You know, anybody you could think of?”

My husband kind of looked at me. He said, “No, I probably better not commit her.” Because he wasn’t sure that I would even think about that.

And then after the whole thing was said and done with, I was fuming. I was fuming. Not even a thought of being asked was really getting me a little hot around collar.

[music swells and fades]

Sharon Harker: A real good mentor of mine, her name was Joan Lampson, she said to me one year that she wanted me to run for office. She saw some potential I didn’t see. Sometimes people see things that you don’t. And I had to call her up. And I told her about this conversation.

She said, “You know, that means that you need to run right?”

I said, “Okay.”

So she gave me this book – now everything is online, but she has this book. And I took this book on how to run a campaign, I went out and bought a dress, I put my name in the hat, and the rest was history.

Autumn (narration): When Sharon says, “The rest was history,” she means it’s literal history. Her successful bids for Beaufort Commissioner in 2015 and 2019 led to her mayoral run in 2021, and she won by a landslide with 75% of the vote, making Sharon Harker the first African-American to ever serve as Mayor of Beaufort.

This was a statement of getting out there and breaking those barriers down.

Sharon Harker: When I was interviewed, the guy on TV said, “Well, you’ve just made history. You’re the first African-American to serve as a mayor of Beaufort.”

I said, “Well, yeah, that’s right.”

And it still took a while for it to sink in. It really did. The impact, the gravity of that statement, just did not sink in right away. And it’s still, sometimes, it’s surreal. When you Google my name, it’s like, “Oh my gosh, look, there it is.”

I don’t know. I still am, I’m still taken aback by little old me, like, you know, young girl from the projects in the Bronx of New York here in Beaufort, making history. That still, three years in, it still amazes me.

Nobody wakes up and thinks that they would be making a move that would be considered historic.

Sharon Harker: When I ran for office, that was not a goal of mine. I didn’t think about that. I know what race I am. That part I wasn’t totally oblivious to. But when I ran, I didn’t run thinking that was going to be a barrier for me because I’d been in this community a while, and I’ve made contacts and connections with people and relationships, not just connections, I’ve made relationships. And nothing about those relationships gave me the impression that, you know what, you’re a brown woman, you better not run or you’re going to be in a lot of trouble.

My biggest fear about running for mayor was time commitment. Could I do the job? I had a lot of questions about that, and I had to talk to my husband. I said, “I think I’m going to be a little busier than average.” Then I had to talk to my job, “I think I’m going to be a little busier than average.” And I had to talk to my grandchildren, “Grandma may not be around as much.”  I had to figure out that balance. That was my concern. And would I do a good job to serve the citizens of Beaufort?

[music swells and fades]

Autumn (narration): Mayor Harker won the 2021 election by a history-making mandate, and then she got right back to business, keeping office hours after her normal working hours to meet with constituents she hadn’t met during her door to door campaigning. These personal encounters allowed Sharon to put to use all of the skills she’s learned over the course of her career at Carteret Health Care.

That’s how I rock and roll

Sharon Harker: Being in the hospital setting, there are experiences I bring from that setting into my public servant world. You’re talking about dealing with lives and concerns and that fear of what’s going to happen to my loved one? Are you going to treat them well? Are you competent? That’s real stuff. You have to be able to listen, be that active listener, and be able to work with that family, to feel comfortable with what you’re about to do. That could be a really tall ask, but that’s kind of how I rock and roll.

[music swells and fades]

Autumn (narration): Sharon won people’s trust by listening. She won their confidence by responding with empathy, pragmatism, and ultimately, action.

I’m only human. Everybody else who’s elected is only human. I just try to do the best I can.

Sharon Harker: You want to be able to communicate with one another so that way the fear can kind of dissipate, and we’re all on the same team. And it’s a first step to action. They always want you to do something. That’s not the point, but that’s a first step to getting that action done because, believe it or not, they’ll give you that time to get it done.

I had somebody who came to me who had voiced their concerns to two or three different administrators and never got any word back. All she really wanted was to have somebody hear her concern. Whether you resolved it or not, that would have been a cherry on the cake.

Not only did I hear what she had to say, I took it to my town manager. I said, “This is her concern. What can we do? What can staff do?”

It was a ditch behind her house, so they went and cleared it out. I called her the next day. I said, “I hear they’re on their way.”

She said, “They’re out here now.”

I said, “That’s good timing.” And she was just tickled pink. Just tickled pink.

But the first thing that made her happy is that she had a venue to say something, and somebody was responding. That’s all she wanted, really, was a response. She wanted it clean, too, don’t get me wrong. But initially the response was the big, big thing that made her angry. Not the lack of the ditch being cleaned out, but the lack of response, and I’m only human. Everybody else who’s elected is only human. I just try to do the best I can.

Autumn (narration): I’ve fact-checked this. Apparently, she’s right. Elected officials are, indeed, only human, and they’re humans who spend a lot of time and money learning about their voters. Sharon emphasizes the importance of voters reciprocating by getting to know their leaders as well through local candidate forums like those held by the League of Women Voters. This mutual engagement can foster a governance based on earned respect and active participation.

So it’s all about educating and advocacy and and making sure that you are exercising your right to vote.

Sharon Harker: In a local arena, it is really important to know who you’re voting for. Because that’s where your impact is going to be felt initially right away. Whatever happens at the federal level, it may hit your state, it may not hit your state, it may not even hit your community. But at a local level, in your municipalities, when those tax rate changes, when the roads need to be done, where services need to be provided, that’s going to happen right away.

So you want to know those candidates and what they’re thinking, and you need to let them know what you’re thinking because they’re going to be representing you. So I think it’s really important to have that personal touch when you can in smaller cities like this, you can and maybe try to work through some of that negative campaigning that could be going on and talk to the person themselves.

[music swells and fades]

Autumn (narration): Of course, even the most epic communities may struggle with voter disenfranchisement and frustration when this ideal reciprocal relationship falters. That’s why it’s essential for both sides – voters and their elected public servants – to work together to avoid these pitfalls. So let’s get back to the League of Women Voters and how Sharon feels the organization helps to remedy this sense of powerlessness.

They don’t realize how important their vote is.

Sharon Harker: The League of Women Voters can go big or small, but this local League is really about advocacy and helping individuals understand the importance of voting, the process of voting, and then the candidates that you’re going to be voting for so that when you go to the polls, you feel more confident checking behind that name. So it’s all about educating and advocacy and making sure that you are exercising your right to vote.

We still find that there’s a lot of people that will come to us and say, “You know, my vote doesn’t count.”

It does count. But you’ve taken it off the table, so it won’t count because you’re not doing it. If individuals could really understand that campaign managers and those that are running for office, they look at numbers. They look at areas where their voters are not actually voting. They are looking at your vote.

[music swells and fades]

Autumn (narration): So what’s Mayor Harker’s advice to voters who are feeling politically disenfranchised or even just politically disinterested?

Sharon Harker: You know, a lot of times when people are angry, they fail to act because they’re just so mad. But if you want to come up and level that playing field, matter of fact, they’re the swing votes. They don’t realize how important their vote is. You can really make a change. And this whole landscape if you just got out there vote, and you vote every year. So it’s not a year that goes by that you’re not voting on something.

Autumn: Sharon’s journey from coordinating women voters and candidates to her own successful bid for elected office illustrates a much broader spectrum of community involvement for those of you who may be interested in doing more than just showing up at the polls each year. If you’re considering a future candidacy, the mayor has some advice on where to start.

Involvement could be anything.

Sharon Harker: I think getting involved in the community all the way around and just making those connections, I think would be a good start. A lot of the people who put their name in the hat in this recent election have been involved in the community in one shape, form, or fashion. If you feel like you’ve got a skill set, you can volunteer on a planning board: Board of Adjustment, Historic Preservation Commission Board or Park & Rec. Involvement could be anything. It could be a volunteer situation. We’ve got the Lions Club or Boys and Girls Club, volunteering time there.

Autumn (narration): If you’re feeling inspired by Sharon’s story to understand and engage in your community even more deeply, you’re not the only one. She’s already motivated others to shift from passive to more active participation, a crucial step anyone can take to foster a more vibrant, inclusive, and responsive community.

This was a statement of getting out there and breaking those barriers down.

Sharon Harker: When I ran for office as a woman, I ran for office because I knew my daughter was watching. I knew my daughter’s friends were watching; women were watching, in general, as to what I could do because I wanted to inspire other women to do the same thing, not necessarily run for office, but to do whatever you wanted to do. This was a statement of getting out there and breaking those barriers down.

There’s individuals who have run across the county that would not have run. And if my story had anything to do with it, I feel like I can just die right now happy. But you never know what kind of impact you ever have on anybody. Y know, you live long enough and somebody is going to have an impact by what you do and you may never see it.

I feel like I’m feeling blessed to be able to see some of that impact. And I love how it’s working out for people. It’s working out for people, and they’re feeling happy. And the happiness comes from being able to feel empowered to do it. And if you’re lucky enough to win at the end of it, whatever win looks like to you, that’s even better.

[music swells and fades]

Autumn (narration): But, Autumn, you may be saying, I’ve got kids, a job, all the things, and I hear you. So does Mayor Harker. She’s been there herself, and she has sage wisdom to share: do what you can with the time you have.

People support a world they help create

Sharon Harker: When you are trying to put food on the table pay that rent. It seems like you don’t have a lot of time except for the work to the three jobs. I’ve worked two jobs before, so I understand that these things come to you in time. This may not be the season for you, but know that it will come in time and hopefully this too shall pass. just get involved at whatever level is comfortable to you. When I first started getting involved, I had children so I couldn’t be everywhere, I had to do what I could do with the time that I had.

Autumn (narration): If you’re lucky, you’ll get more time to do more epic things, so don’t feel like you have to rush through parenting to get to your political career. Speaking as a mother, kids grow up fast, and there’s always another election season. Just imagine how proud Mayor Harker’s grandbabies are to see their grandmother in office.

Now it’s my time.

Sharon Harker: I share this experience with my family and they come down and they join in every bit of it. My daughter and son in law come to all the swearing ins. Anything that I do that’s big or speaking, they make the time to come down, particularly for my daughter. She’s well ahead of where I ever will be, and I worked hard to get her there, but she did all the work herself, actually, I just helped her get that opportunity and was her biggest cheerleader. Now she’s becoming mine.

Yeah. So it’s it’s really good to see that. And it makes me feel good, and it gives me that energy to drive to do more, so I’m not done. I’m 62. I’ll be 62 this year, and I just feel like I’m just getting started because I’ve given my life to my family for their growth and their benefit and did what I could to do for them. Now it’s my time.

[music swells and fades]

Autumn (narration): Sharon spent years earning the confidence of her community through PTO meetings, healthcare administration, and ultimately as an elected official. These days, she’s added a new hat to her collection: that of entrepreneur and restaurateur. She and her business partner Cookie Miron, a Beaufort-based artist and Zumba instructor, opened Dancing Baristas Café in 2023, and it’s already becoming a hub of social activity with interactive outdoor screenings of popular films, dance classes, and family-friendly craft camps.

Now that spring has sprung, it’s the perfect time to go hobnob with the mayor at her cozy coffee shop and café. I have it on good authority that she has an Easter bunny costume, and she’s not afraid to wear it.

Family Fun Days is one of my favorites.

Sharon Harker: Family Fun Days is one of my favorites. So we have yard games that are big-size games and things of that nature for families to come out, face painting. We try to make it a little bit bigger on some Sundays, particularly Easter or things of that nature. The Easter Bunny. I have the suit, so if you want to come see the mayor in an Easter bunny suit, come out to Dancing Baristas Café!

Autumn (narration): Leaders like Sharon are at the heart of thriving communities. Carteret County’s businesses and schools, the area’s epic festivals and celebrations as well as the public benefits when disaster strikes, all depend on elected officials who earn the trust of their constituents through genuine listening and purposeful action.

From her dedication in local governance to her efforts in encouraging active civic participation, Sharon’s story illustrates the impact of mutual respect, proactive participation, and the significant role each of us plays in building a community that’s not just vibrant but truly epic.

[music swells and fades]

Autumn (narration): In our next episode of EPIC Carteret, we’ll be thinking about the Crystal Coast’s rich natural bounty and how to sustain and share it.

Visit epic-carteret.com for links to all the organizations and programs mentioned on the Episode 5 show notes page.

You can also read essays and articles by local writers on The EPIC Blog.

Conclusion

Autumn (narration): Before we wrap up, I’d like to take a moment to extend my heartfelt thanks to those who made this episode possible:

  1. Thank you, Sharon, for making time in your busy schedule and thank you, Cookie, for making space for our EPIC interview in Dancing Baristas Cafe.
  2. Thank you to the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, for helping to fund this project, and to the Craven Arts Council & Gallery for providing grant opportunities to local artists.
  3. Thank you, Jack, my EPIC sound engineer and producer, for doing all the hard work.
  4. Last but by no means least, a big thank you to you, EPIC listeners, for celebrating this incredible county with us.

Stay tuned for more EPIC Carteret, and remember, if you’re curious to know what it takes to create an epic community, the answer may be you.

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