By Jessie Burchette
jburchette@salisburypost.com
EAST SPENCER ó A woman best known for her soul food business is a candidate for the East Spencer Board of Aldermen.
Rosa Marie Burris, 53, and her husband, John, operated Ma Burris’ Soul Food Takeout in Salisbury.
While in the restaurant business in Salisbury, she fell in love with the area and East Spencer.
She grew up in Charlotte and raised her family there. She continues to work in Charlotte as a technology analyst for Wachovia. She has worked for First Union and its successor, Wachovia for more than two decades.
A desire to have a house, a porch and a yard, led the family to move to North Shaver Street a year ago.
“It’s a beautiful little town,” she said, adding that it needs some cleaning up.
She’s never been to a meeting of the town board or visited town hall, but Burris is convinced she can make a difference.
She wants to reopen her restaurant in East Spencer. And she contends the town should reach out to the community and encourage more business to come.
Businesses will create jobs and provide the town’s youth a chance to get a job.
“This will keep many of the teens and young adults out of trouble,” she said. “It is also my desire to teach them they can make a difference in the community instead of being a problem.”
“We need to try and get the town renovated and cleaned up. I’m willing to do manual labor – do any type of labor to get the job done.”
She and her husband also operate a street ministry for Charlotte and the surrounding area. The ministry, Ambassadors for Christ Street Ministry, has worked to get drug addicts off the streets and into full-time jobs.
Burris said many of the ones that came from the streets are now assisting with reaching out to communities to encourage young men and women to improve their lifestyles.
Contact Jessie Burchette at 704-797-4254.