Former Burlington Mayor Shane McCampbell rarely speaks without employing jokes as conjunctions.
But there were only tears and humility in his eyes Tuesday night (Jan. 21).
At a meeting of the Burlington City Council, a proclamation was issued honoring McCampbell as Burlington’s first African-American mayor, in conjunction with recognizing Martin Luther King Jr. Day from the day before.
That meant McCampbell’s name was on the same official proclamation as King’s, forever immortalized in the city archive.
It was a “heavy” moment for the full-time pastor, and McCampbell’s usual exuberance had been traded for gravitas at Tuesday's council meeting.
“I didn’t realize my name was going to be on the proclamation,” McCampbell said, his voice uncharacteristically soft and choked.
The former mayor’s gregarious nature foisted him into the local spotlight six years ago and kept him there. McCampbell’s term as mayor lasted from 2014 until the end of 2019, when he chose not to seek reelection.
In previous meetings shortly before his departure, McCampbell called for the younger generation to ascend to leadership roles.
“Whenever there’s been a first, that means there’s going to be a second (black mayor),” McCampbell said Tuesday night.