Rashid Burney arrived in Chicago, Illinois in 1979 as a wide-eyed and eager student with just a single suitcase of clothing and $1,000 in his pocket (half of which went to towards the first term’s tuition). He had fulfilled one of his childhood dreams of going to America – the land of freedom and opportunity. On the second day here, he took the only job that was available to him – cleaning classrooms in pre-dawn hours and then went to class. Rashid paid for 100% of his education through after-school work.

He graduated from the University of Illinois Chicago Circle with a Bachelors degree in Quantitative Methods and was eventually hired by AT&T. On weekends, he went onto mentor and tutor inner city kids. Rashid had learned that in America everyone had a responsibility to give back to the community.

Nineteen years later, Rashid moved to Plainfield – a move that would prove to be more than just a business transfer. He fell in love with the city and a very special lady, Wendy (Evans) Doré, a Plainfield-born realtor. Rashid had finally found a place he would call home. He immediately became involved in Plainfield community life. He is proud of his service to the community:

• A proud Democrat, Rashid is the Second Ward leader of the Plainfield Democratic City Committee. In the General Election campaign of 2004, he co-chaired the citywide voter registration drive, supported the John Kerry campaign by conducting swing-voter outreach as well as contributing financially.

• He led the community outreach program of the Plainfield’s Historic Preservation Commission, He created informational materials and organized public hearings on its effect on homeowners.
  
• As a member of the Plainfield Zoning Board of Adjustment, Rashid has been an advocate for the protection and adherence to the city’s Master Plan.

• As a member of the Board of Directors of Preservation New Jersey, the prestigious statewide organization, Rashid has been fighting for expansion of local service programs to assist communities like Plainfield.

• He is always a willing volunteer for many local organizations. He has not only donated financially, given generously of his time but has even opened his home for numerous charity fund-raisers which have resulting in raising thousands of dollars for groups like the Historical Society of Plainfield and the Plainfield Symphony.

Professionally, Rashid has risen from an internal Sales Specialist to a Senior International Product Manager at AT&T. He is responsible for a product line that generates over $100 million annually and supervises 17 people on his staff. He earned a mini-MBA certificate in Finance from the AT&T School of Business and Wharton University.

Rashid Burney has the experience, knowledge and above all, the dedication to serve the residents of Plainfield’s Second and Third wards on the Plainfield City Council.

A Message from the Friends of Rashid Burney