Pierce Freelon's selection as a member of the Durham City Council raises questions of rigged process

Pierce Freelon finally got his wishes.

After unsuccessfully running for mayor, placing his name in the hat for the mayor’s vacant city council seat and losing his bid to become a state senator, Freelon has won the right to serve on the City Council. 

Freelon’s placement on the council is one filled with allegation of back room deals made possible by costly endorsements. When Freelon endorsed Mayor Steve Schewel over Farad Ali, a Black man, after he was defeated in the primary, many people whispered foul play. It got worse when Freelon endorsed Javiera Caballero over his long-time friend, and hip-hip comrade, Joshua Gunn for City Council. 

The endorsement of Caballero came with a passionate nod of support for Jillian Johnson and Charlie Reese who ran their campaign as a “Bull City Together” bloc. They won with a campaign pledge to work toward a “unified vision for the future of the city of Durham.” 

When all votes were tallied in the race for city council, little over 1,200 votes separated Gunn from Johnson, the top finisher, and he was only 206 votes short of defeating Caballero, who finished third. In Durham’s at-large city council elections, the top three vote getters win seats. 

Freelon's decision to run for City Council plays out like a house of cards made before Vernetta Alston resigned her city council seat after being elected to the North Carolina House of Representatives. Mark-Anthony Middleton questioned Freelon moving into the district shortly after missing out on his chance to become a State Senator. 

Omar Beasley, chair of the Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People, challenged the legitimacy of the process.

“We are satisfied with the qualifications of the candidates,” Beasley wrote in a letter submitted to members of the City Council. “We also see, however, a block voting strategy developing on the City Council. It is our perception that the “Bull City Together” council members Jillian Johnson, Charlie Reece and Javiera Caballero will pool their votes to fill this seat with a dependable and deciding fourth vote on the City Council. We will not participate in such a rigged process.” 

There are question involving how Freelon will lean as a member of the City Council. Will his pro-Black agenda sway him in the direction of council members DeDreanna Freeman and Mark-Anthony Middleton, the two Black members who voted for Anita Daniels-Kenney to become a member of the City Council, or will he stand with members of the “Bull City Together” team? 

There’s no way of determining how Freelon got here. Was it a gift for endorsing the four members of the City Council who voted for him, or did Freelon win based on his merit? There were numerous worthy candidates. Freelon is among them. The lingering question involves the price he must pay for the right to serve Durham citizens. 

Anita Daniels-Kenney used to tell me “integrity is what you do when no one is watching.” Something tells me we’re about to see that play out in real time over the next 7 months. Getting there is part of the game. Staying there is a lesson involving integrity. 

Freelon finally got his wish. 

I pray his wish is not their command.