Getting the endorsement results from Durham political action committees is like watching a beauty contest. The winner is based on the eyes of the beholders. The political action committees want us to believe tremendous thought went into the process, but it often comes down to who best fits the swimming suit.
In
Durham, political action committees have ruled the outcome of elections. It’s
that truth that provoked my desire to play the endorsement game. While Durham’s
People Alliance and Durham Association of Educators tag team against the Durham
Committee on the Affairs of Black People, words like progressive, inclusion and
gentrification are used in a battle for the soul of the city. It’s hard to win when
the larger more financed groups join forces to offset the agenda of a group
formed to consider the affairs of Black people.
My
criterion for endorsement considers more than where people stand on the
political sphere. I’m bearing in mind my perception of what Durham residents
need most. Durham is damaged. Durham is broken due to contradictory ideologies.
Durham is fractured by divergent perspective regarding the role racism plays in
public policy decisions. The battles are intense, and Durham needs politicians capable
of modeling leadership that comprises more than the sentiments of the people on
their team. That’s how I see the bathing suit.
This
process has been grueling due to how deeply winning for the home team is imbedded
into local political culture. Most of the players are defined by the game. The fray
for political supremacy outweighs a measured approach to government. As difficult
as the task has been, my endorsements, and statements reflecting the rationale
behind these endorsements, reflects weeks of reading, hearing, and analyzing
hours of statements from candidates. It also contemplates Durham history and
recent events.
These
recommendations aren’t made in a vacuum. In considering the merits of service as
members of the city council, I’ve thought critically about how each candidate can
potentially hinder collective healing or move us beyond the chaos entrenched in
decades of political maneuvering.
Mayor
Seven
people are running for Mayor – Rebecca Harvard Barnes, Charlitta Burruss,
Javiera Caballero, Sabrina “Bree” Davis, Jahnmaud Lane, Elanie O’Neal and Daryl
Quick. I respect the rights of all citizens to participate in the electoral
process; however, five candidates are excluded based on their lack of
experience and perceived understanding regarding what the job entails.
Elaine
O’Neal and Javiera
Caballero are running on the strength of strong endorsements from former
Durham mayors. It was no surprise that William V. “Bill Bell, who served as mayor
for 16 years (2001-2017), endorsed O’Neal based on her long service as a judge
and dean of the North Carolina Central University Law School. Many residents
were disappointed when current Mayor Steve Schewel endorsed Caballero. Given
Schewel’s work and relationship with O’Neal, many assumed he would sit this one
out. The perception that Schewel’s endorsement is a slap in the face of Black
residents is based on his public support of Heidi Carter, and his tenure as a
former member and vice-chair of the Durham Board of Public Schools. Schewel’s
popularity as Durham’s mayor has been fraught with tension among some Black
residents who never embraced his leadership.
My
endorsement considers a trend that minimizes the integrity of the election
process. The previous two elections have ended with members of the city council
adding a new member. After Caballero replaced Schewel, Pierce Freelon replaced
Vernetta Alston after she was elected to replace Maryann Black in the state senate.
It
also matters that Caballero campaigned as part of the Jillian Johnson, Charlie
Reece team. The public perception related to the dangers of their collective
force significantly impacts my endorsement decision. Their vocal intrusion in
the affairs of the Board of County Commissioners and the Board of Education massively
impacts potential reconciliation after months of contention before and after
the termination of former Durham County Manager Wendell Davis.
On
February 19, 2010, Caballero released a statement endorsing Heidi Carter after
the leaked email from County Manager Wendell Davis. The healing of Durham demands
a critical gaze at how comments made by Caballero, Johnson, Reece and Schewel
are heard and felt by Black residents. The combined efforts of the city council
coalition energize a perception regarding a lack of sensitivity to the affairs
of Black citizens.
My
endorsement measures the valued work of Caballero as a member of the city
council. Her support of LA Pulguita de la Avondale, when there were efforts to
force vendors off the property, is significant and models inclusive governance
for other elected leaders. She stood in solidarity with Durham’s immigrant
community to block Senate Bill 101 and House Bill 62. Her leadership on the city
council in advocating on behalf of local artist speaks to the significant role
she plays in listening to and learning from citizens.
I
endorse O’Neal not because Caballero lacks the qualities of leadership
essential in service as mayor. My decision is based on: (1) concerns regarding
granting the city council authority to select her replacement after doing so
after the two previous elections., (2) Comments in support of Heidi Carter and the
termination of Wendell Davis that intensified racial hostility, and (3) apprehensions
among many residents that the block agenda of current and potential members of
the council will have implications regarding balanced governance.
My
endorsement of O’Neal considers her work as co-chair of Durham’s Racial Equity
Task Force. The recommendations of the task force have implications on the
management of both city and county government and offers a blueprint for
shifting the culture of hostility. O’Neal participation in constructing
antiracism procedures is best juxtaposed against the public actions of members
of the city council who placed themselves in the middle of an already
overwhelming hostile situation.
If
Durham residents truly honor the values on diversity, equity, and inclusion,
they will make Elaine O’Neal mayor while honoring and supporting the continued
work of Javiera Caballero as an at-large representative on the city council.
Together, work can be done to alter the perceptions keeping Durham entangled in
massive confusion.
Next
up: Ward 1
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