Howerton's strong leadership deserves another term as chairwoman

(Members of the Durham Board of County Commissioners: Brenda Howerton, Nida Alam, Nimasheena Burns, Heidi Carter and Wendy Jacobs)

COMMENTARY - Members of the Durham Board of County Commissioners will soon vote on their board chair. It’s hard to imagine not extending the services of Brenda Howerton.

The best way to describe Howerton’s work is heroic. Howerton, along with former chair Wendy Jacobs, resuscitated the life back into county government after the exit of former County Manager Wendell Davis. Together, they teamed up to rekindle confidence when the brutal back and forth reminded residents of stories involving the Hatfield and McCoy feud near the Kentucky side of Tug Fork.

Many residents forget the massive tug in the soul of local harmony after Davis accused a member of the board of acts and statements viewed as racist. Residents may remember the disgusting conduct that pitted members of the board against many Black citizens weary of the motives leading to the decision to end a Black man’s career in county government.

People reasoned Davis had to go for not being progressive enough for Durham. A member of the board of education derided his upscale attire. A member of the city council blasted that Black man for spewing a racist trope to degrade Davis.

Howerton stood alone in support of former County Attorney Lowell Siler’s recommendation to employ the services of The Robert Bobb Group, a minority-owned national consulting firm, to help Durham County wiggle out of the mess created by members of the board. Nimasheenda Burns, the other Black woman on the board, sided with those critics and her colleagues on the commission incensed by Bobbs time as an appointed Emergency Financial Manager of the Detroit Public Schools between 2009-2011.

Siler seemed humiliated during the virtual meeting questioning both his leadership and judgement. That moment ended Siler’s public service as county attorney after a stroke. Siler died on Sept. 8.

The board never received the type of consulting recommended by Siler, The International City/County Management Association and the independent investigator hired by the county to consider the actions of both Davis and a member of the board.

Durham County endured the impact of Covid-19. The board faced challenges after members of the Durham County employees racial equity core committee made demands of the board following the end of Davis’s contract.

Members of the Government Alliance on Race and Equity (GARE) cohort outlined a strategy that includes: (1) board members attending racial equity training, (2) improved interpersonal relationships on the board, (3) request that the board “employ racial equity tools to its future decision making processes and future moves to add a racial equity directive as a high level, guiding principle to each of County Government’s five strategic plan goal areas, in order to avoid disparate impacts among not only its managers, but its employees and citizens”, and (4) request that the board engage in an open town hall to address inequity and race relations in Durham and in Durham County Government.”

Durham had to replace its county manager during a time of extreme hostility. Members of the board faced the lingering effects related to the loss of their competent and popular county attorney. The board faced challenges from a community divided on the budget for public education.

Howerton provided strong and consistent leadership. Jacobs relinquished her role as board chair to support Howerton in ways that model unity. Both deserve recognition for shifting the culture within both county government and in Durham County.

We’ve come a long way since the last election. As residents consider the slate of candidates who will file for office over the next 30 days, keep your eyes on who the commissioner selects as the chair.

I seriously recommend staying on track. The Durham locomotive is headed in the right direction thanks to Howerton and Jacobs.

All in favor say Aye

9.19 Durham Native Day is about being seen and heard

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DONALD HUGHES DECIDED to organize 9.19 Durham Natives Day in response to growing concerns among people born and raised in the Bull City.

“The history of Black folks who literally bled to make Durham equitable matters,” Hughes posted September 5, 2021, on his Facebook page. “There would be no progressive Durham for white liberals to enjoy and gentrify without the toiling of Black folks who were born here.”

9.19 Durham Natives Day kicked off with a photoshoot in front of the Downtown Durham Public Library. The newly renovated state of the art facility is the perfect location to honor the contributions of men and women born in Durham. Forty-two people wore t-shirts naming their pride in Durham. Fifteen attendees under the age of 16 prompted messages about the future.

“I’m so glad to see these young people here,” Brenda Howerton, chair of the Durham County Board of County Commissioners, said. “We are here because of you.”

Howerton was among the few in the crowd not born in Durham. She moved to Durham in 1986 and has been active in local politics for more than 20 years.

“I’m here because I’ve seen people without relationships with Durham residents claim the right to speak on their behalf,” Howerton said. “I’m not from Durham, but I do my best to listen to people born in Durham.”

Leonardo Williams was named Durham Teacher of the Year twice. He shared the heartbreaking story of a call he received from one of his employees.

“He told me he was coming to work, but didn’t know if he would offer much,” Williams said. “His brother was killed in the shooting last night at NCCU.”

There was a sadness reflective of doing his best to make a difference. Williams’ brother spent time in prison. After his release, it was difficult for him to find work. Williams uses Zweli's, the restaurant he owns with his wife, to employ formerly incarcerated men and women.

Elaine O’Neal talked about life in Durham before gentrification altered the lives of Black and Brown people. The candidate for mayor has been busy listening to the concerns of Durham residents. She has successfully garnered support from local Brown residents who say Javiera Caballero is supported by state and national Latina groups with limited ties to Durham.

A.J. Williams, a candidate for Ward 3 City Council, says he’s a fourth generation Durham native.  He stood beside the other Williams competing for the same seat. Their mutual respect suggests something much deeper than a desire to win a local election.

The moment was about being seen and heard. It was a celebration of the city that gave birth to the dreams of Black and Brown residents. It was a critical response to the political rhetoric dismissive of the people who watched Durham thrive and fall apart after a blitz of outsiders with their own agenda.

“That’s why you should give a shit when someone says I was born and raised in Durham,” Hughes posted on his Facebook page.

It’s a message for the people who run for political office after living in Durham for less than five years. It’s a rebuke to the people who disregard what Durham was like before they arrived.

The people in the picture have witnessed both good and bad days. Many remember school merger and the Duke Lacrosse Rape scandal. They remember the heated debate to downsize the city council, and the pain after the death of Shaquana Atwater, who was killed three days short of her third birthday while sitting on the porch with her mother.

They remember the march to Few Gardens after Atwater’s death. They remember the moans and tears.

Howerton was one of the people in the crowd that day in 1998. She was grieving the death of her two sons - Lamont and Darryl. Howerton wasn’t born in Durham, but she has experienced enough to understand the pain.

The picture is only the first step in celebrating 9.19 Durham Natives Day.

“As Durham continues to grow, we recognize that this growth comes with some natural pains,” the announcement on the event page states. “Durham natives are seeing the city we love so much become so distant and foreign to us. From the lack of affordable housing to neighborhoods that seemingly discard our history to downtown that is unrecognizable, we just want our city to not leave us behind as it continues to change.”

We see you. We hear you.

 

Don't make me run for office!

The video of the four-year old crying conveyed how I feel.  “I’m tired of all the fighting between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney,” the precious girl stated on CNN.  The tears forced many to ask why a four-year old would be so emotional about an election.

It’s enough to make all of us cry.  This election has unveiled a pitiful display of conduct that forfeits the things we try to teach our children.  We forget the babies are watching.  Young folks have sense enough to know when we’re not practicing what we preach.

Civility has been thrown out the window.  Forget about being honest.  In the game of politics we are teaching our children lessons that contradict everything we claim as central in defining strong character.  We are teaching them how important it is to win.  We are teaching them to win at all cost, and that lesson will come back and bite us in the rear end.

Children are listening as their parents relate their hate for a candidate.  Yes, they are listening to racist garbage related to immigration, stereotypes involving people who receive food stamps, and assumptions regarding women who need an abortion.  Our children sit in church as ministers spew homophobic hate. Yes, the babies are listening.

They watch attack ads aimed at convincing voters the opposition has an evil agenda.  We teach our children to honor sportsmanship, to respect others and to do onto others as you would have others do onto you.  What happened to all that teaching? 

What are we teaching our children?  Does anyone care?  Is the war more important than the children God has given us to teach? 

Where are the politicians who care about the children?  Is it more important to prove you are right by revealing the wrong in others?  Where is the compromise?  Where is the respect for alternative views?  Where are the people who care more about what we leave behind than their getting elected to office?

This is not a boxing match.  So, I’m calling for a cease fire among those running for local office.  This war has to stop.  The children are watching.  Your behavior is juvenile. Stop it NOW!

Are you listening?

For those who missed it, the Herald-Sun reported that officials from the County Board of Elections were forced to call a meeting to warn local political leaders to put a stop to recent instances of disorder among campaign workers at Durham early voting cites.

Carol Anderson, board chairwoman, was forced to tell those present to “remember the golden rule and remember what your mother taught you.”  Help me understand why voters should trust this group of politicians to do the right thing when they can’t abide by the lessons they should have learned before they entered the first grade.

The fighting is reflected in the back and forth bickering that shows up in the newspaper almost every day.  These tattle tales have spent too much time consumed with their competitions campaign spending and who gets paid to work the polls.  I’m tired of the fighting.  It says something about the character of those running when they are overly consumed with things other than the strategy of their enemy. 

According to the report in the Herald-Sun, competing campaigners got into a fight that required police intervention.  Another incident was reported regarding the harassment of patrons of a county library by poll workers in the parking lot.

Those called in for the meeting included the heads of the county Democratic and Republican parties, Milo Pyne and Tom Miller of The People’s Alliance and Keith Bishop of the Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People.  Omar Beasley, Brenda Howerton, Wendy Jacobs and Ellen Reckhow – County Commissioners contenders – attended the meeting.  State Rep. Larry Hall, County Library board Chairman Allan Lang, Jacobs campaign manager Jackie Brown, T.E. Austin and Lorisa Seibel also attended the meeting.

Most troubling is what is fueling the fight.  It isn’t the clash between Obama and Romney that has campaign workers going after one another and those who vote for someone else.  The fight is over the Board of County Commissioners.  This election has exposed what we can look forward to after all the smoke settles.  We can expect a fight, and Durham deserve much better than this!

So, this I my warning to all of you – Reckow, Page, Howerton, Jacobs, Foster and Beasley –stop fighting and start serving.  Get it together fast.

Don’t make the Rev-elution mad! If you do, I may trade my pen for my name on a campaign sign. God knows I’m trying to find a home in another state, but I love Durham too much to watch people fight like children on a playground.

Voters deserve better than your childish ways.

Fix it!

Durham's People Alliance fails the fact check

We come to expect negative messages during campaign season.  Those who vote can’t assume everything they hear is true.  The truth is twisted in a way that makes it seem plausible.  We’ve come to expect this from candidates, but not from political action committees.

Durham’s People’s Alliance is tragically misinforming local voters on the position of two candidates for the Board of County Commissioners. Their endorsement sheet and website indicates that Michael Page, Brenda Howerton and Omar Beasley can’t be trusted in protecting the rights of gays and lesbians.  The attack against Beasley lacks any clear evidence to support the PA’s view, and their stance on Howerton fails to consider what she has stated.

Beasley was a strong opponent of Amendment One, and supports his sister who is a lesbian involved in a domestic partnership.  “How could I do anything that would go against my own sister,” Beasley says.

Beasley’s sister is Melody Wilkerson. She and her partner Kifu Faruq co-founded Greenspace Initiatives.  Faruq is known around Durham as the owner of Kukia’s Cookies, those wonderful vegan/organic treats, and recently became a columnist for The Durham News.  Wilkerson and Faruq are strong supporters of Beasley and are leading the charge for gay rights awareness in the black community. 

The PA has unfairly lumped Beasley in the same camp as Page and Howerton.  They assume a pro-751 agenda, something that Beasley has not stated, and his being weak in supporting gay rights.  Beasley’s position on 751 is to give him the chance to do what those on the commission were granted, a chance to explore all angles.  Beasley shouldn’t be blamed for a project he didn’t create.  His role, if elected, will be to maneuver around what has been decided.  He shouldn’t be expected to campaign on a record that isn’t his to own; thi]us, the PA is unfair in forcing candidate to take that position.

Taking a position against Beasely based on 751 is one thing, making assumptions on his stance on gay rights is offensive. It’s simply a lie

The same can be said about Howerton.  The truth is Howerton took a strong position against Amendment One.  “It hits too close to home when you start discriminating against any people,” Howerton was quoted in the Herald-Sun.

The PA’s attack against Michael Page may be warranted, but should be understood within the complex context Page brings to the Board of County Commissioners.  As a pastor, Amendment One presented Page a dilemma that is hard for those standing on the outside of the black church to understand. 

Page never supported the amendment to define marriage as a bond between a man and a woman, but he didn’t stand in opposition.  To his credit, Page did bring a symbolic resolution before the board to reflect the group’s opposition.  That resolution was strapped when GOP activist Dick Ford challenged the legality of the resolution.

The antics displayed by the PA have caused significant damage to race relations in Durham, NC.  At the heart of the matter are assumptions made devoid of clear dialogue with those who seek public office.  The recent actions of the PA are insulting to those running for the Board of County Commissioners.  It’s the type of maneuvering one can expect among candidates, but political action committees should avoid comments rooted in assumptions.

Omar Beasley deserves an apology for being labeled one who can’t be trusted for protecting gay rights.  It’s a lie that must be corrected.

If you don’t believe me, ask his sister.

Wanted: Five New Commissioners for Durham

Finally, our local Board of County Commissioners has proven they can compromise. After months of internal fighting, Joe Bowser decided to take a walk on the side of the street where sane people travel. He did the right thing by casting a vote for Pam Karriker to assume the seat vacated by the early exit of Becky Heron.

True to her uncompromising posture, Ellen Reckhow cast a dissenting vote remaining true to her claim that she would stand behind Wendy Jacobs until the ship sank. The remaining three Commissioners decided that cooperation meant more than personal agendas and opinions. At the end of the day, what mattered most is putting an end to the public image that the board needs group therapy.

It’s sad that Reckhow was unable to cast that last vote as a statement of board solidarity. As it stands, the local political climate resembles the war among politicians in DC. The hostilities among the Democrats and Republicans elected to serve us can be understood due to political ideological differences. This local muddle of indifference is harder to justify due to the common political affiliation of those who serve on the board. They are all Democrats.

To his credit, Bowser took the high road by compromising. To her fault, Reckhow placed her personal agenda above what the community needed to witness. For those standing outside the power strains of Durham’s political system, selecting a replacement to the board meant more than what the People’s Alliance, The Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People or any of the other PACs in Durham desired. It meant more than what Heron wanted in a replacement. Durham’s citizens deserve from their local politicians the same as they require from those who serve in office beyond a local concern. We desire politicians able to compromise when needed.

Reckhow’s dissenting vote exposed a weakness that voters should consider in the next election. There is no place for stubbornness in political office. This is not a place to stand by a promise made to a former Commissioner. The public needs unity and that last vote would have gone a long way to dispel the tension that has wrecked the reputation of the board.

All of the Commission members have tough questions to answer leading into the next election. It is the Rev-elution’s contention that Durham deserves a new set of leaders to serve this community. Yes, it may be time to replace all five members of the board with a group able to move past the inconsistent leadership that has fractured this group of misfits.

The good news is a strong cluster of candidates has emerged from this process. Hampton Delinger stands out among a group of highly qualified people willing to serve. Anita Daniels, who I can vouch for as a person of integrity, and Wendy Jacobs join Denlinger as serious contenders to the post. That’s three out of five. Any takers on the final two slots?

Citizens have a right to demand better from those we elect. If they can’t get along, and they have proven they can’t, get them out! Replace them with a group committed to making decisions best for the masses.

Again, anyone else willing to serve?