An election is coming, an election is coming: Get ready, get set, vote

COMMENTARY – The Durham Municipal Election is rapidly approaching with 12 people vying for three city council seats and eight people hoping to become mayor.

Early voting for the municipal primary begins on Sept 21 and ends on Oct 7. The Oct. 10 primary will narrow the field of candidates for city council to six and mayor to two for the Nov 7 general election. Early voting for the general election begins Oct 19 and ends Nov 4.

Durham voters have a lot to consider before casting votes. These candidates for both city council and mayor are a mixture of present council members, former council members, candidates who tried before and lost and people unknown to most residents.

What is the average voter to do beyond gauging who to select based on campaign signs or the endorsement of their favorite political action committee? Most voters are detached from the working of city government beyond the fight recorded by WRAL-TV after a council meeting.

How do you pick from a group you barely know? Who do you trust when what matters most is discussed less than the personal battles defining the work of the city council?

Durham City Council elections take place every two years with the mayor on the ballot every election. At-large council seats are on the ballot this year. Terms for ward seats expire in 2025.

In 2021, voters overwhelming supported Elaine O’Neal to become Durham’s first Black woman to serve as mayor. Her win responded to a call to defund the police. Rev. Mark-Anthony Middleton and DeDreana Freeman were re-elected riding the coattail of O’Neal, a former district and superior court judge. Leonardo Williams, owner with his wife of Zweli, a Zimbabwean cuisine restaurant, defeated A.J. Williams, a 34-year-old community activist, by 300 votes. A.J. Williams lost despite loads of funding and the backing of Durham Beyond Police and Durham for All, grassroots coalitions effective in mobilizing a diverse community of younger residents.

The 2019 election centered Mayor Steve Schewel campaign for affordable housing against Farad Ali, a former member of the city council and CEO of The Institute for Minority Economic Development. Ali advocated for shared economic prosperity.

Jillian Johnson, Charlie Reece and Javiera Caballero, who replaced Schewel after he became mayor in 2017, joined forces to form the Bull City Together Platform as incumbents on the council. Ali endured criticism for his business connections while Johnson, Reece and Caballero were celebrated for promoting a progressive agenda.

History informs the context for the upcoming municipal election. If affordable housing and police funding are the narrative for the previous elections, what’s on the ballot this year?

Civility Matters

The shout heard around the Triangle measures the communal rage felt by many Durham voters. In March, allegations of malfeasance against Councilwoman Monique Holsey-Hyman during a work session carried over to Freeman accusing Mayor Pro Tempore Mark-Anthony Middle of bullying Black women and allegedly accidently striking Councilman Leonardo Williams in the face.

A lack of civility among members on the council impacted O’Neal’s decision not to pursue a second term as mayor. Bickering during council meetings lends credence to no current council member (Williams and Freeman are both campaigning to become mayor) having the ability to effectively facilitate council meetings.

Durham voters should consider the impact of a culture of incivility in voting for mayor. Who among the candidates processes the demeanor essential in managing a crowd of people with opposing perspectives?

It Takes Four Votes

Bearing in mind all the bad related to establishing a coalition like the 2017 Bull City Together Platform, the name of the game is winning four seats on the council. In Durham, the mayor is the symbolic head of the city and a member of the city council but has no executive authority. The city manager oversees the day-to-day operations and implements the policies and manages the budget approved by the council.

When casting your votes, consider how the positions and perspectives of each person align with the rest of the team. The work of the council is not the life of lone rangers. Ideally, they should build together in ways which reflect the general consensus of local residents. They represent voters, not their own views related to what it means to hold a position of power.

Each vote is an affirmation of a collective mission statement. It isn’t a popularity contest.  Each vote signifies how we, as a community, understand and support how infrastructural changes advance or impede the work of our city.

Growth or Slow it Down

Voters should ponder the consequences of growth. Are we building for the people who are coming, or is growth benefiting the people who are already here?

Are we positioning growth in celebration of what Durham has always been – an incredible city with a rich legacy of inclusive prosperity?

We are one of the homes of Black Wall Street - where dreams come true transcendent of race, gender, gender identity, place of origin, religion or past mistakes. Are we building for a future imbedded in the life, culture and witness of what brought us to Durham – what keeps us in Durham? Or, are members of the city council favoring zoning changes and other policies to entice and satisfy the desires of the people who aren’t here?

Before you vote, decide. What is your vision for Durham? Are you willing to accept more growth? If so, at what expense? Who wins when we keep building? Who loses when the growth results in an invasion of richer, white people with limited knowledge of why many people celebrate “Dirty Durham”.

They are welcome to come, but not at the risk of losing our happy home.

Shared Prosperity

Again, considering where we’ve been helps frame where we’re going. Voters rejected Farad Ali in 2017 due to his business connections. The claim that Ali and Joshua Gunn, a former Durham Chamber of Commerce executive and hip-hop recording artist who lost in a bid for city council in 2017, were too business centered missed the mark in fully understanding and affirming the goals of Black and Brown economic mobility and inclusion.

It is problematic to measure Black capitalism using the same constructs as white centered, institutionalized capitalism. Black capitalism is rooted from a place of survival for both individuals and a community massively impacted by the weaponizing of white centered capitalism.

They are not the same thing.

Ali called for the implementation and execution of strategies aimed at facilitating shared prosperity. If voters embrace continued growth coupled with ongoing gentrification, the widening of white versus Black and Brown economic disparity and shifting demographics reflective of more white and fewer Black and Brown residents, are we becoming a community different than what we’ve come to celebrate.

Voters should consider policies which protect our desired image. What is our community brand? How do votes by members of the city council assure the sharing of prosperity? Should we care?

A few things to consider as you prepare for the upcoming primary and subsequent general election.

Next up, a summary of the people running for mayor and city council.

 

The Streets at Southpoint expansion proposal is an example of shared economic prosperity

COMMENTARY– Brookfield Properties proposal to expand The Streets of Southpoint shifts the conversation related to economic development in a city overwhelmed by constant building.

This proposal is different. 

Brookfield Properties commitment to a goal of 40 percent minority involvement in the construction and the creation of a program to employ formally incarcerated individuals shifts public discourse back to the critical moment before affordable housing became the primary issue on the community agenda.

The proposal calls for a hotel with up to 200 rooms, a new apartment building with nearly 1,400 units and 300,000 square feet of office space.

Critics of the expansion address the need for affordable housing.

“The benefits are pretty clear in a lot of ways,” Nate Baker, a member of the Durham Planning Commission and candidate for city council, said after the commission voted against the rezoning plan. "We're taking a traditional mall and we're adding density and we're adding uses."

Members of the commission were inspired by the proposal to add transit and walking options.

“Hopefully, you create a community where people don’t need a car,” Austin Amandolia, a member of the commission told CBS-17 reporter Ben Bokum. “This is the type of development that us on the Planning Commission have often been calling for more of: mixed-used, walkable, dense communities instead of suburban sprawl.”

The debate now before the Durham City Council involves the tension between offering affordable housing and pressing a vision for shared economic prosperity.

Farad Ali, president and chief executive officer at Asocair, spoke like a prophet during his campaign to become Durham’s mayor in 2017.

“Durham is in a place where it’s pivoting and great things are happening,” Ali said in his concession speech. “A sense of prosperity is what we’re talking about sharing because there is prosperity. So, as we start talking about what’s going to go in Durham for the future, it’s important we understand how we maximize Durham’s assets. One is taking this economic development model that’s been working and saying, how do we also make more people involved so we can build community while we do economic development.”

An expanding affordable housing need overshadowed Ali’s “One Durham” platform. Steve Schewel defeated Ali with a platform to address affordable housing. Schewel proposed increased pressure on developers and a $95 million affordable housing bond.

Voters overwhelming voted in support of the housing bond. The goal to repair the aftermath of rapid gentrification failed miserably. Developers continue to cram buildings into spaces with limited conversation regarding shared prosperity.

The result is demeaning. Black and Brown people suffer consequences resulting from the failed promise of affordable housing. Black and Brown people rarely reap the benefits of a thriving economy fueled by commercial development.

The Brookfield Properties proposal is different. 

Sure, there’s $14 million in tax revenue making The Streets at Southpoint the largest property and sale tax generator in Durham County. There’s no questioning the long-term impact on Durham’s economy, but there’s more to this project.

This is how Durham should always conduct business. This is the Bull City, home of Black Wall Street and the Hayti Business District. Durham is the home of Black folk who rise to the top after years of brutal resistance. Yes, we tout the influence and power of Black elected officials. Yes, Durham is a safe place for anyone enamored with authentic diversity and inclusion. In Durham, we own all of that. Durham is the template for walking that walk and talking that talk.

It's what makes this conversation the unveiling of a sad reality. In Durham, we fail to honor our rich legacy in sharing economic prosperity. Black and Brown people aren’t reaping the gains of this booming economy. Our city council supports rezoning efforts without pressing the most critical question – how does this support Black and Brown people.

This is how we engage in local reparation efforts. How many minority businesses will benefit. Show me the numbers. Come back with real evidence proving you respect and honor the history and legacy of the Bull City. You can’t step in these streets without clearly understanding our pride.

The Brookfield Properties proposal is different.

I only hope it becomes standard practice versus an exception to the way we handle city business.

 

 

 

City Council member DeDreanna Freeman says she will always fight a bully

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Durham City Council member DeDreanna Freeman says her profanity-filled outburst after a recent city council meeting is her response to the actions of a bully.

 A reporter with WRAL recorded on camera an argument between Mayor Pro-Tem Mark-Anthony Middleton and Freeman after members of the city council discussed censuring Monique Holsey-Hyman for two alleged inappropriate actions.

“Get off of me, get off of me. This is how you treat Black women,” Freeman yells in an argument revealing deep hostility between the council members.

“Because I made her. Because I made her,” Middleton responds. 

“She can think for her fucking self, just like every single woman here” Freeman fights back in an exchange that has people wondering about what else happens behind closed doors.

“There will never be a time when I watch a person attempt to take a woman down and not say something,” Freeman said in an interview after the altercation. “If there was an investigation to prove a censure, I would be the first in front of the line, but when you accuse a person with no evidence, I will always defend a person.”

Holsey-Hyman is accused of offering support to a developer in exchange for a campaign donation. In a statement prepared before the reading of the resolution to censure Hosley-Hyman, Mayor Elaine O’Neal said the alleged action will be referred to state law enforcement and could lead to criminal consequences.

Councilwoman Jillian Johnson wrote and introduced a resolution to censure Holsey-Hyman for allegedly engaging a city staffer to work on her campaign. Middleton, Johnson, Leonardo Williams and Javier Caballero support the resolution.

O’Neal does not support the resolution.

“Last night, I did receive a draft of a resolution from a council person that had my name down as a signee. From my understanding, a resolution had never been signed and I ask that my name be removed from that resolution,” said O’Neal. “I also admonish anyone who uses my signature in a manner that I didn’t give you permission for to know you do not have permission to do that.”

Blurred lines and potential conflicts of interests

Holsey-Hyman often sides with O’Neal and Freeman against development proposals that require the approval of the city council. Freeman says the move to censure Holsey-Hyman is Middleton’s payback for refusing to follow his leadership.

“There’s something to be said about a group of people who call for social justice while refusing to protect the rights of a Black woman,” said Freeman. “They’re not looking for an actual investigation. They got what they wanted. They have four votes and pushed right through it.”

Freeman says a real investigation may require consideration of potential misconduct of every city council member.

“If they want an investigation. Investigate everything,” said Freeman. “I’m Ok with you censuring me. I’m gonna stand right here and support this Black woman.”

Middleton is rumored to be dating Karmisha Wallace, chief of staff in the city manager’s office. The allegation raises latent conflict of interest issues with profound implications related to the management of the city.

It matters that Johnson, a Black woman, wrote and read the proposed resolution to censure Holsey-Hyman. Freeman’s profanity-laced attack, combined with Middleton’s response, places Black women in the center of a conversation involving what it means to protect the hearts of Black women.

Is this a story about accountability or is this a story involving who manages power on the city council?

While at it, ask yourself, what does it mean to make a Black woman?

 

 

 

Same-Sex Union Ban: Not in Durham

I love the guts of Durham’s city council. As a collective voice they have proven an ability to do the right thing when doing so may create a backlash among voters.


On last week, they unanimously passed a resolution opposing a statewide referendum on a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage. Our gutsy council sent a message to the Republican-controlled legislature to stick a sock in it. The good folks in Durham, NC aren’t down with hating people and denying each citizen their constitutional rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.


Durham is not alone among municipalities in the Triangle opposing a constitutional amendment. Carrboro and Chapel Hill both offer domestic partner benefits and consent to couples registering as domestic partners. Mark Kleinschmidt, Mayor of Chapel Hill, is openly gay. Carrboro Alderwoman Lydia Lavelle and her partner Alicia Stemper, held a commitment ceremony and registered their union with the town.

An amendment to the state constitution could annul Durham’s domestic partners benefits. The resolution reaffirms the council’s dedication to the rights of those in same-sex partnerships. It states the city has shown "its commitment to making Durham a welcoming community for gay and lesbian residents by formally extending health care benefits to same sex domestic partners of city employees and with their legal dependents in 2002.”


While preparing for the Marry Durham ceremony in March, I heard the frustration of numerous same-sex couples who found it difficult to embrace the symbolic marriage to a city when they could not marry the person they love. I took great care to celebrate the love we have for the city while acknowledging the irritation among those who wanted the same rights as those in love with a person of the opposite sex.


That day was a celebration of the rich diversity and openness in Durham. Our local politicians showed up to makes vows to the city we love so much. “Today, we marry our city. In doing so we affirm our love for each other,” I said as the officiant of the ceremony. “Today, we marry each other. Beyond race. Beyond gender. Beyond class. Beyond sexual orientation. Beyond religion and all other declarations. For better and for worse. In times of economic strength and recession. We love you Durham and we love each person gathered to bear witness to our absolute love for all that makes our happy home.”

Close to 2,000 people took vows that day. They represented all segments of the city’s diverse population. Many serving on the city council honored those vows when they stood before me, Frank Stasio and Willie Bull. As corny as the event may have seemed to those who read about it the next day in the newspaper or saw the footage on the local news, we took those vows seriously. We embraced the men dressed in wedding dresses. Yes, the event was part gay pride, part Mardi Gras and part something no one has ever seen. It was a transformational moment in which those who made those vows committed to move past all language and politics of division.

The council’s vote affirms how seriously they stand behind those vows. It’s why so many, like me, love Durham so much. It’s why we wanted to marry the city. Sadly, not everyone feels the same. There are those who don’t fit in.

“You and the City Council have done it again with your opposition to a ban on gay marriage. This is the kind of thing that makes Durham the laughing stock of the area. You can't even run the city efficiently must less the state or the nation. You need to stick to concerns that are the business of the city. Do you really think that the state cares what the Durham City Council thinks,” Kenneth L. Hunt emailed Council Michael Woodard after the passage of the resolution.

“As one state congressman said with your opposition to Mexican matricula use for drivers licenses, ‘Those folks walk to the beat of a different drummer!" Do you really think that Arizona cares what the Durham City Council thinks of their laws on immigration? Most of Durham, including me, doesn't care what the council thinks. It just irks me that you think that you represent the opinions of the city and you certainly do not. You Mr. Woodard are a poor excuse for a representative of Durham. You represent the things that give this city a bad name all around the area. If God was going to give Durham an enema, he would stick it in Mike Woodard and the city council. You are a disgrace.”

Given Hunts usage of the enema imagery, its people like him, not Woodard and other members of the city council, who need to be flushed down the toilet. His rant is nothing but a load of crap, and in need of being extracted from public discourse. That’s why I waited to the end to even mention his dung. Flush it please before its stench invades the space we all enjoy.

Yes, I love the members of the city council. Today people can file to run for Mayor and city council this fall. I have one word for those who want to run. If you can’t take the vow we all took on March 19th, don’t waste your time. This is a loving community.

Find another city to spit your hatred.