Two NCCU Students Are Among 18 Candidates For Durham City Council

By: Kamya Cooper

Campus Echo Online

The five candidates for Durham mayor and the 13 candidates for three city council seats are in the last weeks of their campaign, pitching to voters their ideas on housing affordability, education, public safety and economic development improvements.

Most candidates appeared before an audience of hundreds at Durham’s Hayti Heritage Center for a forum co-hosted by The Democratic Women of Durham on Sept. 3.

Mayor Leonardo Williams, seeking his second term, told the audience that leadership requires making tough decisions for Durham.

“Leadership is powered by courage. You don’t govern based on fear or to please everyone. You govern for the best interest of the entire community,” Williams said.

Leonardo Williams was first elected to the Durham City Council in 2021 before being elected mayor in 2023. The former educator and restaurant owner of Zwelli’s Kitchen touts the campaign slogan is “Durham is dope—because of us,” highlighting the role of Durham residents in the city’s success.

Williams’ opponents—Anjanee Bell, Lloyd Phillips, Pablo Friedmann and Rafiq Zaidi—were also in attendance. Angel Reddick, another mayoral candidate, did not attend.

Housing affordability was a major point of discussion, acknowledging the difficulties many Durham residents face in finding safe, reasonably priced homes. The median rent in Durham is $1,415, $170 more than the median rent in North Carolina.

Housing expenses in Durham are about two percent higher than the national average, with monthly costs averaging $2,231 according to Raleigh Realty.

“Affordable housing is important, but we also need to think about affordable living,” Williams said.

“Progress is only good only if there’s progress for all,” Lloyd Phillips said.

He noted that roughly one in five homes in Durham are owned by investors. WRAL Techwire reported the same statistic in 2022.

The candidates also discussed ways to improve educational opportunities like afterschool programs and investing in educational opportunities.

“We have more than enough resources in our community for our kids, but we need the political will, the parental will, to make sure they’re involved in these programs,” Williams said.

Pablo Friedmann, director of Durham Public School’s Multilingual Resource Center, said that he acknowledges the severity of issues regarding limited resources.

“I see the day-to-day impacts on a daily basis when families come in and apply and we have to tell them the unfortunate news that they’re on the wait list,” Friedmann said.

Anjanee Bell, Arts Administrator with the state of North Carolina and an NCCU alumna, said that many after-school and art programs come with costs that stretch families’ budgets. Bell is the daughter of William Bell, Durham’s longest-serving mayor and a NCCU board of trustees member.

Friedman said that equitable tax contributions from large property owners could fund more recreational centers and support school childcare programs.

Durham resident Lynn Stewart said that she has recently become more engaged in local politics and wants to take the municipal elections seriously this time.

“I want to see someone who is going to be supportive of a very diverse city,” Stewart told Campus Echo.

Durant Long, an undergraduate NCCU student, is running for Durham City Council to represent Ward 3. Long shared emphasized the need for prioritizing citizens when considering housing issues.

“We need to always put the needs of the citizens first. I don’t believe that developers have needs,” Long said.

The discussion also included City Council candidates from Ward 1, including incumbent DeDreana Freeman, Andrea Cazales, Elijah King and Matt Kopac, who all spoke about housing affordability, climate resilience, and equity in city planning.

Freeman, an NCCU alumna, said that Durham’s resilience efforts must focus on equity and called the housing system “racist.” Affordable housing should be paired with other aspects like transportation and housing, she said.

Voters can cast their ballots in the Durham municipal primary election on Oct. 7. Early voting begins Sept. 17 and ends Oct. 4. The general election is Nov. 4.