Six seek to succeed Bell as Durham mayor

For the first time in 16 years, Bill Bell's name won't be on the ballot for Durham mayor this fall. The eight-term mayor decided not to run for re-election, opening up the field to six people who want to succeed him as leader of the Bull City.

City Councilman Steve Schewel, businessman and former Councilman Farad Ali, professor and musician Pierce Freelon, minister Rev. Sylvester Williams, small-business owner Shea Ramirez and retired police officer Tracy Drinker are competing in the Oct. 10 mayoral primary, with the top two finishers advancing to the Nov. 7 election.

Poverty and the disparity in growth between downtown and other parts of Durham are common issues among the candidates.

"Growth in Durham has been uneven, and what we want to do is we want to look at those who have been neglected," Williams said. "We’ve seen wonderful growth in downtown Durham, but the rest of Durham has been lacking in growth."

"Durham needs to flourish for everybody. The big question in front of us is, will the city we love be a city for all?" Schewel said.

Providing more affordable housing in Durham is a key element of easing that disparity, several candidates said.

"We have allowed the developers to come in and pretty much run our city, but Durham is vibrant and growing, and we need to have the upper hand," Ramirez said. "We need to tell the developers what they need to do because they are already going to want to come here because the city is already growing."

Some said the issues go beyond housing to overall poverty and a lack of jobs that provide a livable wage.

"We need to nip this in the bud by addressing poverty and providing jobs for people so they can afford to live where they choose, so they can afford to put a roof over their head, a warm meal on the table, make sure their kids are educated and find a pathway out of generational poverty," Freelon said. "If we deal with poverty, we’ll deal with affordable housing."

"The only way you solve for poverty is really jobs, providing people dignity and the opportunity to earn an income for them to grow and make their family situations better," Ali said.

"Right now, we have this incentive to develop downtown," Williams said. "(If) we place those same incentives in the five corridors in Durham, you could find jobs being created there. If folks have jobs, they’re more likely to stay in their homes."

Poverty also plays into crime in Durham, candidates said, but some said they are encouraged by the efforts of Police Chief C.J. Davis.

"I’m so impressed with Chief Davis and her changing the culture of the police department around being community-policing focused," Ali said.

"We have to be able to make sure that we’re fighting the gun violence that is real, and especially in communities of color, where we need the policing that will help us do that," Schewel said. "We also need to make sure that the policing we do is never discriminatory and never racially profiles. We need to be able to do both of those things."

"You got a job, a place to sleep, your streets are going to be more safe," Freelon said.

"Crime is a huge issue, and it’s mostly coming from the youth. They are displaced. They are hurting. We need to address them. We need to focus on uplifting them," Ramirez said. "If we see a kid going the opposite way, we have to pull them to the side and just talk to them, because all these kids want is love. They want somebody to care about them."

Drinker likewise said Durham "are in need of someone who cares about the needs of many." He said he wants to promote unity in the city.

"We can do this together. I know we can because I've worked in our communities and schools extensively for 17 years and gained the trust of many," Drinker said.

Although he's still on the ballot, a seventh mayoral candidate, Michael Johnson, has dropped out of the race.