Change is coming to local leadership in Durham

City Manager Wanda Page is in the latter stages of selecting a new police chief. The process is already behind schedule by a couple of weeks, and it's unclear whether more than one finalist will be publicly announced later this month.

Meanwhile, the Durham County Board of Commissioners is just beginning its search for a new county manager. The opening won't even be posted for potential candidates until Oct. 21.

"A lot of change doesn’t worry me. That’s not something that frightens me," Durham resident Ariela Marcus-Sells said.

Marcus-Sells and some other residents said they see changeover at the top levels locally as an opportunity to address pressing issues in Durham, from gun violence to affordable housing.

"It seems like an opportunity to have new people with new ideas come in and, hopefully, move us in new and exciting directions," Marcus-Sells said.

"Durham is a place where there are a lot of really smart people who want to put their smarts to work for the good of the community," resident Melissa Malkin-Weber said. "That’s one of my favorite things about Durham. We’re going to end up in good hands."

Tammie Goodman, whose son was kidnapped almost three years ago and is believed to be dead, said making Durham safer is a responsibility of all elected leaders, not just the appointed police chief.

"We do need some fresh eyes on the crime in Durham – somebody else that can take it a little more serious rather than being too comfortable with it. I personally think we need this change," Goodman said. "The citizens are tired of seeing [Durham crime] on the news every single day or hearing about somebody being shot and killed."

Voters will make the final selections in November for a new mayor and three members of the City Council, at least one of whom will be a newcomer.