New Durham mayor hopes to make city 'safe for everyone'

Retired judge Elaine O'Neal made history on Monday night when she was sworn in as the first Black female mayor of Durham.

O'Neal said that, while she was excited about being sworn in, there are a lot of issues that need to be tackled in the city, including housing, gun violence and making Durham safe for everyone.

She added that she's been attending Durham City Council meetings to hear as much input as possible to help form a game plan to address the issues.

O'Neal said a lot of the violence is connected to poverty and affordability.

She said she plans to address the resources available to those who live in Durham this week.

"You can offer all the jobs you want and you can offer all other types of things, but if a person doesn't have a safe place to lay their head, everything else is pretty much off," said O'Neal.

O'Neal said she will unveil plans on Wednesday during a news conference at 10 a.m. at Durham City Hall.