Durham residents rarely get a break from the electoral cycle. Local city council races are held during off-years in between national contests, so the marathon continues this fall as the Bull City prepares to vote on four seats: the three Ward seats and mayor.
Nineteen candidates total filed in the four races before today’s deadline. The four incumbents—Mayor Leo Williams, as well as councilors DeDreana Freeman, Mark-Anthony Middleton, and freshman councilor Chelsea Cook—are all running to keep their seats atop the dais. Freeman and Middleton are the two longest-serving members of city council; both were elected in 2017, and re-elected in 2021. Williams was first elected to city council in 2021 before rising to the rank of mayor in 2023. Chelsea Cook was selected to finish out Williams’ Ward 3 term.
Ward 1
Ward 1, the district that encompasses downtown Durham and parts of northern Durham like Braggtown and Trinity Park, has six candidates, including Freeman.
Other candidates in the race are:
- Elijah King, a local organizer who’s served as the third Vice Chair of the North Carolina Democratic Party since 2023.
- Andrea Cazales, a nurse and researcher.
- Matt Kopac, a sustainability and social impact professional who ran unsuccessfully for Board of County Commissioners in 2022 and currently serves on the Durham Planning Commission.
- Samaria McKenzie, a marketing specialist.
- Sheryl Smith, a community organizer who has been an outspoken advocate for more investment to curb gun violence after she tragically lost her son to a shooting in 2005.
Ward 2
In Ward 2, which covers much of south and southeast Durham, three candidates, including Middleton, will battle it out. The other two candidates are:
Ward 3
And in western Durham’s Ward 3, Cook will square off against three challengers:
- Terry McCann, a rare Durham Republican who teaches at J.D. Clements Early College.
- Durant Long, who recently graduated from UNC-Asheville in 2024.
- Diana Medoff, a 3rd grade teacher at Duke School.
Mayor
That brings us to the headline event. A six-person mayoral showdown that pits the incumbent Williams against five aspiring leaders:
- Lloyd Phillips, who does not have a campaign website or other accessible information.
- Angela Reddick, who does not have a campaign website or other accessible information.
- Rafiq Zaidi, a persistent speaker at city and county meetings.
- Anjanée Bell, artist, dance educator and daughter of longtime Durham political titan Bill Bell.
- Pablo Friedmann, a Student U board member and director of the Multilingual Resource Center at Durham Public Schools.
Incumbency and name recognition are hard to overcome in local races, especially in a crowded field. Like Obi-Wan Kenobi in his duel against Anakin Skywalker on the lava rivers of Mustafar, the incumbents “have the high ground,” a significant advantage for campaigning, fundraising, and ultimately, earning enough votes to join the Jedi, excuse me, city council.
Only a couple of challengers bring local government experience to the contest. King has spent most of his young career in political organizing, first with Durham County Democrats and now with the state party organization. Kopac currently serves on the Planning Commission, a farm team for city councilors (both Freeman and councilor Nate Baker served on the commission before moving up to the big leagues.)
Residents have applauded the council’s investments in HEART and the Office on Youth, but its voting record on development has been less popular.
The primary election is being held on October 7. Two mayoral candidates and six city council candidates (two from each ward) will move forward to the general election on November 4.
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