After city council controversy, Mayor Elaine O’Neal must lead Durham forward | Opinion
The Durham City Council needs to heal, internally and externally, after last Thursday’s work session.
Durham City Council introduced a resolution last week that would censure council member Monique Holsey-Hyman because of multiple complaints that she asked the city’s staff to take on campaign work for her. At the same meeting, Mayor Elaine O’Neal announced that the SBI would investigate a claim that Holsey-Hyman tried extorting a property developer by asking for contributions to her campaign in exchange for support on a development project.
On top of this, those concerns were overshadowed by a shouting match between Mayor Pro Tem Mark-Anthony Middleton and council member DeDreanna Freeman. The allegations and outburst Thursday challenge the faith Durham residents have in their elected leaders. The extortion claims are particularly egregious for people who have been pushed out in favor of wealth and development.
Holsey-Hyman says she has no intention of stepping down from her seat on council. Her fellow council members and the SBI will be in charge of determining the best path forward. In this moment, the city and council need a leader to facilitate healing with the public and with each other. O’Neal, as the mayor and a respected member of the community, is the person who can move Durham forward.
O’Neal made history as the first Black woman elected to serve as Durham’s mayor. “Let’s step out of the comfort zone of yesterday into something bold and beautiful and bright for all of our children,” she said in her 2021 victory speech. Despite her vision, she has not been the best communicator — she did not respond to a request for an interview, and she declined interviews with reporters at the work session.
Right now, she is at a turning point. To move the city toward that bold, beautiful and bright future, she’s going to have to take the first step and make sure that all Durham voters understand what’s going on. A good written statement on everything that has happened, what we know and don’t know and the steps forward would go a long way.
O’Neal has the resume to be a leader. She’s a former judge and the former interim dean for the North Carolina Central University School of Law. As a Durham native, she understands the city’s history. This is the time for her to take control of the narrative and provide reassurance to the city and its council that our local government is still functioning.
O’Neal needs to show Durham that she is the one running the show — not developers or other council members. She does not have a lot of power in Durham government, aside from being a vote on council. There are many things she can’t control — like a Republican-controlled legislature — but she can work to ensure every council member knows what is and isn’t expected of them and help the public understand what the process for Holsey-Hyman will look like.
The accusations against Holsey-Hyman will likely exacerbate the strained relationship between property developers and the city’s residents, who cannot escape the effects of gentrification on family and friends. To some, the extortion allegation is just another reason to believe that developers and the city are working hand-in-hand with little regard for the people whose families built this city. O’Neal knows this. She could use this as an opportunity to explain to Durham residents how the investigation will work and that it it isn’t a sign of greater corruption, and she can take the opportunity to explain how the state makes affordability harder by outlawing rent control and laws that offer more protections for landlords than tenants.
The current council represents the city’s past, present and future. It represents a city that is rapidly changing, thanks to the booming tech industry in the Triangle, and the council is working to create a city that uplifts everyone living there. Doing so is not easy, and there will always be conflict. O’Neal can’t fix all of Durham’s problems on her own, but she can lead us toward the future.
