DURHAM - The Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People hosted a gospel-infused rally Sunday to encourage black residents to head to the polls Tuesday for the City Council primary.

Several people who spoke from the pulpit expressed disappointment in the turnout for Sunday's event at St. James Baptist Church. Issues of crime and poverty, among others, make this election crucial, many said.

They encouraged the more than 100 people in attendance to urge their neighbors to vote.

"We can't afford to sit home with a spirit of indifference," the Rev. Robert Daniels of St. John's Missionary Baptist Church said. "We don't have the numbers here today that we would have liked. But there's still time."

Turnout in Durham nonpartisan primaries historically is low. Only about 11 percent of registered voters showed up at the polls for the last council primary in 2005. About 16 percent voted in 2003.

Sunday's service was aimed at changing that, with rousing gospel numbers and fiery speeches.

The committee, an influential 72-year-old organization, has endorsed Victoria Peterson and Farad Ali in the election.

Voters can choose three out of the 10 candidates seeking at-large seats in this election. The top six vote-getters Tuesday will be on the Nov. 6 general election ballot.

Ali and Peterson both were given opportunities to speak. Each has a key platform plank they say will address a top concern of the committee: poverty.

Ali, 40, cites his banking background and current position as vice president of the N.C. Institute of Minority Economic Development. He'll bring that to bear, he told the audience, to make sure Durham equitably distributes funding throughout the entire city.

The city has been criticized for spending millions on public-private ventures on downtown revitalization projects that some say have ignored needs in poor neighborhoods.

"The city is a large business," Ali said. "You want to have people who understand how to spend the money and will make sure it's distributed equally"

Peterson, 54, a fixture at City Council meetings who often speaks about the need for jobs for poor black men, wants the city to partner with the private sector to create job-training facilities. "If we do not have strong men, we will not have a strong community," she said.

In a city where 43 percent of residents are black, courting their votes is a must for Durham candidates.

Steve Monks attended Sunday's rally despite not receiving the committee's endorsement. Monks, 45, noted that he has been endorsed by a Muslim group and said he is expecting support from El Centro Hispano. Monks speaks Spanish and represents many Latinos in his law practice.

Other candidates in the primary are incumbents Eugene Brown and Diane Catotti, Laney Funderburk, David Harris, Melodie Parrish, David Thompson Jr. and Joe Williams.