‘Resist the disease,’ Durham leader urges as outgoing City Council members depart
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Durham Council shifts as two 2017 incumbents lose; new members take seats
- Freeman and Middleton exit after advocacy on housing, transit, civil rights
- Council turnout low: 46,571 ballots cast, 21.6% participation in 2025 election
Emotions ran high in the Durham City Council chambers Monday night as Mayor Leo Williams began his second term and two long-time members gave their final remarks from the dais.
DeDreana Freeman and Mark-Anthony Middleton, who both began their service in 2017, shared successes and struggles while representing the city’s residents. Neither was reelected in November, losing to newcomers Matt Kopac and Shanetta Burris in the Wards 1 and 2 races, respectively.
“We’re getting fresh new voices, which is exciting,” said Councilman Nate Baker. “We’re also losing two people who have been on the Durham City Council and carry with them huge amounts of institutional knowledge, and we’ll feel that.”
Incumbent Ward 3 Councilwoman Chelsea Cook was also reelected.
‘DeDreana, for the people’
Dozens of supporters packed the chamber to thank Freeman for her service over the last eight years. They gave her flowers and chanted, “DeDreana, for the people,” and “DeDreana, we thank you.”
Outside of City Hall, people gathered to give away free food and celebrate Freeman.
In her remarks, Freeman said she had been “privileged to give to the city of Durham with love, and I appreciate the love back.”
“I believe in holding folks accountable, and I will continue to hold folks accountable. I also appreciate the investment made in my leadership and knowledge as a member of this council,” she said.
To many, Freeman has been a voice for underrepresented residents on matters of race and inequality, housing, social justice and the environment. She was also often one of the council’s three minority votes, along with Baker and Cook, opposing development that she argued threatened long-term residents.
Freeman has been praised for her advocacy for tenant protections, historically Black neighborhoods, working-class families, seniors, and children.
Her tenure also included moments of controversy.
She was outspoken in defending former member Monique Holsey Hyman, who faced unproven allegations of extorting a developer. In 2023, she was accused of attempting to strike Middleton during a heated exchange. And in August, she poked Durham County Commissioner Nida Allam at a political mixer, an incident for which she said she took responsibility, explaining she was responding to a false accusation.
Her time on the council had “ups and downs, and many, many downs, but I’ve stood firmly on principle. Fighting for the city, for the people, for fairness, for truth and for justice,” she said. “And I will continue.”
Cook praised Freeman as both a colleague and mentor, noting how she worked behind the scenes on important issues.
“There are a lot of folks in this city who have historically not had a voice in this governance, and DeDreana has been a voice for those folks consistently, unabashedly, folks who were able to find their voice in local government through [her],” Cook said.
‘Middleton out’
In his final remarks, Middleton turned to thank Freeman for her service. He said their political careers had had a “quantum entanglement” over the past eight years.
“I hope that you will find time and space to rejoice,” he told Freeman. “No one in this chamber knows better than me that you aren’t finished.”
Middleton championed several initiatives. In 2020, he pushed for a pilot program to give universal basic income to the city’s poorest residents. He advocated for investments in the Hayti neighborhood, free bus service, gun violence prevention, and affordable housing. He was also one of the leading supporters of the ShotSpotter gunshot detection program, which the city eventually ended.
More recently, Middleton was one of the proponents of making Durham a Fourth Amendment Workplace to protect government workers from unreasonable searches and seizures and drafted statements from the city on racism, antisemitism and Islamophobia.
But Middleton also faced criticism over his support for the Heritage Square rezoning and the Brier Creek annexation. Known for his sharp, direct style, he was criticized by some for his tone with residents. During his campaign, a Durham activist printed his picture on “Wanted” posters placed in some neighborhoods.
Middleton acknowledged the criticism, saying there were “some people who cannot exist without conflict.”
“This election is over; it’s time to govern,” he said. “There is a germ in our public square where there are some folk who define themselves only by enemies; they cannot conceive of a context of building a life without strife.”
He encouraged residents to challenge their elected officials but to “resist the disease going around that has infected some, and it’s given folks the ridiculous proposition that they’re always right.”
“I count it all game and I count it all joy,” he said. “May God forever shine a light, protect and keep the greatest city in this nation ... Middleton out.”
Williams, who appointed him as mayor pro tempore in 2021, thanked Middleton for being a “big brother” and “being an example as a leader for young Black men in this community.”
“I think I’ve learned the most from you,” he said. “I’ve seen you go through the most treacherous times. ... But somehow you were strong enough to just hold it together because you knew it was bigger.”
Last month, 46,571 eligible residents cast their ballots for the four open City Council seats, a 21.6% voter turnout.
After their remarks, Burris, Kopac, Cook were officially sworn in for their new four-year terms.
Williams, who will serve a two-year term as mayor, appointed at-large Councilwoman Javiera Caballero as the new mayor pro tem, making her the first Latina in the position.
Correction: An initial online version of this story incorrectly reported outgoing council member DeDreana Freeman’s position on ShotSpotter. She voted to pause the gunshot surveillance program.
This story was originally published December 2, 2025 at 8:41 AM.
CORRECTION: An initial online version of this story incorrectly reported outgoing council member DeDreana Freeman’s position on ShotSpotter. She voted to pause the gunshot surveillance program.