Durham chief sheds ‘diva’ Twitter handle | Raleigh News & Observer

Incoming Durham Police Chief Cerelyn J. Davis turned questions about her Twitter handle into a lesson on recognizing and understanding cultural differences.

Davis, a deputy police chief in Atlanta who starts in Durham on June 6, recently changed her Twitter handle from @1divacop to @1cjdcop.

“So the folks in Atlanta can continue to call me a diva cop, which they did,” she said. “And the folks here can refer to my initials.”

Davis said she chose the @1divacop handle because many of her role models in her culture are considered divas.

“And a diva to me is a strong, confident woman,” she said, pointing to Oprah Winfrey, Barbara Jordan and Nancy Pelosi.

Davis understands some in Durham may not understand the reference, she said.

“I don’t want to disrespect anyone, and I don’t want people to misunderstand who I am,” she said. “I think it is important for people to understand that cultural differences are so important for us to get over and to understand.”

FV library moves forward

A vote Monday from the Wake County commissioners put a quiet end to months of debate about where a new Fuquay-Varina library would go.

The Wake County board approved spending $972,000 for property just east of downtown Fuquay-Varina where the county will build an 8,500-square-foot community library, twice the size of the current one.

The decision about the library’s location occasionally divided the Fuquay-Varina Board of Commissioners and some residents. Some wanted the library to remain at its current downtown location or somewhere else downtown as the town seeks to bolster its center. Those sites were considered but ultimately rejected in favor of the 5.25 acres of land off North Judd Parkway, near the Southern Regional Center.

The site, chosen from more than 20 potential locations and after public input, will offer the potential for the library to eventually expand into a regional library. The current 4,400-square-foot library is 50 years old and is one of the busiest in the system.

In March, Fuquay-Varina commissioner Marilyn Gardner was the only one to vote against a resolution endorsing the site. Other board members said they also preferred a downtown location but didn’t want to lose the library altogether. Having a regional library is a town priority, they said.

The county had a deadline to approve the site, or risk losing the ability to use money from the 2007 library bond. The current library eventually will be turned over to the town for a use to be determined.

Political events

▪ Tom Jensen, director of Public Policy Polling, will speak to the Wake Democratic Men’s Club on Monday, May 9, at the Holiday Inn Downtown, 320 Hillsborough St. in Raleigh. Doors open at 6 p.m. followed by dinner at 6:30 p.m. and the program at 7 p.m.

Compiled by Virginia Bridges and Henry Gargan