For years, it's been easy to reach Harvard Ave. neighborhood activist and political mover the Rev. Mel Whitley -- with an email address of "tellmelvin@nc.rr.com," he's been one person East Durham residents and activists have turned to to tell their complaints.
Now it's Rev. Whitley doing the telling, this time about his decision not to seek the City Council this year in Ward 2, which covers much of east and southern Durham.
Candidate filing in the races for mayor and City Council begins on Monday, July 6 and runs through July 17. An announcement either way from Whitley has been expected.
Whitley's is one of a couple of names that's surfaced for the Ward 1 seat held by Howard Clement, who's slowed with age but is still widely expected to run for re-election. But Whitley has told several dozen politicos, City Hall officials and others in an email that he doesn't intend to challenge for the seat.
Not that his campaigning for better conditions in East Durham is going to change, mind you, with Whitley laying out a number of issues he wants to see change in the Bull City -- and noting that he thinks he can be most effective on these as a "community voice," not a member of City Council.
Improving the housing stock is good for Durham: When we improve housing, everybody wins. We can make homes more energy efficient. It would save energy, put more money in consumers' hands, and increases property value. Slumlords don't make their homes energy efficient because they don't pay the utility bill. We have endorsed cheap rent at the expense of quality of life for the poor. We need leadership.
Dead beat Landowners must reimburse the City: The City of Durham loses thousand of dollars each year to dead beat landowners that will not cut their grass, weedy lots, board up vacant houses or demolish dilapidated homes. The City pays to have this task done and wait for the dead beat landowner to sell the properties. The lien on the property goes not to the City but to the County. We need to find a way to recover our taxpayer money. We need leadership.
Changing public policy to enhance community organizing: Criminals don't work in organized neighborhoods. When neighborhoods organize they began to say what they don't want in their communities and ask for what they want. The biggest organizing stumping block to organizing in poor neighborhoods is meeting space. Parks and Recreation charge a fee to poor neighborhoods for meeting space to make their community better. We need Emergency Preparedness in poor neighborhoods. This can't happen without community organizing. When neighborhoods have good information, they make better decision. We need leadership.
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