By Kevin Davis & Lisa Sorg

When we sat down last weekend to review our impressions from our Board of County Commissioners interviews, we realized that this election presented something unique to our nearly twenty combined years of Durham politics-watching:

This is, stem to stern, the strongest group of candidates that we recall in any City Council, BOCC or school board election. Which is pleasantly surprising, given that the BOCC in some recent years has struggled to attract the strongest candidates.

Out of the five incumbents and five challengers seeking seats, the strength of this pool is such that we'd be pleased to see any of eight candidates take seats on the East Main Street dais this fall.

Two candidates -- Fred Foster and Glyndola Massenburg-Beasley -- are not recommended for election by BCR. We did not have an opportunity to interview either candidate; however, as we'll describe below, there are compelling reasons to select others from this extraordinary pool of candidates.

Out of the eight remaining, whom to endorse? For two seats, it's no contest: Wendy Jacobs and Ellen Reckhow deserve unqualified, unfailing support and a sure return to office.

The other three selections were much tougher, particularly since all of the other six candidates are qualified, knowledgeable and would be an asset to the community. (And perhaps should think about running for City Council -- cough, cough.)

For a variety of reasons -- including the ability to bring diverse perspectives to the board, and to balance experience and service with new ideas -- we recommend James Hill, Tara Fikes, and Brenda Howerton for the remaining seats.

This interview is one in a series of conversations with those candidates seeking seats on the Durham County Board of County Commissioners. BCR thanks The Durham Hotel for kindly offering space for our interview series.

Listen to or read a transcript of the interview in full at this link, or read our recap below.

In our interview with Heidi Carter -- a twelve-year member of Durham's school board, and its current chair -- the candidate's passion for public education couldn't be more evident. And Carter made a strong argument for Durham's commitment to public schools in general, and a rejoinder to some of the concerns raised recently (including in these pixels) on administrative and support spending levels, too.

But Carter is quick to note the BOCC's broader role, and her interest and concerns across a range of platform topics.

"I don't want people to think, oh you know, she's all about schools and that's all she really cares about, because it's much bigger than that," Carter said.

"Will we be able to grow and expand in ways that will bring opportunity and prosperity for all?" Carter asked, noting that she saw three  interconnected and very tightly linked" issues driving the answer to that question. "Public education is the first one of those. And then economic growth, our economy. And public health. The three of those must go together."

Carter argued that addressing concerns of the growing economic inequality required a focus on education to address the "huge area of inequality as middle class and upper middle class families move into the future, what we're seeing is that the early learning experiences of their children are becoming more and more enriched," contributing to an achievement gap Carter said tracks with family income.

She also signaled her support for growing the wage base to address inequality.

"I think that communities that have been successful in bridging that divide share some common characteristics, and I think that one of those would be that there is a belief that raising wages actually benefits not only the individual but has an overall benefit on the economy," Carter said. "And that we as communities all sort of succeed and fail together in the long run."

Note: Bull City Rising interviewed eight of the 10 county commission candidates running in the March primary. (Fred Foster Jr. did tell us he was out of town at a conference, but then did not respond to a subsequent message requesting an interview; Glyndola Massenburg-Beasley did not respond to emails regarding an interview.)

We are posting summary stories and full audio for each candidate. 

Here's what you need to know before you vote:

• Ten Democratic candidates are running in the March primary for five seats on the Durham County Commission. The top five candidates will move on to the general election in November.
• Early voting for county, state and federal offices (except U.S. House) starts Thursday, March 3; Election Day is Tuesday, March 15. Because of a federal ruling regarding the unconstitutionality of congressional maps, the U.S. House election, under new districting, is scheduled for June.

In her 10 terms on the Durham County Commission, Ellen Reckhow has helped govern during hard times: When Durham was a punchline for bad jokes about violence; when a former commissioner, Joe Bowser, led an ouster of County Manager Mike Ruffin; when the recession hit in 2008; when the 751 South development deeply — and some political observers thought, irreparably — divided the commission.

But now, as Reckhow seeks her 11th term, she is looking forward to a new era in Durham. “The board is getting along well. Things have been calm; it’s easier to govern when there is solid revenue,” she says. “We are experiencing a renaissance in downtown,” she adds. “We have a very vibrant economy now.

"Our revenues have returned and even exceeded what they were. It’s an opportune time for the city, the county, the school system and the community at-large to come together and see how we can help more of our citizens benefit — especially young people.”

All of the commission candidates have been emphasizing job creation — specifically, work for people without a bachelor’s or advanced degree. That includes using economic incentives and Durham’s newly burnished reputation as muscle to lure those companies here.

Of the 10,155 jobs created in the last three years, more than half are jobs in science, technology, engineering or math, Reckhow said. “That’s wonderful, but our young people aren’t necessarily prepared for those jobs. We need to be more active in seeking out companies that can bring in good wage jobs for people who don’t have a college degree.”

As an example, she cited the Harris Beverage company, which is expanding in on Junction Road in Northeast Durham because the county helped provide utility extensions. In addition, Reckhow says, the county could buy land around that location to create an industrial park. 

“There are communities that are more actively recruiting [these types of companies],” Reckhow says. “The disadvantage is we are a geographically small county and a lot of our vacant land is in watershed areas. So we don’t have large parcels of industrial land as some counties do.” 

She is advocating for a “corridor plan” to target the U.S. 70 business route through East Durham, N.C. 147 from downtown to RTP, and portions of Highway 98. 

Not only does the workforce need a job, but they need safe, affordable housing. 

Counties are legally limited on funding sources for affordable housing (property tax revenue if off-limits, for example, but parking fees are OK). But the county can enter into public-private partnerships on its land, such as the parcels on East Main Street near the Human Services Building and the Durham Housing Authority.

It is unlikely that free or cheap land alone would be enough to lure a developer to an affordable housing project, Reckhow says. “But if the parking were also provided in downtown setting, then you may have a situation where a developer might do a fair amount of affordable housing.”

Last year, the county contributed $20 million toward the Park Center project in RTP, which includes retail, restaurant, green space and workforce housing off N.C. 54 near I-40.

“That’s very positive for Durham,” she says. “The Park Center area is some of the most strategic real estate in Durham County, and is so underutilized. What we have now is the opportunity to create a vibrant place for people to congregate and a destination, even in the evening.”

One of the most recent controversies facing the county is the management of the Durham County jail. Although the commissioners don’t oversee the facility — that’s the purview of the sheriff — they do approve the funding and can use their position as a bully pulpit. Over the past four months, two detention officers were fired and charged with assault after roughing up an inmate, plus another inmate died, allegedly as a result of poor medical care.

The commissioners, Reckhow says, are still waiting for the results of an investigation. 

A member of the Durham Crime Cabinet, Reckhow says the current jail population, roughly 480, is lower than it was in 2010, when 580 people were incarcerated. She credits a pre-trial services program, which she helped launch, that evaluates nonviolent offenders and diverts them from jail and into supervision of the pretrial staff. “They can release even more people without compromising safety at all,” she said. “Putting people in jail for nonpayment of child support; that doesn’t make sense. And the second thing is, I’m interested in diverting more mentally ill people out of the jail.”

She hopes there will be funding for a mental health court, similar to one in Orange County. A mental health court was proposed for Durham County two years ago, but at the time the state had cut funding for courts in general. There is more interest in it now, Reckhow says.

With better economic times, the county can focus on improving the criminal justice system and the public schools and mending the socio-economic fault lines that have formed since Durham’s “renaissance.” “I wanted to run again because I see a terrific opportunity at this point in time,” she says. “We’re in a good place for Durham to tackle the intractable issues we have faced.”

This interview is one in a series of conversations with those candidates seeking seats on the Durham County Board of County Commissioners. BCR thanks The Durham Hotel for kindly offering space for our interview series.

Listen to or read a transcript of the interview in full at this link, or read our recap below.

Durham native James Hill has made disparity in Durham -- between wealth and poverty, and between a creative-class base of new jobs and the post-industrial disappearance of middle-class jobs -- a central theme in his campaign.

It's not a topic Hill comes to abstractly. Indeed, as an interviewer, I raised the post-tobacco employers like IBM and Nortel to Hill by way of drawing out a different point, only to have Hill note his own very personal experience with that change.

"I was in hardware debug and test for IBM, loved it," Hill said. "The PC division was sold, and we moved on but before that, it was like the sky's the limit. And they were saying, James, your division's going to be moving to Edinburgh and you're going to have international experience, but, you know, things change."

Hill's post-Big Blue employment -- working under Mayor Bell at UDI-CDC as a staffer in a welfare-to-work program; as a child support agent; and as a job counselor, among other gigs -- all seem to have contributed to his awareness on both county programs and the economic chasm Hill sees in the Bull City.

"We've taken away all those those good paying working class jobs, we've destroyed unions and now we're where we have people who are trying to survive on $8.25 an hour," Hill added. "Now you can't do it in Durham."

"I want to be in a community that is inclusive not exclusive," Hill said. "I love the growth, I am in no way trying to slow things down. But I just want to make sure that everyone has a chance of a better life, not just a certain few."

Note: Bull City Rising interviewed eight of the 10 county commission candidates running in the March primary. (Fred Foster Jr. did tell us he was out of town at a conference, but then did not respond to a subsequent message requesting an interview; Glyndola Massenburg-Beasley did not respond to emails regarding an interview.)

We are posting summary stories and full audio for each candidate. 

Here's what you need to know before you vote:

• Ten Democratic candidates are running in the March primary for five seats on the Durham County Commission. The top five candidates will move on to the general election in November.
• Early voting for county, state and federal offices (except U.S. House) starts Thursday, March 3; Election Day is Tuesday, March 15. Because of a federal ruling regarding the unconstitutionality of congressional maps, the U.S. House election, under new districting, is scheduled for June.

When Brenda Howerton was elected to the county commission eight years ago, her community connections were deep but her government experience had been limited to the Soil and Water Conservation Board

Now Howerton, who is running for her third term as commissioner, has accumulated experience on at least a dozen boards and commissions. 

“We are elected as individuals, but then you have to learn to govern,” says Howerton, who is vice-chair of the commission. “You have to be willing to work at getting consensus, and know that you’re there for the good of the community. It doesn’t mean we always agree on everything, but we’ve been able to respect our different views.”

In her first term, she says “I looked at way we were doing business. We didn’t have a strategic plan. I couldn’t understand why that wasn’t in place. After conversations with my colleagues and the county manager, we got one in place. It gives us a way to look at how we’re measuring results.”

As commissioner, Howerton also has influence over the local portion of public school funding. More than a third of the county budget goes to the public school system. She says the imbalance between central office and direct classroom spending — and the achievement gap between white and minority students “is very disturbing.”

“I had a conversation this weekend with a teacher and i asked her ‘What is needed to pull up our children?’” Howerton says. “She said one of the things is parental involvement. It means having some kind of instructional training for parents so they can advocate for their children.”

The school system and commissioners are drafting a memorandum of understanding, although it has not yet been released. Howerton says she recommended to county manager that a mediator may be necessary, “so we can create some real results. We have to be able to talk.”

“I wasn’t involved in the political process during the merger,” she says, “so this is the first time I’ve seen this kind of relationship get o this point. I don’t understand it at all. You can have a conversation with anybody. They may not agree, but you need to respect their views and come to middle of road.”

Howerton, who is on the Durham Crime Cabinet and other criminal justice boards, calls the recent death of an inmate at the Durham County jail, “a concern for me,” and that the commission is waiting for the results of the sheriff’s investigation. But, Howerton says, with the help of the North Carolina Association of Counties, she’ll lobby the legislature to  change state laws that allow 16- and 17-year-old to be placed in adult jails. being put in our jails. North Carolina and New York are the only two states that treat that age group as adults in the criminal justice system.

A lack of job prospects and education, coupled with generational poverty, particularly in African-American neighborhoods, have contributed to crime — and by extension, to problems at the jail.

“We don’t need children being in the streets without working,” Howerton says. “We need to create as many opportunities as possible for our young people to be working, particularly middle skill jobs.”

She would like to bring more manufacturing jobs to Durham, especially northeastern part of the county, and if necessary, use economic incentives to do so. Durham Tech, Howerton says, also should offer certifications and training specific to these jobs. 

“What are other community colleges doing that we aren’t?” says Howerton, who sits on the Durham Tech board of trustees. For example, Wake Tech has an aeronautics program. “Wake has a lot of things that I wish we had in Durham. But it’s a bigger county and has more resources. We have to continue to be innovative and see what we can do.”

Note: Bull City Rising interviewed eight of the 10 county commission candidates running in the March primary. (Fred Foster Jr. did tell us he was out of town at a conference, but then did not respond to a subsequent message requesting an interview; Glyndola Massenburg-Beasley did not respond to emails regarding an interview.)

We are posting summary stories and full audio for each candidate. 

Here's what you need to know before you vote:

• Ten candidates are running in the March primary for five seats on the Durham County Commission. The top five candidates will move on to the general election in November.
• Early voting for county, state and federal offices (except U.S. House) starts Thursday, March 3; Election Day is Tuesday, March 15. Because of a federal ruling regarding the unconstitutionality of congressional maps, the U.S. House election, under new districting, is scheduled for June.

The Durham County Commission should exercise more oversight into jail operations, but stop short of micromanaging it, says Michael Page, who is running for his fourth term on the Durham County Commission.

“We can be more hands-on, expecting progress and inspection reports,” Page says of the jail, “but I’m not sure what more we can do. I’m searching for ways to manage without micromanaging it.”

The entire criminal justice system, and its connections to poverty, jobs and education top Page’s priority list if re-elected.

Page says the commission needs “reported incidents,” and not just from social justice advocates such as the Inside-Outside Alliance, who have long filed complaints about inmate treatment. “We’re not  hearing them from inside the administration of the jail.” 

However, it’s hard to imagine problem detention officers owning up to their behavior. Two detention officers were fired late last year and charged with assault after they roughed up an inmate. The incident was captured on video surveillance cameras. 

“I’m glad it was caught on tape,” Page says. “We won’t condone that happening.”

Part of the criminal justice problem, Page says, is also a social justice issue: the number of nonviolent offenders in the jail, some of whom are too poor to post bond. And state funding cuts have forced local courts to cut positions that helped expedite inmate processing. Misdemeanants could participate in work release programs, rather than stay in jail.  “We had a clerk to support getting these warrants moving so guys aren’t in the system,” Page says. “If the county can help support a new effort or one like that one — our jail should be half full.”

Page led the My Brother’s Keeper project, which directly serves low-income, disadvantaged young men of color, many of them at-risk of becoming involved in crime. Although it took nine months longer than planned for the assessment phase of the program, it is now ready to be implemented. “I was disappointed that it took longer, but it needed to be done carefully,” Page says.

One of the services will be mentoring programs for young men. “These are 18, 19, 20 year olds who can’t find a job or stay out of crime,” Page says. “They said we need adult leadership to help us, to show us. These are bright, articulate young men who deserve an opportunity for a quality life. With appropriate support they can make it.”

Poverty and lack of job opportunities in part, feed the criminal justice system. This is why, Page says, economic development is “critical for this community.” While Durham has attracted high-wage tech and life science jobs, there are fewer opportunities for workers with associate’s degrees, certificates or even just high school diplomas to earn a living wage.

“Education is a real issue in this community,” says Page, who served on the Durham Public Schools Board of Education from 2000 to 2004. 

The Durham County Commission appropriates the local portion of the funding, but the DPS board determines how and where it will be spent. Page says the budget issues — including disproportionate spending on central administration as compared to the classroom  — “accumulated over the years.”  For example, several financial irregularities emerged under the tenure of former superintendent Eric Becoats, who resigned in 2013, after the board investigated his personal use of a district credit card. Current Superintendent Bert L’Homme “has inherited this issue, and it’s unfortunate he has to address it,” Page says.

Any funds that don’t directly benefit the classroom should be especially scrutinized, Page says. Some central office positions could be eliminated or scaled back.

Even transportation budget could be trimmed. Because of DPS’ school choice policy, there are more bus routes that cross the county, and thus additional fuel and personnel expenses.

“At one point we talked about eliminating transportation for after school, he says. “I thought that was a travesty. But we have to look at the classroom from 7:30 to 3:30, and make that the priority. We have to go back and line by line, look at where we’re overspending.”

Page says his notable votes include approving a pay raise for teaching assistants from local monies — while the state was cutting public school funds. “If we had not pushed that effort, employees wound’t have gotten a raise. Their salaries are so low and yet they provide critical services.”

In the 2012, a controversial vote in favor of the 751 South development nearly derailed his local political career. However, Page says, he does not regret approving the project, a large mixed-use development in the Jordan Lake watershed. “The clean water issue concerned me the most, but that wasn’t proven to me that it would be a problem.”

“I don’t see the downside of 751,” he adds. “I’ve gone to other cities and seen people flocking to these projects. I don’t think we have made a mistake in that regard. The development is something different; families want sustainable, walkable communities.” 

The public outcry over 751 divided the commission and to some extent, Durham — although a substantial number of residents, concerned about the environmental impacts of the project, opposed it.

“I’m willing to listen,” Page says. “I’m not stubborn. I will work with people. But I won’t be dictated to by a certain segment of community. We’re five people, and we have to speak on the behalf of the entire community.”

This interview is one in a series of conversations with those candidates seeking seats on the Durham County Board of County Commissioners. BCR thanks The Durham Hotel for kindly offering space for our interview series.

Listen to or read a transcript of the interview in full at this link, or read our recap below.

In making her case for re-election, first time County Commissioner Wendy Jacobs has little difficulty explaining what she believes in and what she supports.

But Jacobs also asks to be evaluated not just in her votes, but in her deeds and accomplishments to date.

"I work hard, I do my homework and I'm proud of the decisions that I make on the Board of County Commissioners and my work on the budget," Jacobs told BCR's Lisa Sorg. "But I'm also proud of the fact that I take action and actually get things done. And I think that's an important part of being an effective leader."

While Jacobs held court on a wide range of issues that are at the front of public discourse -- including conditions in the county jails, breaking cycles of inequality, affordable housing, and water and environmental protection -- she also heralded her work on a less-discussed but, according to Jacobs, vital accomplishment: the creation of Durham's first sports commission.

"I come into being a county commissioner from very much being a community person and grassroots person," Jacobs said, noting her work on the New Hope Preserve campaign before being elected to office.

This interview is one in a series of conversations with those candidates seeking seats on the Durham County Board of County Commissioners. BCR thanks The Durham Hotel for kindly offering space for our interview series.

Listen to the interview in full, or read our recap below.

Tara Fikes_interview

First time Board of County Commissioners seat-seeker Tara Fikes is the first to admit she doesn't have all the benefit of all the details about the minutiae of issues that Durham's incumbents have plowed through on the board, but she doesn't hesitate to describe her experience sitting on the opposite side of a county commission hearing room: as a department head in county government.

During our interview with Fikes, who retired in 2014 after three decades' work in Orange County culminating in directorship of the county's Department of Housing, Human Rights and Community Development, the longtime Durham resident expressed a strong appreciation for the work that county government staff do.

Asked to note an area of county government that few appreciated, Fikes brought up a subject that itself might be minutiae to the uninitiated: environmental health staff and inspectors.

Fikes described this as an area of county government that few citizens know much about, citing she had "always been amazed" by their knowledge on water quality, contaminated wells, failing septic systems, and the public health problems that these sort of issues pose.

"Probably the average person who's getting city services, city water and sewer, doesn't even think about that. But it's a real issue," Fikes said.

She said that while some citizens look at environmental health as "the bad guys" looking to write up a ticket, "really, I've found that they're trying to help, and will help you come up with a solution."

Similarly, Fikes -- who's served as chair of Durham County's social services board -- described social services staff as being hamstrung not merely by federal and state regulations they don't write, and pass-through funding that their local supervisors don't set, but by administrative challenges behind the scenes.

"One of the things that I am seeing, unfortunately ... the state continues to try to automate their systems. Everytime they do that, or make a change, or make an upgrade or a modification, there seems to be a glitch," Fikes said, noting this had contributed to individuals being unable to get their benefits. "That's mind-boggling to me."

Fikes noted that local departments have to find opportunities for "being creative," within the twin barriers of limited authority and pass-through funding. "It makes [DSS staff]'s work harder," Fikes said. "They're trying to do good work, but they have all these barriers," she added, noting the recent changes to food stamp rules for able-bodied adults as an example.

 Elaine Hyman

Note: Bull City Rising interviewed eight of the 10 county commission candidates running in the March primary. (Fred Foster Jr. did tell us he was out of town at a conference, but then did not respond to a subsequent message requesting an interview; Glyndola Massenburg-Beasley did not respond to emails regarding an interview.)

Starting today, we are posting summary stories and the audio of the full interviews for each candidate. 

Here's what you need to know before you vote:

Ten candidates are running in the March primary for five seats on the Durham County Commission. The top five candidates will move on to the general election in November.

Early voting for county, state and federal offices (except U.S. House) starts Thursday, March 3; Election Day is Tuesday, March 15. Because of a federal ruling regarding the unconstitutionality of congressional maps, the U.S. House election, under new districting, is scheduled for June.

Elaine Hyman had had the misfortune — or perhaps the fortune — of living in one of Durham’s 100 “failed developments” — subdivisions where the developers, beset by financial troubles, bailed on building sidewalks, streets and other infrastructure as required. Some declared bankruptcy, in some cases leaving the city and the subdivision residents to help pay for their neighborhoods’ necessities.

But Hyman used that experience living in Emorywood Orchards to catalyze her run for county commissioner and to inform her decisions on the Durham Planning Commission, where she serves as vice-chair. “I have a soft side for communities,” she says. ““That gave me a view into Durham’s communities and the impact of development on them.”

Ed. note: Durham Public Schools superintendent Bert L'Homme has provided the following response to BCR's recent "Scrutinizing our Schools" series. It is printed below in full and unedited. An accompanying document and spreadsheet from DPS are linked at the story's end. --KSD.

Bull City Rising has performed a public service in delving into and asking questions about our spending priorities in Durham Public Schools. In the last few years DPS has been able to produce much more transparent and understandable budget information. That helps hold us accountable as a district not only for our finances but our impact on student achievement—and we welcome that accountability.

There are some areas in the reporting that miss important context, however. We want to highlight one particular example and also talk about one of the assumptions in the series: that DPS’s spending priorities have changed significantly in the last decade.

TEACHERS

The basic facts in Scrutinizing our Schools: A Decade Later Spending and Enrollment Up, But Fewer Teachers are accurate but miss an important point: when other districts have had to reduce the teaching workforce in the face of state funding cuts, during the last ten years DPS has been able to mostly hold the line on maintaining teaching positions.

Comparing the state’s “Highlights of the North Carolina Public School Budget” documents from FY 2007-08 to FY 2014-15, we see that the state funded 85,575 teachers just prior to the Great Recession. Today, the state only funds 81,702 teachers—3,873 fewer, despite the fact that our public schools served 25,271 additional students. (None of these figures includes charter schools.)

Most school districts couldn’t make up the difference, but DPS came close. From FY 2007-08 to FY 2014-15, the number of federally and locally funded teachers in North Carolina increased, but not enough to offset the cuts in teaching positions. As a result, there were 3,110 fewer teachers in North Carolina school districts, a decline of 3.18 percent statewide. Durham Public Schools, on the other hand, was able to keep our number of teachers relatively level. In FY 2007-08 we had 2,368 teachers (coincidentally the same number we had in 2006, as BCR stated). In FY 2014-15, the 2,347 teachers serving our students represented only a 0.9 percent decline.