It is a time of transition in Durham. We are in the midst of a search for a new City Manager due to the retirement of Tom Bonfield. Meanwhile, County Manager Wendell Davis’ contract expires in June of this year. We are thankful for their years of service to our community. As our progressive governing boards chart our community’s future, the People’s Alliance encourages our local elected officials to remember these important qualities as they search for our community’s new leaders:

Over recent months, People's Alliance action team members have worked together with the PA Board of Directors and community partners to create a set of budget recommendations for Durham City and Durham County's coming fiscal year. Our members work towards our vision of a just, equitable, and inclusive community where all people thrive in several interconnected areas — economic justice, education, housing, environmental justice, and race equity. These funding priorities offer a way for the city and county to address multiple issues at once as part of a just COVID-19 recovery. 

People's Alliance has been fighting for living wages in our community since 1997, when we helped to secure passage of the first municipal living wage ordinance in NC by the Durham City Council. This week, we — following the leadership of the Durham Association of Educators and with other partners like Durham for All and Durham Beyond Policing — helped secure another win for economic justice: the Durham Board of County Commissioners voted unanimously Monday night to make a $15/hour minimum wage for school workers retroactive to July 2020. We sent this note of thanks to our county commissioners and are sharing it here, too.